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[alongwiththebees]

Movie Tropes

Adaptation Expansion: The movie adds the new character of Melanie, Niko and Daniela's little sister, who is the only human who knows that Niko's been turned into a bee, and becomes one herself to find her.

Adorkable: Niko.

Adult Fear: Imagine that your daughter vanishes from the beach without a trace. Then later, her younger sister disappears as well after going to that same beach.

Ambiguously Human: In what is also a case of Morphic Resonance, Piccolo's human form has a more orange skin tone, and his hands resemble crab claws. Likewise, Chandra is notably paler than the other human characters in the film, and she has green hair.

Award-Bait Song: "Hachimitsu" by Yui Aragaki in the original Japanese version, and "Anytime You Need a Friend" by the Beu Sisters in the English dub.

Cassandra Truth: Nobody believes Melanie about Niko being turned into a bee by a crab-man, forcing the little girl to take matters into her own hands.

Coming of Age Story: At the start of the film, Niko comes off as a sassy goofball. Her experiences in the bug world help shape her into a more mature young woman.

Cool Big Sis: Daniela is this to her younger sisters, while Niko gradually becomes this to Melanie. Also, Kava to her sisters and Diden.

Cute Clumsy Girl: Niko as a bee often trips, falls, and crashes through her surroundings, but manages to adapt to her new body in time.

Damsel in Distress: Both Niko and Melanie get themselves into dangerous situations as bees.

Deadpan Snarker: Most of Kava's lines are sarcastic or snide, especially when talking to Phung or Diden or when she's at first apathetic to Niko.

Disproportionate Retribution: Niko disturbed the shell that was Piccolo's summer home. So naturally she deserves to be turned into a honeybee, right? (Of course, Humans might consider it Disproportionate Retribution, but seeing as this is a common theme in stories among fairies and spirits, such nonhuman beings apparently do not.)

Earn Your Happy Ending: Niko has to go through some hardship to return to human form and save her loved ones. Avoiding predators, saving Daniela and Melanie and killing Mr. Cavatica and Mrs. Weaver shapes her into a more mature person along the way. 

Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Mr. Cavatica and Mrs. Weaver genuinely love each other, so she loses it when she discovers he's dead.

Expy: With all the explicit similarities to Alice in Wonderland, it is extremely likely that Mr. Cavatica and Mrs. Weaver are consciously inspired by the characters of the King and Queen of Hearts, respectively.

Forced Transformation: What kickstarts the plot, as Niko becomes a honeybee thanks to an offended crab.

Growing Up Sucks: Subverted. Niko sulks about this at first, then slowly comes around as the film goes on. Or as the film goes on she is revealed to be more mature and resourceful than she appears.

Hands Looking Wrong: How Niko first learns she's been transformed by Piccolo, noticing that her hands are now an insect's limbs.

Karmic Transformation: For Niko when her ignorance gets her transformed into a bee.

Lame Pun Reaction: When catching Niko as a bee in his net, Mr. Shaffer calls her "honey". While he may have thought that it was a good pun, Niko thinks it was stupid.

Missing Child: The moment where Niko gets trapped in a bee's form. Later, the same happens to Melanie. Both girls deal with some pretty dangerous situations while Niko matures as a person.

The Power of Love: Chandra reveals that the transformation can only be reversed by an act of love and courage.

Voice of the Legion: You need to listen very carefully to hear it, but the bug characters (Bee!Niko and Bee!Melanie included) have a slight flanging effect to their voices.

[alongwiththebees]

Along with the Bees movie plot

Thirteen-year-old Niko Bradley lives with her sisters, fifteen-year-old Daniela and eight-year-old Melanie, and her widowed mother Hallie in the Massachusetts town of Bluffhaven. One summer day, while the sisters are gathering sea glass on the beach, Niko finds and accidentally disturbs a shell which is actually a summer home for Piccolo, a former pet crab who has learned magic from his deceased owner. When Niko later returns to retrieve the shell, Piccolo, appearing before her in humanoid form, transforms her into a honeybee as punishment. Upon witnessing this, Melanie tries to inform Daniela; however, the former is unable to convince the latter, and soon loses Niko. After a skirmish with a mantis and a wasp, Niko is captured by the Bradleys’ beekeeping neighbor, Mr. Shaffer, who places her with the other bees in his artificial hive. There, Niko meets other bees, Kava, Bleta, Phung and the drone bee Diden, whom she is able to convince of her true nature as a human. The queen bee Mesilane gives the bees permission to consult Piccolo, but he is not powerful enough to change Niko back; he does, however, tell them of Chandra, the "Witch of the Wood" and his master's tutor, instructing them on how to reach her. Along the way, two venomous spiders, the dreaded seven-legged crab spider Mr. Casanova Cavatica and his new mate, the orb weaver spider Mrs. Nephila Weaver, capture and attempt to devour Niko, but she is accidentally rescued by a dragonfly who has just completed his transformation from a nymph. Named Flash by Niko, he agrees to lead the bees to an anthill belonging to some ants who have told him stories of Chandra's exploits. Meanwhile, the Bradleys notify the local authorities to help find Niko. Melanie, knowing the futility of their efforts, confronts Piccolo, demanding that he turn her into a bee as well, to which he complies. Accompanied by Scrap the timid cockroach, Melanie sets out to find Niko, but overhears Mrs. Weaver and Mr. Cavatica’s plot to kill the Bradleys to take over the house for their offspring. The bees and Flash are mistaken for a threat by the ants, and Niko is dragged into the anthill to meet Queen Ari. Upon learning of Niko’s predicament, Ari’s daughter, Princess Foumi, asks for permission to lead the group to Chandra, which Ari grants. After evading Chandra’s familiar, Aponi the parrot, the insects meet Chandra herself, but she informs them that the curse can only be broken by an act of love and courage. Crestfallen, Niko leaves, only to reunite with Melanie, who warns her of the spiders' ambitions. Mr. Cavatica ambushes them upon their return to the house, only to be killed by Niko's stinger. After Niko, Melanie and Scrap locate and destroy the spider eggs and reunite with the other insects, they resolve to save Daniela and Hallie from Mrs. Weaver, and rally the rest of Shaffer’s bees and Ari's ants to help. That night, a grieving Mrs. Weaver attempts to bite and kill a sleeping Daniela. However, she is distracted by Flash, Niko and Melanie, who lure her outside, where the other bees and ants lay in wait. They corner Mrs. Weaver, but rain suddenly begins to fall. In the ensuing chaos, Mrs. Weaver takes Melanie hostage. Niko pursues, catching up to Mrs. Weaver and rescuing Melanie before luring the spider to a bluebird’s nest. There, Mrs. Weaver manages to bite off the tip of Niko’s stinger, but is stung by Melanie and torn apart by the birds, while Niko is washed away by the rain. As a result of their heroic actions, Niko and Melanie are restored to human form just as the bugs, joined by Chandra, Aponi and Piccolo, find the former the next morning. With the threat of the spiders defeated, the girls feel sorry for having to leave their new friends, so Chandra allows the bees, Flash and Scrap to be resurrected as humans at the end of their natural lifespans. Niko and Melanie return home and reunite with Daniela and Hallie. Later in the year, their insect friends, now human, reunite with them individually, now living with Chandra.

[alongwiththebees]

Along With The Bees book plot

Young Niko Bradley lives with her older sister Daniela and her widowed mother Hallie in a town by the sea. One summer day, while gathering sea glass on the beach, Niko accidentally disturbs a shell which is actually a summer home for Piccolo, a crab who has learned magic from his deceased owner. When Niko later returns to retrieve the shell, Piccolo, appearing before her in human form, transforms her into a honeybee as punishment. After failing to get Daniela’s attention, Niko is caught by the Bradleys’ beekeeping neighbor, Mr. Shaffer, who places her with the other bees in his hive. There, Niko meets other bees, Kava, Bleta, Phung and the drone bee Diden, who learn of her true nature as a human and tell her of Piccolo’s origins. She also learns of the Witch of the Wood, who lives deep in the forest. The queen bee Mesilane gives the bees permission to consult Piccolo, but he is not powerful enough to change Niko back; They thus resort to seeking out the Witch of the Wood. Along the way, two venomous spiders, the dreaded seven-legged Mr. Cavatica and his new mate Mrs. Weaver, try to devour Niko, but she is accidentally saved by a rookie dragonfly whom she names Flash. Having heard stories of the Witch from some ants as a nymph, Flash agrees to lead the bees to the nearby anthill. Once there, they are mistaken for a threat and Niko is dragged into the anthill to meet Queen Ari. Upon learning of Niko’s predicament, Ari’s daughter, Princess Foumi, asks for permission to lead the group to the Witch, which Ari grants. After evading the Witch’s familiar, Aponi the parrot, the insects meet the Witch herself, Chandra, but she informs them that the curse can only be broken by an act of love and courage. Crestfallen, Niko returns to her house, only to encounter the timid cockroach Scrap, who leads her to overhear Mrs. Weaver and Mr. Cavatica’s plot to kill her family to take over the house for their offspring. After Mrs. Weaver leaves, Mr. Cavatica becomes aware of Niko’s presence and attacks her, only to be killed by her stinger. After Niko destroys the spider eggs and reunites with the other insects, they resolve to save Niko’s family from Mrs. Weaver, and rally the rest of Shaffer’s bees to help. That night, a grieving Mrs. Weaver attempts to bite and kill a sleeping Daniela. However, she is distracted by Flash and Niko, who lure her outside, where the other bees lay in wait. They corner Mrs. Weaver, but rain suddenly begins to fall. In the ensuing chaos, Mrs. Weaver targets Niko, who lures the spider to a bird’s nest. There, Mrs. Weaver manages to bite off the tip of Niko’s stinger, but is torn apart by the birds, while Niko is washed away by the rain. As a result of her heroic actions, she is restored to human form just as the bugs, joined by Chandra, Aponi and Piccolo, find her the next morning. With the threat of the spiders defeated, Niko feels sorry for having to leave her new friends, so Chandra allows them to be resurrected as humans at the end of their natural lifespans. Niko then returns home and reunites with her family. Later in the year, her insect friends, now human, reunite with her individually, now living with Chandra.

[alongwiththebees]

“Anytime You Need a Friend” by The Beu Sisters

[alongwiththebees]

Thirteen-year-old Niko Bradley lives with her widowed mother, Hallie, and her sisters, fifteen-year-old Daniela and eight-year-old Melanie, in a small, close-knit Massachusetts town. One day in Summer, after Niko finds a strange shell on the beach, she encounters a stranger who is soon revealed to possess magical powers... as he demonstrates when he transforms Niko into a honeybee.

Now, with the help of four normal bees, a dragonfly and a winged "princess" ant, Niko journeys through a diverse forest in search of Chandra, the Witch of the Wood, who may have the power to restore her to human form. Along the way, our unusual little swarm avoids predators such as the seven-legged spider Mr. Cavatica, and uncover a plot that threatens the lives of Niko’s family. Meanwhile, Melanie, having witnessed Niko's transformation but unable to convince others where her missing sister is, is left with no choice but to strike a deal with the stranger responsible.

[alongwiththebees]

Book Tropes

Accidental Murder: Niko accidentally stings Mr. Cavatica to death when he lunges at her. Though it wouldn’t be called “murder” since they’re both bugs, and those kind of laws don’t apply to the insect world.

Adorkable: Niko.

Always a Bigger Fish: Birds, which Niko takes full advantage of to defeat Mrs. Weaver.

Amicable Ants: The ants of Ari’s colony, even if most of them are Large Hams.

Animal Talk: The insect characters are all capable of speaking to each other, regardless of their species, but not with normal humans.

Battle in the Rain: With an interesting twist—because these are tiny bugs, the raindrops are enormous and fall like bombs. They all scatter to avoid these while Mrs. Weaver chases Niko.

Bee-Bee Gun: Subverted when Niko becomes a bee, her only form of protection being her new stinger.

Big Damn Heroes: Flash and Niko arriving to stop Mrs Weaver from delivering a fatal bite to Daniela.

Big Good: Chandra, the Witch of the Wood.

Big Sister Instinct: When Daniela realizes that her little sister has disappeared, she frantically searches the beach and the trail leading there from their house, to no avail, not knowing that her sister’s actually been turned into a bee.

Black Widow: Mrs. Weaver becomes a literal one, as it was Niko who killed her mate.

Cruel and Unusual Death: Mrs. Weaver getting eaten alive by birds is not a nice way to go.

Curse: Piccolo’s honeybee curse is what starts the plot.

Didn’t Think This Through: While in bee form, Niko sees her sister, Daniela, and tries to fly over to her to tell her about her own predicament. She realizes too late that to Daniela, it just looks like a bee that’s going straight towards her. This results in her bolting for the house.

Disproportionate Retribution: Piccolo curses Niko for disturbing the shell that is his “Summer home”.

The Ditherer: Scrap the cockroach.

The Dreaded: Mr. Cavatica has this reputation.

Dreadful Dragonfly: Averted with Flash, who saves Niko from Mr. Cavatica, though accidentally, upon entering the plot.

Everyone Has Standards: Niko, a human girl turned into a bee, has to look away in horror before even a monster like Mrs. Weaver getting eaten alive by a couple of bluebirds.

Exact Eavesdropping: Niko overhears the spiders’ entire plan to rid her house of humans. Granted, she was warned to go listen in by another insect, but that seems a bit too convenient, no?

Exit, Pursued by a Bear: Mrs. Weaver meets her fate via this trope.

Family-Unfriendly Death: Moreso than her mate’s, Mrs Weaver getting devoured by the bluebirds. The last thing she (and Niko, before the bee-girl turns away in horror) sees is one of their gaping beaks clamping around her head and pulling…

Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Niko is described as the Foolish to Daniela’s Responsible.

Forced Transformation: The story deals with this trope throughout, as Niko is transformed into a honeybee and journeys with other bugs to change back.

Grotesque Cute: The cute bluebird couple who eat Mrs. Weaver alive at the end.

Hell Is That Noise: See Sound-Only Death below.

Hornet Hole: Naturally, Niko finds herself in an artificial beehive, where she meets the bees who become her allies.

Humanity Ensues: Chandra casts a spell that allows Niko’s insect friends to eventually be resurrected in human form upon inevitably reaching the end of their natural lifespans, so that they can see each other as much as they want.

“I Can’t Look!” Gesture: Niko turns away in horror at the sight of Mrs. Weaver being eaten by the birds.

Indy Ploy: How Niko tricks Mrs Weaver into getting herself killed. 

Inertial Impalement: Mr. Cavatica meets his end when he lunges at Niko, only to be impaled on her stinger.

Insect Queen: Queens Mesilane and Ari, both of whom are royalty and the literal mothers of their respective “kingdoms”.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Kava. She comes across as crabby quite a bit. Despite that, she’s still good friends with the other bees and forms a sisterly bond with Niko as well.

Just Desserts: Mrs. Weaver meets this fate, courtesy of some birds whose nest Niko lures her to.

Karmic Death: Mr. Cavatica, who relishes Niko’s fear as he prepares to kill and eat her, is almost immediately Impaled With Extreme Prejudice on her stinger.

Mrs. Weaver gets her Just Desserts when he becomes the meal of some hungry birds. For extra points, she despises birds.

After spending the story lording her superior arachnid size over the insects, it’s this superior size that does Mrs. Weaver in, as the birds are more interested in having the spider for a late night snack than Niko.

Language Barrier: Niko transforms into a bee and gains the ability to talk to bugs, but also loses the ability to talk to humans. Luckily, Chandra Speaks Fluent Animal.

Large Ham: Queen Ari.

Looking a Miffed Animal in the Mouth: Near the end, Mrs. Weaver chases Niko in a rage until the spider (after biting off the tip of Niko’s stinger) happens across a bird which loudly screeches in her face. Terrified, Weaver attempts to run away, to no avail; The bird’s mate is waiting for her.

Meaningful Name: All the bee characters (Niko being an obvious exception) have names for "bee” in different languages.

Misfit Mobilization Moment: After Mr. Cavatica’s death, Niko and the insect characters unite against Mrs. Weaver.

Missing Child: Niko’s family tries to find their missing 13-year-old daughter. Little do they know that she is currently trapped in the form of a honeybee.

More Deadly Than the Male: Mr. Cavatica is less violent than his wife Mrs. Weaver, though more sadistic. After killing Cavatica and chucking the spider eggs into the garbage disposal, Niko laments that still leaves Weaver, whom she herself knows will be even worse.

Mr. Cavatica hides himself for a surprise attack, only to be killed by Niko. Mrs. Weaver attacks the sleeping Daniela with no care for hiding herself, and it’s only by the insects’ intervention that Niko’s family comes out unharmed and none the wiser.

Non-Malicious Monster: The bug-eating birds. They’re really just doing what comes naturally.

In an even more abstract example, the thunderstorm at the end is literally just a force of nature that nonetheless manages to foil the bees’ attempt to take down Mrs. Weaver.

Oh, Crap!: Niko’s reaction upon realizing that she’s been turned into a bee.

And her reaction upon realizing that Mr. Shaffer intends to put her into his hive, although it does lead her to meeting new bee friends and starts her on her quest.

“Niko, get off that flower, now!”

Niko when she gets swarmed by the ants, and later upon overhearing the spiders’ plot to kill her mother and sister.

For Mrs Weaver: “CHIRP CHIRP.”

Only Sane Bug: Kava is the more sensible and mature of the bees who accompany Niko. Likewise, Princess Foumi, though she isn’t without her quirks, is otherwise the most level-headed ant in her colony.

Polly Wants a Microphone: Aponi, Chandra’s wise-cracking parrot, is fully capable of fluent speech.

Predators Are Mean: Despite how Predation Is Natural, neither of the spiders are particularly pleasant individuals. Mrs. Weaver is a Manipulative Bitch, while Mr. Cavatica is a Sadist who relishes Niko’s fear. Both are also planning to kill Niko’s family as well.

Scary Stinging Swarm: A heroic example: Towards the end, Niko and Queen Mesilane lead such a swarm to confront Mrs. Weaver.

Sensory Tentacles: Upon first meeting Niko, the bees of Clan Shaffer investigate the newcomer by laying their antennae on her.

Bleta: She doesn’t smell like any bee I’ve ever met…

Shout-Out: The way Niko is lured into Piccolo's trap is a reference to a Swahili folktale in which an ogre captures the female protagonist this way.

The naming of the bug characters, especially the bees, is an Homage to Clan Apis/The Way of the Hive.

Sound-Only Death: How Mrs. Weaver’s death is described:

…Mrs. Weaver let out a piercing scream, which was abruptly cut off by a different noise: The meaty sound of something being torn to shreds.

Roar Before Beating: The bird lets out a deafening screech right into Mrs. Weaver’s face before it and its mate prey on her.

Truth in Television: A lot of actual bug facts are interspersed throughout the story, such as how bees die after stinging creatures other than insects, or how female ants make up the vast majority of any given ant colony. 

Unholy Matrimony: The two venomous spiders are mates who wish to assassinate all the humans in the house so that their eggs will have a safe place to hatch.

Villainous Breakdown: Mrs. Weaver breaks down when her husband is killed and her eggs are destroyed. And she breaks down even more when her attempt to kill Daniela is thwarted.

Virtuous Bees: The bees of Clan Shaffer are goodhearted bees that want to serve their hive.

Women Are Wiser: Protagonist example: Niko’s worker bee friends are shown to be smarter than drone bee Diden, who is a bigger goofball than even Phung and Niko, the latter of whom helps organize the bees into fighting Mrs. Weaver.

Antagonist example: Mr. Cavatica’s ambush plan is smart, but upon recognizing Niko, he attacks her head on, and is killed by her stinger for his trouble. Mrs. Weaver is smart enough to not only avoid being stung, but to also gnaw the tip of Niko’s stinger off.

Xenofiction: An unusual example, being from the point of view of a girl transformed into a honeybee.

Zerg Rush: The ants swarm Niko this way. Later she and Queen Mesilane lead the bees to attack Mrs. Weaver.

[alongwiththebees]

Young Niko Bradley lives with her widowed mother, Hallie, and her older sister, Daniela, in a small seaside town. One day, after Niko finds a strange shell on the beach, she accidentally offends a crab with magical powers, who transforms her into a bee in retaliation. Now, with the help of four normal bees, Niko journeys through a diverse forest in search of the Witch of the Wood, who may have the power to restore her to human form. Along the way, our little swarm avoids predators such as the seven-legged spider Mr. Cavatica, and uncover a plot that threatens the lives of Niko’s mother and sister.