How to Be a Bug
Courtesy of the Calgary Sun
Dave Foley learned the ropes on NewsRadio and Kids in the Hall
By TYLER McLEOD
Wednesday, November 18, 1998
Like any kid growing up, Dave Foley loved Disney cartoons.
"I went to them all. I remember going to the theatre for The Aristocats, The Jungle Book and whatever they re-released," he recalls.
Back then, of course, the Disney experience was much different than Foley's current experience with A Bug's Life.
"Merchandising wasn't what it is now. When I was a kid, there were no talking Baloo the bear toys -- people just went to see the movie."
But they made their own fun, darnit.
"We named our cat after Duchess in The Aristocats," Foley says.
This winter, however, Bug's Life promotional products will be everywhere.
Most of them are based on Foley's lead character, Flik.
"Oh yeah, my voice will be coming out of a number of toys this Christmas ... and annoying millions of parents," he laughs.
The Toronto native was once before destined for toy store shelves. (No, not a line of Kids in the Hall action figures.)
"Many, many, years ago I was hired to do a cartoon series, but it was cancelled when the toymaker pulled out," Foley recalls.
"I was to play a computer genius in some motocross ... thing."
The premise of A Bug's Life, opening Friday, is much clearer. In a new spin on Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper, Flik and his colony live under a reign of grasshopper terror.
Every summer, the oppressed insects of Ant Island gather food while the lazy grasshoppers slack off. But instead of starving, as in the fable, the bullying bugs simply steal the ants' rations.
Our hero Flik decides to enlist outside help and the adventure begins.
Foley isn't sure why his voice was chosen by the film-makers as having an ant-like quality.
"After seeing the movie, I do think my voice is much less incongruous coming out of an insect than out of, say, a shoe," he concludes.
Like it's predecessor, Toy Story, the computer-animated film boasts a cast of recognizable voices including Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Hyde Pierce, Denis Leary and John Ratzenberger.
"I met Julia at the premiere. I went up to say hi and she gave me a big hug and said: 'Oh, it's my love interest!' "
"We'd never seen each other before then."
Foley credits director/writers John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton with making it easy to perform scenes without his co-stars actually present in the studio.
"I feel like I made a movie with Kevin Spacey now, after watching it," Foley says.
"I have all these scenes with him, even though I've never spoken with the man."
Spacey plays Hopper, the leader of the grasshopper gang, and Foley admires his performance.
"He's an amazing villain in this role. I'd love to do the villain sometime," Foley says.
He's now in his fourth season as nice guy Dave Nelson on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio.
"I always like doing movies -- it's fun to get away from Dave Nelson," says the star of the upcoming films Blast From The Past and Dick.
While his own children, aged 3 and 5, haven't seen A Bug's Life yet, they have met his character at a Disney theme park.
"They know the character and they seem to like Flik alright," Foley says, noting his children have seen that "other" bug cartoon, Antz, released last month.
"They liked it," he reports, laughing when asked if this puts daddy in competition with the star of Antz, Woody Allen.
"Yes, continuing the famous show business rivalry between myself and Woody Allen.
"Not since Jack Benny and Fred Allen has there been anything like it."
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