{"id":6835,"date":"2019-02-07T18:10:26","date_gmt":"2019-02-07T23:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/?p=6835"},"modified":"2019-02-07T18:10:26","modified_gmt":"2019-02-07T23:10:26","slug":"pixars-heroines-a-spotlight-on-dot-from-a-bugs-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pixarplanet.com\/blog\/pixars-heroines-a-spotlight-on-dot-from-a-bugs-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Pixar Heroines: A Spotlight on Dot from A Bug\u2019s Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

In honor of Little Bo Peep\u2019s fabulous new look in Pixar\u2019s upcoming Toy Story 4<\/em>, we\u2019re starting a new series dedicated to the countless Pixar heroines who\u2019ve graced the silver screen. From Elastigirl to Merida, we want to highlight them all; not only focusing on their strengths, but their weaknesses too; it\u2019s every little bit about these heroines that makes them so empathetic, so powerful, and why they mean so much to us.
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\nWe\u2019re starting off the series by focusing on Dot from the often overlooked and severely underrated A Bug\u2019s Life<\/em>. Dot is rut of the family, the young princess ant, and sister to Princess Atta. She\u2019s small and she hates it. Because of her size, and her position in the royal family, she\u2019s often overlooked and made fun of. It\u2019s also established early on in the film that Dot is trying to fly, but she can\u2019t quite grasp how her wings work yet; it might be her obvious inexperience or her lack of confidence, but either way, that\u2019s one obstacle she struggles to overcome throughout the film.
\nIt also doesn\u2019t help that Dot is constantly punished for her lack of flying and her failed attempts are deemed dangerous; she feels distraught and her free spirit is crushed under the pressures of her family. No wonder she finally feels at home, at peace with herself, when she meets Flick. She finds his inventions fascinating, even when the other ants in the community think they\u2019re ridiculous and a waste of time. Flick ends up giving Dot some stellar advice about her size and how it doesn\u2019t matter how small she is, \u201cyou might not feel like you can do much\u00a0now<\/strong>,<\/strong>\u00a0but that’s\u00a0just\u00a0because, well,\u00a0you’re not\u00a0a\u00a0tree yet.\u00a0You\u00a0just\u00a0have\u00a0to\u00a0give yourself some time; you\u2019re still a seed<\/em>.\u201d
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\nDot stays loyal to Flick, even when the other ants in the community show their obvious distaste for him after he knocks the food they spent months gathering, for the villainous grasshoppers, into a stream. When Flick decides to leave the colony in search for bigger and tougher bugs to help protect the colony against the grasshoppers, Dot eagerly awaits his return, using his telescope invention to keep watch for him. Dot\u2019s friends make fun of her for using his inventions and siding with Flick, but she has tough skin and ignores their mockeries. She\u2019ll do anything for Flick.
\nWhy Dot is inspiring: <\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s safe to say Dot is the sole ant who helps save the day in A Bug\u2019s Life<\/em>. She\u2019s a cutie that packs a punch, despite her youth she\u2019s wise and optimistic and helps move the main cast of characters through even the darkest moments in the film. Her determination alone is inspiring; not once does she give up and sulk at the fact that she can\u2019t fly or that she\u2019s small and incompetent. She has her bad days, but she keeps on moving forward. She keeps trying, again and again, and doesn\u2019t stop until she gets the results she\u2019s satisfied with.
\nDot also isn\u2019t afraid to speak her mind, even if it means hurting someone else\u2019s feelings in the process. She doesn\u2019t let her age or her size get in the way when the people she loves are in danger, even when she knows it could be a risk. Despite being part of the royal family, she doesn\u2019t hesitate to put herself out there and to show initiative; she is at her bravest while her sister and Queen Mother are in hiding.
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\nAfter the grasshoppers return to the ant colony and take over their land, demanding the extra food that they weren\u2019t given on their last visit, Dot goes into hiding with the other young ants. When she hears that Hopper, the ruthless leader of the grasshoppers, is going to murder her mother, she comes up with a plan: find Flick and get him to help. As soon as she leaves the hiding spot, she\u2019s chased down by Thumper; the ravenous grasshopper who nearly tore her to shreds at the beginning of the film. Thumper chases Dot and she escapes only when she falls off a nearby cliff. For an instant, we think it\u2019s over for Dot, but she suddenly reappears on screen \u2013 her eyes shut tight and her wings finally fluttering, albeit frantically. She uses her newfound ability to track down Flick where she gets him to return to the colony just in time to help save her family.
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\nDot continues to grow during the final beat of the film, constantly learning and moving out of her comfort zone to get her colony to safety. She works with Flick, gathering the other young ants on to a fake bird that they built in order to scare off the Grasshoppers. As Flick drives it, Dot gives instructions and even makes fake bird cries. She steps into more of an adult roll, accepting her duties and putting herself last to save everyone else. Even when she is captured by Hopper again after their failed attempts at scaring him away, she never backs down or even hints at surrendering; as everyone looks on in horror, she looks back with fire in her eyes and is ready for a fight. As Thumper confronts her at the end, ready to start where they last left off after their chase, she shouts at him and slaps him, treating him like a bad dog.
\nAt the end of the film, Dot is a changed ant. When Atta, her sister, is crowned the new Queen of the colony, Dot receives her tiara and has officially moved up the ranks in her royal family. (Honestly, after Dot\u2019s bravery, she\u2019s<\/strong> the one who deserves to wear the crown at the end, but I\u2019m willing to let that go…) Regardless, the tiara is a much earned badge after her triumphant display of courage.
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\nSome behind-the-scenes fact about Dot: <\/strong><\/p>\n