In the 1998 Pixar film *A Bug's Life*, the shift in power and social standing creates a clear divide between those who thrive by the end and those who lose everything.
### **Those Who End Up Better**
* **Flik:**
* **Start:** He is a social pariah and "clumsy" inventor whose "mistakes" (like his grain harvester) are seen as a nuisance by the colony. He is essentially sent on a suicide mission to the "city" just to get him out of the way.
* **End:** He is hailed as a hero and a visionary. His inventions, once mocked, are officially adopted to make harvesting easier. He also gains the romantic affection of the new Queen, Atta, and a high-status position in the colony.
* **Princess Atta:**
* **Start:** She is plagued by near-crippling anxiety and insecurity about her ability to succeed her mother as Queen. She is reactionary, dismissive of Flik, and obsessed with perfection to appease the grasshoppers.
* **End:** She finds her voice as a leader, successfully standing up to Hopper and mobilizing the colony. She is crowned Queen and enters a partnership with Flik, finally confident in her authority.
* **Dot:**
* **Start:** As a "young sprout," she is frustrated by her inability to fly and is often bullied by the grasshopper Thumper.
* **End:** She becomes the new Princess, masters flight, and gains immense confidence. She also leads the "Blueberry Scouts" as a legitimate tactical force during the final battle.
* **The Ant Colony:**
* **Start:** They live as "slaves" to a protection racket, forced to spend their lives gathering food for grasshoppers while fearing for their survival.
* **End:** They are liberated from oppression, no longer live in fear, and have transitioned into a more "technologically advanced" society using Flik's inventions.
* **The Circus Bugs (and Molt):**
* **Start:** The circus bugs are jobless failures who were fired by P.T. Flea after a disastrous performance. **Molt** (Hopper's brother) is an abused, bumbling lackey constantly threatened by his brother.
* **End:** The circus troupe becomes famous and successful, embarking on a new tour with a refined act (and a few ant assistants). **Molt** ends up much better off as well; freed from his brother's tyranny, he joins the circus as a performer. **Heimlich** specifically achieves his dream of becoming a butterfly (albeit with tiny wings).
* **P.T. Flea:**
* **Start:** He is a desperate, failing businessman with a "dying" circus act.
* **End:** He regains a world-class troupe and a highly profitable show, even managing to hire "the biggest bug in the world" (Molt) as part of his new tour.
### **Those Who End Up Worse**
* **Hopper:**
* **Start:** He is the absolute tyrant of the region, commanding a terrifying gang and holding life-and-death power over the ant colony.
* **End:** He suffers the most definitive "worse" ending. After being outsmarted by Flik and abandoned by his own gang, he is trapped in a real bird's nest and **eaten alive by baby birds**.
* **The Grasshoppers (The Gang):**
* **Start:** They are a parasitic elite who live in luxury off the labor of the ants. They are physically superior and unchallenged.
* **End:** They are routed and chased off the island by the unified ants. Having lost their only reliable food source and their intimidating leader, they are forced to fend for themselves in a world where they are no longer the top of the food chain. **Thumper**, the mindless enforcer, is specifically humiliated and scared off during the final confrontation.