SCRIPT 09 — THE GRASSHOPPERS AND THE ARMY ANTS

A Bug’s Life Meets The Matrix

Duration: 3-4 minutes

Style: Animated / Modern Parable

CONCEPT

This is NOT the traditional “lazy grasshopper” story. This is A Bug’s Life — where the Grasshoppers are HOPPER’S GANG. They’re the extractors. The platforms taking 30%. The investors demanding control. The gatekeepers who profit from keeping creators small.

And the Ants? They’re not just worker drones. They’re African Army Ants — who cross rivers by linking together, who overcome any obstacle through common purpose, who prove that collective action is unstoppable.

The video ends with the Little Red Hen calling the Grasshoppers on the phone — Matrix style.

SCENE BREAKDOWN

SCENE 1: THE EXTRACTION (0:00–0:30)

Visual: Hopper and his gang arriving at the ant colony. Taking grain. The ants cowering.

Voiceover (narrator):

“You remember A Bug’s Life.

The grasshoppers showed up every season. Took what the ants built. Called it ’their share.'

‘It’s a bug-eat-bug world,’ said Hopper. ‘The strong take. The weak give.’

Sound familiar?”

Text overlay: “30% platform fees. Investor control. Gatekeeper permissions.”

SCENE 2: THE MODERN HOPPERS (0:30–1:00)

Visual: Modern equivalents — sleek corporate buildings, venture capital offices, platform dashboards showing fee structures.

Voiceover:

“Today’s grasshoppers wear suits.

They build platforms that take thirty percent of everything you make.

They offer funding — but demand control, board seats, ten-X returns.

They set the rules, then charge you to play by them.

‘That’s just how it works,’ they say. ‘Be grateful we let you participate.’

Hopper voice (or impression): ‘You let ONE ant stand up to us — then they ALL might stand up.’

And they’re right to be afraid.”

SCENE 3: THE ARMY ANTS (1:00–1:45)

Visual: African army ants in the wild — crossing a river by linking bodies, overwhelming obstacles through sheer collective will.

Voiceover:

“Have you ever seen African army ants cross a river?

They don’t wait for a bridge. They don’t ask permission. They don’t pay a toll.

They link together — body to body — and BECOME the bridge.

Millions of individuals. One common purpose. Unstoppable.

That’s what Hopper fears. That’s what every extractor fears.

Not one ant standing up. ALL the ants realizing they don’t need the grasshoppers at all.”

Text overlay: “Pretend this is a seed.”

SCENE 4: THE REALIZATION (1:45–2:15)

Visual: Ants looking at each other. Looking at what they’ve built. Looking at what the grasshoppers take.

Voiceover:

“The ants did all the work.

Planted the grain. Harvested it. Stored it. Protected it.

The grasshoppers? They just… showed up. Took their cut. Left.

What if the ants stopped giving?

What if they built their own system — where the people who do the work keep the reward?

What if they created a world… without grasshoppers?”

SCENE 5: LIANA BANYAN (2:15–2:45)

Visual: The platform — creators keeping 83%+, medallions flowing to contributors, no gatekeepers.

Voiceover:

“That’s Liana Banyan.

Cost plus twenty percent. Fair margins for everyone.

No thirty percent extraction. No investor control. No permission required.

The ants built it. The ants own it. The ants run it.

Every creator who joins makes the colony stronger.

Every project that succeeds proves the grasshoppers were never necessary.”

Text overlay: “Help each other. Help ourselves.”

SCENE 6: THE PHONE CALL (2:45–3:15)

Visual: The Little Red Hen (or an Ant queen, or both merged) picking up a phone. The Grasshoppers on the other end.

Voiceover (shifting to direct address — the Hen speaking):

“So here’s my message to the grasshoppers.

The platforms. The extractors. The ’that’s just how it works’ crowd.

I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end.

I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin.

I’m going to hang up this phone, and then I’m going to show these people what you don’t want them to see.

I’m going to show them a world without you.”

Click.

SCENE 7: THE INVITATION (3:15–3:30)

Visual: Army ants linking together. Creators joining the platform. The colony growing.

Voiceover (warm, inviting):

“The colony is building.

The bridge is forming.

Are you an ant ready to link up?

Or are you still paying tribute to grasshoppers?”

Final screen:

• LIANA BANYAN
• “One of us winning means ALL of us win.”
• the2ndsecond.com
• December 2025

PRODUCTION NOTES

Character Design:

The Grasshoppers (Villains):

• Hopper-style intimidation
• Sleek, corporate aesthetic
• Taking without creating
• “It’s just business” energy

The Army Ants (Heroes):

• African army ant aesthetic (they’re BIG and impressive)
• Linking together imagery
• Collective strength, individual dignity
• Jonathan’s persona: “One army worker ant”

The Little Red Hen:

• Bridges the fairy tale mythology
• She’s the one who makes the phone call
• Neo energy — declaration of independence

Reference Web:

Key Lines:

• “It’s a bug-eat-bug world” — Hopper’s lie
• “Pretend this is a seed” — They don’t understand building
• “One of us winning means ALL of us win” — Army ant truth
• “I’m going to show them a world without you” — The declaration

Tone:

• First half: Righteous anger at extraction
• Middle: Inspiring collective action
• End: Triumphant declaration + warm invitation

SHORTER VERSIONS

90-Second Cut:

“The grasshoppers take thirty percent. They call it ’their share.’ But who did the work? The ants. What if the ants stopped paying? What if they built their own system? That’s Liana Banyan. No extraction. Fair margins. The workers keep the reward. I’m going to show them a world without you. Are you ready to link up?”

60-Second Cut:

“A Bug’s Life wasn’t fiction. The grasshoppers are real — they’re called platforms, investors, gatekeepers. They take thirty percent for showing up. But army ants don’t need grasshoppers. They link together and cross rivers. Liana Banyan is the ant colony that said ’no more.’ One of us winning means ALL of us win. Link up.”

30-Second Cut:

“The grasshoppers take. The ants build. What if the ants stopped giving? Liana Banyan — a world without extractors. Link up.”

THEMATIC CONNECTION

This video answers: “Why should I trust another platform?”

Answer: Because this one was built BY ants, FOR ants. No grasshoppers own it. No Hopper gets a cut. The people who do the work keep the reward.

The Matrix quote signals: This isn’t reform. This is replacement. A world WITHOUT the old extractors.

“I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it’s going to begin.”

FOR THE KEEP! ⚔️