If we’re going to paraphrase a certain title card: According to all known laws of cinema, there’s no way Bee Movie should’ve been able to create a cultural phenomenon. But the script got its fat little butt off the ground and took flight. Because Bee Movie doesn’t care what humans think is impossible.
Released in 2007 as Jerry Seinfeld’s first major project after Seinfeld, the animated film follows an enlightened insect, Barry B. Benson, who decides to venture beyond the hive when he realizes he’s doomed for a life of perpetual honey labor. Free from the wings of capitalism, Barry soon meets a florist named Vanessa (Renée Zellweger) who’s not only exceptionally calm and kind when he begins speaking the English language, but also helps him sue the human race for their exploitation of bees. But you’re here for the Challengers-esque love triangle, right? The one between two humans and a bee? That’s where Ken (Patrick Warburton) warbles in. The hotheaded tennis instructor realizes exactly what’s going on with his lady: She’s being successfully charmed by Barry — who’s, once again, a bee — and she leaves Ken after he tries to murder Barry with an issue of Italian Vogue. Yes, this was marketed as children’s entertainment. “That bee is living my life,” Ken screams in agony in the final scene. “When will this nightmare end!”
Bee Movie fared modestly with critics and box-office dwellers during its initial run in theaters, which coincided with Warburton starting his successful run on the sitcom Rules of Engagement. But it has mutated in subsequent years into a bona fide viral sensation, with this very magazine once overanalyzing how the ideas of sincerity, acknowledgment, and sexualization contributed to its second life in the internet-meme factory. (Personally, I’m partial to the video “The Entire Bee Movie but every time it says bee it speeds up by 15%,” which has now been viewed nearly 7 million times.) Warburton, a tenured Seinfeld collaborator whose newest film is The Duel, theorizes that “timing had a lot to do with” Bee Movie’s endurance. “You count your blessings, and I’m glad I got to be a part of that,” he said in a recent conversation. “I really do think it’s an honor.”
Ya like jazz?
I do like jazz. I’m doing a lot of things later in life now. I didn’t even take a singing lesson until I was 49 years old, just to experiment and see if I could do it. Next thing you know, I formed a garage band that had a jazz musician as a member. When we’d all get together, even if this guy wasn’t familiar with some of the more popular rock bands, he’d listen to a song and he could play it immediately because of his skill set.
My buddy Chris, who’s the bass player in the band, took me to the Catalina Jazz Club where I saw Victor Wooten on bass, Mike Stern on guitar, and Dennis Chambers on drums. That was an introduction for me. I witnessed something that I had never seen. The kind of jazz I listen to is Miles Davis, who not only changed music but changed it five times in his career. I’m not really a fan of progressive jazz, and there are certain aspects of jazz that don’t appeal to me. But jazz musicians are, by far, the greatest musicians in the world when it comes to improvising and performing.
You’re someone who’s equally prolific in both voice and screen acting. How does your decision-making differ between the two? Do you tend to be more selective with one over the other?
In the realm of voice-over cartoons, you can see who your character is to a degree. Sometimes you don’t really have a sense of what it’s going to look like until all the other artists are done with the animation. For storyboard artists, it’s a fun process because it’s a cumulative effort of so many people. Whereas in live-action, it’s just you. I can go through my IMDb page and be like, “That was great. That was shit. That was great. That was shit. That was shit. That was shit.” Bee Movie is great, of course. But I look back and some of the choices I’ve made throughout the years perplex me. As the sole supporter of a family of six for 35 years, you end up taking almost every gig that comes your way because you’ve got mortgages and bills to pay.
I see things a little differently now. I’m now, at the tender age of 59, perhaps a little more selective. I’ve somewhat survived and made a living in certain genres, but I love a good challenge. That’s why I did things like The Woman Chaser or The Civilization of Maxwell Bright, which was a little film that nobody ever saw. I got three Best Actor awards for that one from different film festivals. There are great performances in it, it just looks a bit crappy. Another example is when I got the opportunity to do The Dish, which has since become a pretty iconic film for Australia. I had asked Rob Sitch, the director, “You only knew me from Seinfeld. Al Burnett, the NASA scientist, is the least funny character in this entire film. Why did you choose me?” And he responded, “Well, I reckoned you could do it.”
You had no idea what that little comment meant to me. Because in Los Angeles, that just doesn’t seem to be how their minds work. They put you in a box. They want you to do the same thing, but I’ve always enjoyed seeing actors make turns. One of my favorite films of all time is Sling Blade. So many people were impressed by the fact that John Ritter wasn’t tripping over couches like he did in Three’s Company. But, no, he’s a real actor.
When someone approaches and asks for “the Patrick Warburton voice,” what does that mean to you in terms of your distinctiveness?
They understand that even though I’m not a chameleon in the way of voice-over talent, there’s something distinctive about my voice. Whether it be Joe in Family Guy or Kronk in The Emperor’s New Groove, you can tell it’s me. It’s the same guy, but he comes from a different place. For instance, Kronk’s very sweet, but he could have been darker. I think it would’ve played funny if he was like [lowers his voice several sexy octaves], “Well, my spinach puffs won’t be ready. That’s a shame we’re going to miss dessert.” But I decided to make him a little bit sweeter, and that worked for him. Now, Joe comes across a bit more officious. Can you tell it’s the same guy? You can. There are voice-over artists who are just chameleons. Their voice is up here, sometimes it’s down here. But that’s never really been me.
When I encounter the rare person who’s never heard of Bee Movie, they always think I’m lying about it until I show them the “Ya like jazz?” clip. I’d love to know how exactly this film was pitched to you, who made the convincing argument, and if you immediately understood the joke.
It was all Jerry. I absolutely saw it from the very beginning as a fun and clever idea. I loved the story. Seriously. I thought it was a humorous and interesting perspective to travel into the lives of bees and see how they’ve been sort of used and taken advantage of by humans. In the realm of cartoons, you don’t play by the same rules. You create a world and it’s absurd and silly and ridiculous. And if the journey’s fun and clever, it’s just like in live-action films. You might know where something’s going, but if it’s well executed, it’s fun to vicariously take that journey through these characters.
It was so uniquely Seinfeld-ian, and I think that’s why it’s had such a life afterwards. The Emperor’s New Groove wasn’t a big commercial hit, either. It was never publicized greatly by Disney at the time. They had two films that came out: The live-action version of the 101 Dalmatians with Glenn Close and The Emperor’s New Groove. Most of their advertising dollars went to 101 Dalmatians. Our film had a life, like Bee Movie, past its time in theaters. It became more of a cult favorite than, say, a big initial screen presence.
I’ll ascertain that Ken is the sanest character in the film, but because he’s screaming or in an exacerbated state the entire time, it gets lost in translation. When you walk into a recording booth, how do you get into the zone when you have to conjure up so much anger?
You do have to dig into the situation. Just like in live-action, you don’t judge your character. It’s insane what Ken goes through. But at the same time, you have to understand that it’s very reasonable for him — his frustrations. You let those frustrations rise, and within that there’s the humor. He’s getting so angry. But from his perspective, it’s rightfully so. He has to deal with an adversary who’s a bee, and that bee is taking the time of his gal. He’s not happy about it. That’s why he tries to actually smash Barry with an Italian Vogue. That’s one of my favorite lines in the film. “It’s a lot of ads!”
What were those sessions in the booth like? Was Jerry constantly buzzing around with input and refining the jokes?
I worked more with Jerry on Bee Movie than I did on Seinfeld. We all recorded individually, and then there was Jerry, the voice of Barry, in there with you helping to guide and direct the scenes.
A few years ago, Jerry admitted that there “seems to be a certain uncomfortable subtle sexual aspect of Bee Movie which really was not intentional” between Barry and Vanessa. Did you pick up on any of that subtext before its release?
I certainly did. That’s what makes animation fantastic and fun — when it can be multigenerational. I can see how it really appeals to kids, and because there’s a lot of subtle other aspects of the film, it’s going to appeal to an older audience. It crosses bridges there.
How does it feel knowing that your character, in fact, lost his girlfriend to a bee?
I’ve done worse.
What was going through your mind when you finished watching the entire film for the first time?
It was a joy. It was really a lot of fun. I remember thinking, This turned out rather nicely. It was something that hadn’t been done before.
Bee Movie is one of those films that has appreciated in value since its release, thanks, in part, to a lot of memes. What have you observed about people’s interest and enthusiasm since 2007?
It’s always terribly satisfying when you see something have a life in the realm of art that appreciates throughout the years. I think one of the reasons why Bee Movie has resonated is because it’s basically Seinfeld. It’s clever. What does that mean? What’s clever? It’s filled with perspective. You have this fun and ridiculous story about something that’s almost a romance between a bee and a woman, which is somehow not perverse at all but very funny. I lean really well into clueless stupidity, dumb arrogance, and a little bit of irony with my roles, and this touches that triad. You can’t just make somebody entirely an idiot. There’s got to be something else there. I could see what made Jerry think about me for the role of Ken.
Similarly, Seinfeld seems to have aged well. Outside of whatever people might find “PC” today or not, these were people that were very relatable to viewers. They had ridiculous human arguments and situations that still seem to play very well today. That’s a testament to Jerry’s humor and his creativity. It’s not something that just works in, say, 1994 or 2007. It’s something that will have a life. What he had created during that time was something that could, and did, live on. That all belongs to Jerry.
Have you given much thought as to why, out of countless other movies, this turned into such a prevailing internet phenomenon? I realize it defies an easy explanation, but perhaps we can figure it out together.
This was something millennials saw early on in their lives, it had an impact as children, and then they realized it contained another layer as adults. Animated films, especially ones that work, you end up seeing more than once and you realize new things about them. It can also become easier for a 2007 animated project than, say, a 1993 animated project that they missed.
Between this, Seinfeld, and Unfrosted, you’ve appeared in what’s pretty much the three creative pillars of Jerry’s career. Why does he keep recruiting you? What mutual comedic understanding do you share?
I appreciate whenever Jerry invites me to do things. We get along well. I love Jerry to death, and it’s kind of odd how our lives have intersected throughout the years. When I first started doing Seinfeld, they liked the character that I brought to the table with Puddy, and then I couldn’t return to the role because I was on a CBS show for two years called Dave’s World. They wouldn’t let me out of my contract to make more Seinfeld appearances.
But Jerry and I crossed paths again because he was doing these cool American Express spots that Barry Levinson directed. He inquired if I would voice an animated Superman in one of the spots. I said, “That’d be a blast.” And while we were doing that, he pitched the ninth and final season of Seinfeld to me. He said, “Can you come back on?” And I go, “As it is, my schedule opened back up.” Every time he does something, he seemingly invites me to the party, which I so appreciate because he’s a genius.
One of the mistakes I’ve made throughout the years is I’ve always gone with the big, giant agencies because they want to sign you. They do a dog-and-pony show where 20 of these executives sit around a table, you sign the dotted line, and then you might throw yourself on a self-tape three or four times a year. That just doesn’t work for me. What does? Working with good people. That’s my way of saying Jerry Seinfeld has been one of those throughout the years.
If you were in your home and a bee started talking to you, confirming it was a sentient being who could speak, how would you react to the situation?
I would talk to the bee and seek some answers. My family has become crazy birders. We have all these different bird feeders outside our window where we have coffee in the morning. We wanted to get orioles, a beautiful bird, but it took a long time to get them to visit the backyard. We learned that if you put out different types of jellies, the orioles will come.
So all of a sudden, we’re finally getting these fantastic, brilliant, bright-yellow orioles. It lasted for a while. But now they’re not coming because we have a bit of a bee problem with the jelly. The bees bother the orioles. A swarm of bees keeps hitting the sticky stuff. It’s annoying. I would ask my new bee friend if he could talk to some of his friends and say, “Listen, maybe you guys don’t hit the jelly in the oriole feeder until the afternoon and leave it for the orioles in the morning. We’d appreciate that.” It’s not the way Ken would’ve handled it, that’s for sure.
