Arthropods in film

Arthropods, which include crustaceans, arachnids, and insects, are characterized in many different ways. Their bodies are segmented and covered by a cuticle, and their appendages have joints.^[1] These and other features set arthropods apart from other groups. Arthropods, mainly insects and arachnids, are used in film either to create fear and disgust in horror and thriller movies, or they are anthropomorphized and used as sympathetic characters in animated children's movies.

There are over 1,000,000 species of arthropods, including such familiar animals as ants, spiders, shrimps, crabs and butterflies. Many different films throughout history have involved the phylum Arthropoda. Some arthropods have distinct colorings and shapes that make them seem "pretty" to human observers, while others may have an appearance that is deemed "scary". "Bugs" like butterflies and dragonflies are often deemed prettier than ants and spiders. This outward judgement often comes from previous experiences that people have had with arthropods, as well as how arthropods have been and continue to be portrayed in common media.^[2]

Early 20th century films had difficulty featuring small insects due to technical difficulties in film-stock exposure and the quality of lenses available.^[3] Horror movies involving arthropods include the pioneering 1954 Them!, featuring giant ants mutated by radiation, and the 1957 The Deadly Mantis. Films based on oversized arthropods are sometimes described as big bug movies.^[4][5][6][7]

Arthropods used in films may be animated, sculpted, or otherwise synthesized; however, in many cases these films use actual creatures. As these creatures are not easily tamed or directed, a specialist known as a "Bug Wrangler" may be hired to control and direct these creatures. Some bug wranglers have become famous as a result of their expertise, such as Norman Gary, a champion bee-wrangler who is also a college professor, and Steven R. Kutcher, who wrangles a multitude of different types of bugs and who is the subject of over 100 print articles.^[3]

How arthropods were depicted in cinema has changed drastically in comparison to how they are depicted in cinema today. In his paper Us or Them!: Silent Spring and the Big Bug Films of the 1950s, Bellin describes how insects are shown to be evil and monstrous beings in several different films of the 1950's 1960's. Movies such as Them! illustrate a world where arthropods like ants are giant creatures that attempt to take over the planet.^[8] However, in other films such as Disney's Pinocchio, a character named Jiminy Cricket (representing crickets from phylum Arthropoda) is shown to be not ugly and scary but a rather cute and wise sidekick to the main character Pinocchio. In modern cinema, arthropods are associated with a number of Marvel superheroes including those from the movies Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Spiderman. Instead of being portrayed as beings to be feared, many arthropods and their qualities, like their strength and web-weaving abilities, are actually pictured as cool and fun.