Bugs! is a live-action nature drama filmed in awe inspiring, totally immersive 3D. Shot on location in Borneo and in a studio in Oxford, England, Bugs! explores the dramatic lives of an Old World praying mantis and a beautiful butterfly, known by their Latin names, Hierodula and Papilio. The film is narrated by Dame Judi Dench.

Hierodula and Papilio live in the foliage around an abandoned and dilapidated shack on the edge of a river. Here, Hierodula and Papilio mature and grow. Hierodula develops by incomplete metamorphosis—emerging from his egg as a mini-mantis and shedding his skin regularly on the way to gaining his adult wings. Papilio goes through a complete metamorphosis, from caterpillar to butterfly via the pupal stage.

Along the way, we meet a host of other animals, which, in various deceptive guises, also inhabit the rich, green and humid world. See Leaf Cutter Ants who consume 20% of the rainforest's leaves. Meet Rhino Beetles battling for the favors of a female and a Trilobite Beetle hiding his tiny head under amour plating. See if you can uncover a Scale Bug disguised as a ball of fluff, an Orchid Mantis which resembles the flower, or a Thorn Bug identical to its namesake. Frogs and lizards, along with many other unique neighbors, make guest appearances in this remarkable film about the life cycle of insects and their environment.

Vampourer moth eggs
Meet Hierodula—one of the film’s stars