Bee afraid, bee very afraid (sorry)

I’m intrigued to see how this turns out.

Seinfeld (the sitcom) revolutionised the genre, pushing a uniquely cynical view of human behaviour into the enthusiastic embrace of a massive mainstream audience. Seinfeld (the writer) clearly had a lot to do with that, though I suspect Larry David’s personal neuroses provided much of the show’s funniest and most inventive comic content. And Seinfeld (the stand-up comic) – hmm, well, not so hot. So Bee Movie could go either way.

My biggest fear, though, is hands-on producer Jeffrey Katzenberg. One of the greatest achievements of Seinfeld (the sitcom – god, eponymously-titled shows are a pain) was the banishment of ‘hugging and learning’ from this traditionally schmaltzy genre. Katzenberg has produced some brilliant films, but in all of his animated epics – and also his comedies like Shrek – there’s that same heartwarming and morally instructive payoff. Here’s hoping Bee Movie has a more of a sting in its tail. (Sorry again.)