A Real Bug's Life (2024) s02e03 Episode Script
Tiny Heroes Down Under
1
[theme music plays]
[Narrator] Some bugs
seem to have it made.
Take this handsome
little damselfly dude.
He's just
chilling by the pool.
Cruising around at
four miles per hour,
and flexing his
cool blue outfit.
He's living the high life.
During summer in an English
village there's a real
buzz around the pond.
[splashing]
It's where it's
all going down.
[splashing]
But this bug's life
wasn't always so sweet.
Our tiny hero has the most
unexpected origin story.
Growing up on the
wrong side of the pond.
Hustling a living amongst
the bottom feeders,
and the type a low lives,
who prey on the vulnerable.
This is a tale about how
little creatures overcome
giant odds,
crawl their way to the top,
and become real high flyers.
[dramatic music]
[ice freezing]
[wind blowing]
In late January the pond
is a very different place.
Only 23 degrees outside,
not a bug in a sight.
But insulated under
the ice, look who it is.
Yeah, the same damselfly
guy from above,
but stuck in larval form.
With a body full of
a natural antifreeze,
he's just about clinging on.
Whoops.
Okay, so he's
swimming a little stiff.
Hey the water's icy, man.
Barely grown since last fall,
he's got a long way to go
before he can escape the
dangers lurking in this
murky underworld.
A water shrew can eat it's
own weight in bugs every day.
Time to hide little buddy.
Those whiskers can detect
the slightest movement.
Yeah, that's not helping.
Better.
Now just stay put.
No, no, no, don't move.
A shrew is just a passing
problem, compared to this.
The damselfly's
bigger, badder cousin.
A dragonfly larva,
almost 100
times his weight,
intent on devouring as
many bugs as he can.
All a little larva can
do is keep his head down.
[footsteps]
Up above, change is coming.
[quacking]
[birds chirping]
In England, temperatures
barely creep above freezing
and everyone's like
"Woo hoo, pool party!"
For frogs Spring Break
is all about one thing.
Eggs are getting laid.
Each female produces
thousands of spawn.
They need to, only around
2% make it to adulthood.
Odds get even worse when
you factor in an invasion
from outer space.
The alien.
It strikes without warning.
Abducting hundreds at a time.
[splashing]
A lone egg's chances are slim,
but compared to some,
it develops fast.
In just a few days
one cell becomes 100,000.
A week or so later,
she's a tiny tadpole.
A.K.A. a sitting snack
trapped in a Jell-O jail.
But incredibly, she can detect
the scent of a predator
and emergency eject.
Now to find some friends
'cause hiding in the crowd
is a tiny tadpole's best hope.
But damselfly larvae have a
different survival strategy.
Keep a low profile and
avoid shady characters.
But he can't hide forever.
If he wants outta here,
he's gotta build that body.
Pinhead-sized water fleas are
a good source of protein,
if you eat enough of 'em.
These jitterbugs
are hard to catch.
[crash, chewing]
An extendable quick draw jaw,
three times faster than
a blink of the eye.
One down, but many more to go
before he's strong enough to
escape into the free world.
For some, pond prison
is a life sentence.
No chance of this
stickleback ever breaking out.
So, he's making the
most of his life aquatic.
Now spring's here, it's a
good time to start a family.
Oh, ladies.
As catches go, a two-inch dink
could be a little underwhelming
Thankfully these females are
more impressed by a male's
interior design skills,
and this guy is so extra.
Oh, a rusty piece of junk.
Love the distressed look.
Just needs a
little zhuzhing up.
Okay.
A little here.
Maybe a bit of that.
I'm just gonna stick
this in here real quick.
Okay, let me just slap that in
there and I'm gonna have that.
No, I don't like that.
Is it crooked?
Actually, oh yeah,
feeling the fishy feng shui.
Wait.
What the?
Really?
Another alien invasion?
And more of 'em this time.
It's "Deep Impact."
But once the silt settles,
they leave behind a cleaner,
clearer water world.
[Narrator] Ah, finally,
a bit of sunlight.
[quacking]
It sends the pond into a
period of rapid growth,
and everyone's taking advantage
Aw, tiny tadpole
found some friends
and she's growing up fast.
Sooner you mature, the
sooner you're outta here.
Now eight months old, even
our slow developing damsel is
upping his game,
from water fleas to water lice,
pond portions just
got super-sized.
But so have the predators.
Uh-oh.
Dragon on your tail again.
Thankfully with
side facing eyes,
he can watch his own back.
[intense music]
Yeah, you can run, but
this dragon's just gonna
keep coming.
Time for more drastic action.
Uh, shaking a tail feather?
Is that wise?
[intense music]
Oh, okay.
Seems drawing attention to
his butt just saved his head.
And these smooth moves
help another way too.
Those tail feathers are
where his gills are located.
So, waving them around
increases the flow of oxygen,
'cause right now bugs
are struggling to breathe.
The pond is heating up
and warm water can't
hold as much oxygen.
But one ingenious little bug
has a breathtaking solution.
The diving bell spider
breathes air but
hunts under water.
So, by trapping a bubble with
thousands of tiny hairs on his
abdomen, he
makes a scuba suit.
This aquatic arachnid catches
bugs other spiders can't reach.
He not only hunts in the pond,
he makes his home here.
First he weaves
an underwater web,
then ascends back
up to the surface.
A quick bubble butt refill
and he's back down to release
it beneath his silk canopy.
A few more trips to the top
and the bubble
building is complete.
An underwater abode where he
can rest up and dine in peace.
Now, the tadpole must
breathe air too 'cause
she's reabsorbing her
gills and growing lungs.
So, she sucks in as
much air as she can
Then
[burps]
Nice.
But she won't be
blowing bubbles forever.
She's almost ready
for life on land.
Little damsel larva is moving
on up too and preparing for
his own amazing
transformation.
But as bottom dwellers
begin to surface,
they face even
deadlier monsters.
Duckzilla and her
bug-eating babies.
[quacking]
When ducklings attack,
they don't discriminate.
Little larvae, or tiny tadpoles
it's all lunch to them.
But dodging death by ducks
seems an easy escape
compared to this.
Guess who's back?
Oh man, not another abduction.
Little larva's
in hot water now.
Oh no.
Breaking through the surface
is a real battle for bugs.
But after almost a
year of bodybuilding,
he rises to the challenge.
But now he's getting so dry,
his body is cracking.
[cracking]
Don't worry, it's all
part of the exit strategy.
[cracking]
Pumping body fluid, he
inflates his new wings.
[dramatic music]
And at last, he's airborne.
Woo-hoo!
Later pond scum.
Catch me if you can
alien girl, but you can't.
I'm free!
[crashing]
Oh, oh.
[clears throat]
Whoa! Okay.
Nothing to see here.
Just chilling in
these reeds as it were.
Oh man.
Probably safer sitting tight,
till he's found his wings.
Speaking of which,
looks like the dragons have
also emerged from the deep,
and now they can fly too.
[Narrator] Down below,
life only gets tougher
for the stickleback.
Mating season is almost over,
and despite making
major home improvements,
still no visitors.
She's gotta be out
there somewhere.
Come on, go find that girl.
Oh.
Now she looks like a fish
who appreciates good décor.
Hey, don't be shy,
invite her home.
See, she's loving the
shabby chic woven weeds.
Only next time you're
entertaining females
full of eggs, maybe make
a wider entrance.
Never mind, looks like she's
laying her clutch anyway.
Quick, get in there
and fertilize 'em.
Wait, hold up.
Is that another female?
And another 100 eggs.
Suddenly he seems
to be Mr Popular.
From sad singleton to
polyamorous parent
in under five minutes.
Way to go stickleback.
Maybe this pond life
ain't so bad after all.
Yeah, maybe.
But some are still
set on getting out.
The tadpole's transformation
is accelerating.
First some lungs,
now a couple a limbs,
back, yep, then the front.
Finally, ditch that tail and
what do you know?
Our little pond princess has
turned into a beautiful frog.
Now to get away
from the pond predators.
[quacking]
Time to bounce.
That's quite the climb
when you've only just
found your feet.
But spring-loaded legs
give her more air
than Michael Jordan.
Well, comparatively speaking.
But when searching for a
home in a strange world,
watch out for unidentified
driving objects.
Although this time,
the alien comes in peace.
She's landed on her feet.
A stone-built home with
a pool just outside,
and not a duck in sight.
[splashing]
Back at the mother pond,
a certain someone has
had quite the glow up.
Mm-hmm.
Electric blue.
This damselfly is
ready for romance.
Trouble is, everyone's
already attached,
and there's nine males
competing for each female.
He can't risk a fight so
early in his quest for love
and he's got bigger problems.
His arch enemies now
control the skies.
Dragonflies are the fastest
flying insects of all,
with a 95% kill rate,
and now they're making more
damsel-eating babies.
Somehow he must stop them.
He knows when a female
dragonfly is laying eggs,
her defenses are down.
Time to launch his
secret weapon,
pester power.
Ballsy move, but up against a
dragon now 30 times heavier,
he's just a pesky little fly.
So, he rallies his
rivals to come help.
United against a common enemy,
the mob take turns
biting her wings
and bugging her so much,
she can't take it anymore,
and our boy in blue
leads the charge.
Yeah, that's right.
Go drop your babies in
someone else's pool.
[buzzing]
Success.
Fewer dragon eggs means more
chance their damselfly larvae
will survive.
But before any of that,
he's gotta find a female.
Looks like he's too
late to the party.
Poor little guy.
Maybe it just
wasn't meant to be.
Wait.
What's that?
A damsel in distress.
[buzzing]
Trapped in the water,
she's in danger of drowning.
Man, talk about
surface tension.
Don't just sit there,
time's running out.
This is your
chance to be a hero.
Okay, careful now.
You got this.
Hold on tight.
Come on!
Pull!
One more try!
[heroic music]
Our hero flies her to
a safe secluded spot
where two little love hearts
might get a little privacy.
[clears throat]
I said privacy, please.
Eggs fully fertilized, he
escorts her to lay them.
Right here in the same
pond in which he grew up.
Once the final egg is laid,
the two love bugs part,
and go their separate ways.
Nice work, buddy.
You've come a long way.
When it comes to totally
transforming their lives,
no one does it better than bugs
And it turns out even the
littlest creatures can rise up
and become the
greatest of heroes.
[music plays through credits]
Captioned by
Cotter Media Group.
[theme music plays]
[Narrator] Some bugs
seem to have it made.
Take this handsome
little damselfly dude.
He's just
chilling by the pool.
Cruising around at
four miles per hour,
and flexing his
cool blue outfit.
He's living the high life.
During summer in an English
village there's a real
buzz around the pond.
[splashing]
It's where it's
all going down.
[splashing]
But this bug's life
wasn't always so sweet.
Our tiny hero has the most
unexpected origin story.
Growing up on the
wrong side of the pond.
Hustling a living amongst
the bottom feeders,
and the type a low lives,
who prey on the vulnerable.
This is a tale about how
little creatures overcome
giant odds,
crawl their way to the top,
and become real high flyers.
[dramatic music]
[ice freezing]
[wind blowing]
In late January the pond
is a very different place.
Only 23 degrees outside,
not a bug in a sight.
But insulated under
the ice, look who it is.
Yeah, the same damselfly
guy from above,
but stuck in larval form.
With a body full of
a natural antifreeze,
he's just about clinging on.
Whoops.
Okay, so he's
swimming a little stiff.
Hey the water's icy, man.
Barely grown since last fall,
he's got a long way to go
before he can escape the
dangers lurking in this
murky underworld.
A water shrew can eat it's
own weight in bugs every day.
Time to hide little buddy.
Those whiskers can detect
the slightest movement.
Yeah, that's not helping.
Better.
Now just stay put.
No, no, no, don't move.
A shrew is just a passing
problem, compared to this.
The damselfly's
bigger, badder cousin.
A dragonfly larva,
almost 100
times his weight,
intent on devouring as
many bugs as he can.
All a little larva can
do is keep his head down.
[footsteps]
Up above, change is coming.
[quacking]
[birds chirping]
In England, temperatures
barely creep above freezing
and everyone's like
"Woo hoo, pool party!"
For frogs Spring Break
is all about one thing.
Eggs are getting laid.
Each female produces
thousands of spawn.
They need to, only around
2% make it to adulthood.
Odds get even worse when
you factor in an invasion
from outer space.
The alien.
It strikes without warning.
Abducting hundreds at a time.
[splashing]
A lone egg's chances are slim,
but compared to some,
it develops fast.
In just a few days
one cell becomes 100,000.
A week or so later,
she's a tiny tadpole.
A.K.A. a sitting snack
trapped in a Jell-O jail.
But incredibly, she can detect
the scent of a predator
and emergency eject.
Now to find some friends
'cause hiding in the crowd
is a tiny tadpole's best hope.
But damselfly larvae have a
different survival strategy.
Keep a low profile and
avoid shady characters.
But he can't hide forever.
If he wants outta here,
he's gotta build that body.
Pinhead-sized water fleas are
a good source of protein,
if you eat enough of 'em.
These jitterbugs
are hard to catch.
[crash, chewing]
An extendable quick draw jaw,
three times faster than
a blink of the eye.
One down, but many more to go
before he's strong enough to
escape into the free world.
For some, pond prison
is a life sentence.
No chance of this
stickleback ever breaking out.
So, he's making the
most of his life aquatic.
Now spring's here, it's a
good time to start a family.
Oh, ladies.
As catches go, a two-inch dink
could be a little underwhelming
Thankfully these females are
more impressed by a male's
interior design skills,
and this guy is so extra.
Oh, a rusty piece of junk.
Love the distressed look.
Just needs a
little zhuzhing up.
Okay.
A little here.
Maybe a bit of that.
I'm just gonna stick
this in here real quick.
Okay, let me just slap that in
there and I'm gonna have that.
No, I don't like that.
Is it crooked?
Actually, oh yeah,
feeling the fishy feng shui.
Wait.
What the?
Really?
Another alien invasion?
And more of 'em this time.
It's "Deep Impact."
But once the silt settles,
they leave behind a cleaner,
clearer water world.
[Narrator] Ah, finally,
a bit of sunlight.
[quacking]
It sends the pond into a
period of rapid growth,
and everyone's taking advantage
Aw, tiny tadpole
found some friends
and she's growing up fast.
Sooner you mature, the
sooner you're outta here.
Now eight months old, even
our slow developing damsel is
upping his game,
from water fleas to water lice,
pond portions just
got super-sized.
But so have the predators.
Uh-oh.
Dragon on your tail again.
Thankfully with
side facing eyes,
he can watch his own back.
[intense music]
Yeah, you can run, but
this dragon's just gonna
keep coming.
Time for more drastic action.
Uh, shaking a tail feather?
Is that wise?
[intense music]
Oh, okay.
Seems drawing attention to
his butt just saved his head.
And these smooth moves
help another way too.
Those tail feathers are
where his gills are located.
So, waving them around
increases the flow of oxygen,
'cause right now bugs
are struggling to breathe.
The pond is heating up
and warm water can't
hold as much oxygen.
But one ingenious little bug
has a breathtaking solution.
The diving bell spider
breathes air but
hunts under water.
So, by trapping a bubble with
thousands of tiny hairs on his
abdomen, he
makes a scuba suit.
This aquatic arachnid catches
bugs other spiders can't reach.
He not only hunts in the pond,
he makes his home here.
First he weaves
an underwater web,
then ascends back
up to the surface.
A quick bubble butt refill
and he's back down to release
it beneath his silk canopy.
A few more trips to the top
and the bubble
building is complete.
An underwater abode where he
can rest up and dine in peace.
Now, the tadpole must
breathe air too 'cause
she's reabsorbing her
gills and growing lungs.
So, she sucks in as
much air as she can
Then
[burps]
Nice.
But she won't be
blowing bubbles forever.
She's almost ready
for life on land.
Little damsel larva is moving
on up too and preparing for
his own amazing
transformation.
But as bottom dwellers
begin to surface,
they face even
deadlier monsters.
Duckzilla and her
bug-eating babies.
[quacking]
When ducklings attack,
they don't discriminate.
Little larvae, or tiny tadpoles
it's all lunch to them.
But dodging death by ducks
seems an easy escape
compared to this.
Guess who's back?
Oh man, not another abduction.
Little larva's
in hot water now.
Oh no.
Breaking through the surface
is a real battle for bugs.
But after almost a
year of bodybuilding,
he rises to the challenge.
But now he's getting so dry,
his body is cracking.
[cracking]
Don't worry, it's all
part of the exit strategy.
[cracking]
Pumping body fluid, he
inflates his new wings.
[dramatic music]
And at last, he's airborne.
Woo-hoo!
Later pond scum.
Catch me if you can
alien girl, but you can't.
I'm free!
[crashing]
Oh, oh.
[clears throat]
Whoa! Okay.
Nothing to see here.
Just chilling in
these reeds as it were.
Oh man.
Probably safer sitting tight,
till he's found his wings.
Speaking of which,
looks like the dragons have
also emerged from the deep,
and now they can fly too.
[Narrator] Down below,
life only gets tougher
for the stickleback.
Mating season is almost over,
and despite making
major home improvements,
still no visitors.
She's gotta be out
there somewhere.
Come on, go find that girl.
Oh.
Now she looks like a fish
who appreciates good décor.
Hey, don't be shy,
invite her home.
See, she's loving the
shabby chic woven weeds.
Only next time you're
entertaining females
full of eggs, maybe make
a wider entrance.
Never mind, looks like she's
laying her clutch anyway.
Quick, get in there
and fertilize 'em.
Wait, hold up.
Is that another female?
And another 100 eggs.
Suddenly he seems
to be Mr Popular.
From sad singleton to
polyamorous parent
in under five minutes.
Way to go stickleback.
Maybe this pond life
ain't so bad after all.
Yeah, maybe.
But some are still
set on getting out.
The tadpole's transformation
is accelerating.
First some lungs,
now a couple a limbs,
back, yep, then the front.
Finally, ditch that tail and
what do you know?
Our little pond princess has
turned into a beautiful frog.
Now to get away
from the pond predators.
[quacking]
Time to bounce.
That's quite the climb
when you've only just
found your feet.
But spring-loaded legs
give her more air
than Michael Jordan.
Well, comparatively speaking.
But when searching for a
home in a strange world,
watch out for unidentified
driving objects.
Although this time,
the alien comes in peace.
She's landed on her feet.
A stone-built home with
a pool just outside,
and not a duck in sight.
[splashing]
Back at the mother pond,
a certain someone has
had quite the glow up.
Mm-hmm.
Electric blue.
This damselfly is
ready for romance.
Trouble is, everyone's
already attached,
and there's nine males
competing for each female.
He can't risk a fight so
early in his quest for love
and he's got bigger problems.
His arch enemies now
control the skies.
Dragonflies are the fastest
flying insects of all,
with a 95% kill rate,
and now they're making more
damsel-eating babies.
Somehow he must stop them.
He knows when a female
dragonfly is laying eggs,
her defenses are down.
Time to launch his
secret weapon,
pester power.
Ballsy move, but up against a
dragon now 30 times heavier,
he's just a pesky little fly.
So, he rallies his
rivals to come help.
United against a common enemy,
the mob take turns
biting her wings
and bugging her so much,
she can't take it anymore,
and our boy in blue
leads the charge.
Yeah, that's right.
Go drop your babies in
someone else's pool.
[buzzing]
Success.
Fewer dragon eggs means more
chance their damselfly larvae
will survive.
But before any of that,
he's gotta find a female.
Looks like he's too
late to the party.
Poor little guy.
Maybe it just
wasn't meant to be.
Wait.
What's that?
A damsel in distress.
[buzzing]
Trapped in the water,
she's in danger of drowning.
Man, talk about
surface tension.
Don't just sit there,
time's running out.
This is your
chance to be a hero.
Okay, careful now.
You got this.
Hold on tight.
Come on!
Pull!
One more try!
[heroic music]
Our hero flies her to
a safe secluded spot
where two little love hearts
might get a little privacy.
[clears throat]
I said privacy, please.
Eggs fully fertilized, he
escorts her to lay them.
Right here in the same
pond in which he grew up.
Once the final egg is laid,
the two love bugs part,
and go their separate ways.
Nice work, buddy.
You've come a long way.
When it comes to totally
transforming their lives,
no one does it better than bugs
And it turns out even the
littlest creatures can rise up
and become the
greatest of heroes.
[music plays through credits]
Captioned by
Cotter Media Group.