beep beep
Seat belts, everyone!
Please let this be a normal field trip.
With the Frizz? No way!
♪ Cruisin' on down Main Street ♪
♪ You're relaxed and feelin' good ♪
♪ Yeah! ♪
♪ Next thing that you know, you're seein' ♪
Wa-ha-ha-hoo!
♪ An octopus in the neighborhood! ♪
♪ Surfin' on a sound wave ♪
♪ Swingin' through the stars ♪
♪ Take a left at your intestine ♪
♪ Take your second right past Mars ♪
♪ On the Magic School Bus ♪
♪ Navigate a nostril ♪
♪ Climb on the Magic School Bus ♪
♪ Spank a plankton, too ♪
Take that!
♪ On our Magic School Bus ♪
♪ Raft a river of lava ♪
♪ On the Magic School Bus ♪
♪ Such a fine thing to do! ♪
Whoa!
♪ So strap your bones right to the seat ♪
♪ Come on in and don't be shy ♪
♪ Just to make your day complete ♪
♪ You might get baked into a pie ♪
♪ On the Magic School Bus ♪
♪ Step inside, it's a wilder ride! ♪
♪ Come on ♪
♪ Ride on the Magic School Bus ♪
beep beep
Bees! Bees! We want bees!
I say we choose our beaver lodge.
Hold it, everybody. Hold it.
It's just a science fair.
Just a science fair?
Too bad we can't use
last year's solar-powered juggling machine.
Nice try, Ralphie, but it doesn't fit
with this year's theme,
animals that live together.
And I quote from the entry form,
"Some animals live alone,
"but some live and work together in groups, calledcommunities."
Watch your back! Heads up! Coming through!
I'm escorting an important visitor to our classroom.
Make way for--
Hello, class.
Ms. Frizzle, you almost stepped on our visitor!
Oh, my!
What visitor?
My friend, the ant.
Look at her go! Isn't she amazing?
I wonder where she's headed.
Don't worry, little ant. Wherever you're going,
I'll make sure you get there.
No time for ant-ics, Keesha.
We've got to pick a project for the science fair.
Ah! The passion of science!
Now, Liz, do you have any idea where I put that camera?
Ah! There it is!
Oh, no! My ant! Where's my ant?
Keesha, your ant is eating my mallow-blaster.
So that's why she came in here--
she was looking for food.
Don't worry, little ant. Arnold's more than happy
to share his mallow-blaster.
Keesha, are you gonna baby-sit that ant all day or--
Hey, maybe we could do something about my ant
for the science fair!
According to my research,
where you find one ant, there's usually more.
That's right, Dorothy Ann.
Ants live together in nests.
(Phoebe) nBut what could we Ndo with ants?
A mural? nA model?
(Keesha) Uh...
Hey! Careful with that camera, Liz!
At my old school,
lizards weren't allowed to make movies.
That's it! We'll make a movie!
She's a natural star.
I can see it all now.
We'll call it "Travels With My Ant."
(Carlos) A movie about an ant?
(Wanda) You know something? That's not a bad idea.
No. It's a good idea. It's a great idea!
(kids) Yes! Let's make a movie!
I'll write it!
It'll be all about an ant
with a long nose called "eleph-ant."
Get it? Carlos!
Can I help write it, too?
You can write it together.
What about us?
You can all be in it and play ants.
What are my lines? Who's the star?
My ant, of course!
If you're going to direct this movie, Keesha,
you might need this.
Me? Direct it? But I thought you--
It was your idea.
Oh, wow! Oh, boy! I'm the director!
The whole film depends on me.
As I always say... "Action!"
How does she do that?
Ms. Frizzle, you could do the costumes.
Ha ha ha! Why, thank you, Carlos.
Ok, now, people. This is--
Keesha. In a minute, Phoebe.
This is what I want you to do.
Huh? Huh?
Follow that camera lizard!
Great, Liz. A little tighter.
Oof! Oof! Ooh!
Oof! Ants! But which one's mine?
Look at them all.
Where are they going?
Guys, can we go back in now?
I just know it's going to rain.
Not until I find my ant, Arnold.
She's my star, and now I've lost her.
According to my research,
your star's been telling
the other ants in its nest
about Arnold's mallow-blaster.
Excellent observation, Dorothy Ann.
Ants don't actually talk to each other,
but they do communicate.
I got it!
It's a western, starring an ant that rounds up food, see?
And then tells the rest of the ants where it is.
That's good, Ralphie. That's good.
We'll call it "Food Dude."
Excellent, Carlos. An ant whose job it is to find food
is a forager ant.
Food Dude is a wonderful name for Keesha's ant.
Uh, Ms. Frizzle, are we going on a field trip?
Very observ-ant, Arnold.
"Observ-ant." I like it! I like it a lot!
Is that her? Is that my ant?
I don't think so, Keesha.
(Ms. Frizzle) Director to bus, please.
Director to bus.
Oh, bad. Oh, bad, bad, bad!
Ms. Frizzle, we've lost her. We've lost our star.
I can't do a movie without a star.
Oh, right you are, Keesha.
She's one in a million.
Huh?
Seat belts, everyone. Here we go!
Again?
(kids) Whoa!
(Keesha) We're shrinking!
(kids) Whee!
(Arnold) I feel like we're on the inside
of a minimallow-blaster.
We are!
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
(Wanda) Hey! We're being foraged.
(Dorothy Ann) I thought we were going to play ants, not food!
(Arnold) I knew I should have stayed home today.
(Ralphie) Giant potato chip being foraged dead ahead!
So, uh, Keesha, is the movie gonna star a forager ant?
And are we going to co-star as the food?
Ms. Frizzle, I'm really sorry,
but I don't think this movie should star a forager ant.
Got that, Carlos? "Not about a forager ant."
Why not? That's what your ant is.
I know, Carlos, but I've been thinking.
I want more drama, more excitement.
crash
I wish you hadn't said that.
Where are we? An anthill!
Ms. Frizzle, we're on location.
This is perfect!
We'll meet the ants up close and personal.
Now I'll find my star.
Ok, people. This movie is my responsibility.
So I will check out the anthill
and then tell you what to do next.
Come on, Liz.
[gasps]
Run!
Help!
Good opening sequence, Keesha.
It really grabbed me.
Did you get it, Liz?
What's with those gigantic ants?
Who let them on the set?
We're on location, Keesha. Remember?
They look like they're guarding the nest or something,
don't they, Carlos?
Cool! Keesha, the movie could star a guard ant.
I don't know, Ralphie.
Come on, Keesha. We can call it "The Guardfather."
Perfect for the wide screen with stereo sound.
And smell-o-vision!
Smell-o-vision?
Mm-hmm. Guard ants use their antennae
to smell if we are friend or foe.
They're smelling us.
Precisely, Tim. Ants don't understand words,
but they do understand smells.
Ha ha ha!
They're checking to see if we smell like them.
Yeah. They want to know
if we're wearing the same deodor-ant.
Carlos! Carlos! Carlos!
No, no. It's a great joke. It's going in.
Ants don't wear deodorant, Carlos.
But their bodies do make scented chemicals called pheromones.
Pheromones?
♪ Pheromones ♪
Hey! That tickles!
What is this stuff?
Well, class, now we truly smell like these ants.
sniff sniff
We do? Yes.
And now the guard ants will let us into the nest.
As I always say,
"When visiting a nest, smell like the rest."
I smell like an ant-- just what I always wanted.
Really, Ralphie? Me, too.
Oh, boy.
Ha ha ha! One good smell deserves another.
Excuse me.
Ha ha ha! That tickles.
Cool!
Come on, Liz.
We've got to get in there and find our star.
Wait for us.
Ok, Phoebe, what do we have so far?
Well, this movie is not about
a forager ant or a guard ant.
So what is it about, Keesha?
We can't write this script without a star.
Hmm...let me think.
Don't worry, everybody.
It's all part of the creative process.
She's thinking of a story.
Hey! Check it out!
Wow!
Where are they going?
Man, it must be rush hour.
Look, Keesha, a cast of thousands!
thud
OK, places, everyone.
Where do you want us, Keesha?
What about make-up, Keesha?
I don't look anything like these ants.
And what's the plot, Keesha? Who's the star?
I'm working on it. I'm working on it.
Who knew so many ants would audition?
Um, Keesha, maybe it would help if we worked with the ants,
got to know them better.
We're not going inside an ant, are we?
No, Arnold, but Phoebe's right.
Understanding begins with observation.
Good idea, Phoeb. Method acting. I love it!
OK, everyone.
See the ant, feel the ant,
be the ant. Action!
This ant's rubbing its head.
And this one's licking itself.
That's it, Arnold. Be the ant.
But I did this today already, uh, in the shower.
Hey. Maybe the ants are cleaning themselves.
Tim, your logic is spotless.
Yuck! These two are kissing!
Keesha, I've got it! The movie's a romance.
Get it? Rome-ants! Ha ha ha!
(kids) Carlos!
These ants aren't kissing at all.
Yeah. It looks like that ant is giving the other ant something.
Oh, sure, give it back to me after you've chewed it.
What is it?
Mallow-blaster.
I recognize it in any form.
So those ants are passing food around.
Cool. A food-passing ant would make a great star.
Think of the story!
I have, Carlos, and it doesn't work.
"One day, an ant passed food to another ant."
It just doesn't feel complete somehow.
Forget that one.
Come on, Keesha. We need a star.
Hey. The star could be the President.
Get it? Presid-ant?
(kids) Carlos! Stop!
I know we need a star, Carlos.
I just haven't seen the right--aaant!
Everyone, stay with your partner.
Ha ha ha!
Help! Help!
Not so fast!
Keep shooting, Liz!
Uh! Oh! Unh!
After those ants, people. It's a great chase scene.
Wait a minute. What's in here?
Ant chase scene, take one.
Hey! Where are you guys going?
What are they carrying?
They're like little worms.
Cut! Cut! Cut! No worms!
This movie is about an ant.
Why do you keep giving things to me?
Do I look like a ant?
I don't know, Arnold,
but you look like you're holding a baby.
Maybe it is a baby-- a baby ant!
Well done, Phoebe. They're baby ants, all right.
When they hatch from eggs,
they're calledlarvae.
That's it! "Larvae: The Beginning."
But whoever heard of a movie about larvae?
I don't know, Keesha. I think it has potential.
I think it's cute.
But all they do is wiggle. There's no drama, no action.
The ants are moving the larvae around!
How's that for action?
And why are they moving them?
How's that for mystery?
Hey. I bet they're trying to keep the larvae warm.
Exactly, Tim. Nurse ants move the young around the nest
to keep them the right temperature.
My aunt's a nurse.
I've got it, I've got it!
We could call it "Flor-ants Nightingale."
Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!
Cut! Cut! Cut! Cut!
Now what, Keesha?
It's a really good idea and everything,
but somehow, it isn't enough.
Where's the danger? The intrigue?
(Wanda) Hey! What are those things?
Hey! Wait! Wait! I didn't say action.
People, people, what are you doing?
Pupae. The larvae make cocoons calledpupae.
Come on, pupae-- I mean people.
Look at it. Do you really want to make
a movie starring a pupae?
Pupa, actually. Only one is called a pupa.
Pupae is plural.
Pupae, pupa, whatever.
Pretty exciting story if you ask me.
It would make a great docum-ant-ary.
Documentary? No way, Carlos!
Mr. Cud's class did a documentary
last year on cows, remember?
Just to keep you up to date, Keesha,
we are not doing a movie about a forager ant,
a guard ant, a nurse ant, a larva, or a pupa.
Keesha, there aren't any ants left!
Well, then how about an egg?
Oh, no! An egg! That's even worse!
Um, Ms. Frizzle, where do ant eggs come from, anyway?
Good question, Phoebe.
The eggs came from...
the queen.
The queen?
Ms. Frizzle, you're a genius!
Carlos, the queen is the perfect star.
Think of the story-- a royal exclusive!
You're right. It's gold.
Come on. What are we waiting for?
Let's go!
Which way?
Um...
It's the creative process again.
That-away!
Excuse me, Ms. Director.
Is water supposed to be coming
through the walls like that?
Oh, ho ho! After the tunnel caves in,
you will see some of the most amazing ant activity yet.
Did you say after the tunnel caves in?
All right, class. Duck and cover!
And...cut!
OK, people, don't panic.
I'll have you out of here in a--whoa!
Look at these ants go!
Tim: the rain made the nest cave in,
and they're repairing it like construction workers.
Right, Tim. That's their job.
They're builder ants.
Wow! Keesha, Keesha,
we have got to do this movie
about a builder ant.
Look at the action, the drama, the excitement.
Yeah, but which builder ant, Tim?
Well, just pick one.
The queen is the star.
Know why? Because there is only one.
But-- Trust me on this. I'm the director.
Remember? To the queen!
This must be it, Keesha. Are you excited?
You bet, Phoebe.
This movie is going to have everything--
action, drama, excitement,
and most of all, a real star.
Quick, quick. Go in and bow to the queen.
Ask her who her agent is. The queen is very import-ant.
Maybe so, but where is she?
(Ms. Frizzle) Why, there she is, the biggest one.
Oh. Isn't she wonderful?
That's the queen?
(kids) That's the queen?
That's the queen.
But she's not doing anything.
My kind of job!
Of course she is. She's doing a lot.
Isn't she, Ms. Frizzle?
Absolutely, Keesha. The queen is the only one who lays the eggs.
The queen laid an egg. The end.
Not much of a movie, Keesha.
Sure it is. We start in close on the queen,
then we-- then we pull back, and we--and we--
No way, Keesha.
This may be the queen, but she's no star.
So what is it about, Keesha?
Nothing!
I give up!
Oh, great. It's still raining. It figures.
beep beep
No, thank you. I'd rather walk.
I deserve to get wet.
Oh, bad. Oh, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.
What made me think I could direct a movie?
Now I've wrecked the science fair for everyone.
Keesha?
Too bad I'm such a rotten director.
But you're not!
I am. I almost wiped out my whole class,
and there's still no movie, no story, no star.
But what about the queen?
What kind of star just sits there and lays eggs?
But if it weren't for her eggs,
there wouldn't be any ants.
So, if it weren't for the ants that brought her food,
there wouldn't be any queen.
Hmm. I see what you mean.
And if it weren't the forager ants,
there wouldn't be any food for anybody.
And if it weren't for the builder ants,
there wouldn't be a nest.
And if weren't for the guard ants,
the nest would be attacked.
Yeah. There isn't only one star.
More like they all are.
Phoebe, that's it!
It's really about all the ants.
All the ants and how they work together.
Keesha, you're right!
Of course I'm right. I'm the director!
Come on!
Hey, where's everyone going?
We've got a movie to make about ants.
Without a star? Forget it.
I said ants, not ant.
There isn't one star in an anthill.
All the ants are stars.
(Phoebe) Yeah. Every ant has a job to do to keep the nest going.
Just like we each have a job to do to make this movie.
Forget the movie.
Mudslide!
[kids shouting]
Hey! What about the ants?
As I always say, "Action!"
Thanks, Ms. Frizzle. Cut!
We've got to save the ants.
(kids) How?
The magnifying glass.
We'll block the entrance.
Wanda, Ralphie, Carlos, Phoebe, grab that end.
D.A., Arnold, Tim, Ms. Frizzle--
And lift.
[cheering]
Keesha, it's great! A survival movie.
Yeah. And we'll call it
"A River Almost Ran Through It."
Finally, the nest was saved,
the rain stopped, and the sun came out.
(kids) The end!
[cheering and applause]
That was amazing! How did you do it?
I didn't do a thing. It was Keesha's idea.
Yes, but I couldn't have done it without Phoebe.
(Phoebe) And I couldn't have done it without Arnold.
And I couldn't have done it without Dorothy Ann.
And I couldn't have done it without Carlos.
And I couldn't have done it without Wanda.
Her part was truly signific-ant.
Get it? Ha ha ha!
(kids) Carlos!
And I couldn't have done it without Tim.
And I couldn't have done it without Ralphie.
And I couldn't have done it without Ms. Frizzle.
And I couldn't have done it without the school bus.
beep beep
But none of us could have done it without the inspiration of...
the ants.
As I always say,
"It's easy if you've got tal-ant."
(kids) Oh, Ms. Frizzle!
Is this the Magic School Bus?
(overlapping voices) Is this the Magic School Bus?
Magic School Bus?
(both) Magic School Bus?
(overlapping voices) Magic School Bus?
(kids) I want the Magic School Bus!
Ok, Liz, I promise I'll let everyone know
how much work you did on that movie.
[telephone ringing]
Just let me take this call, ok?
Hello.
(girl) Hi. You work on the "Magic School Bus" show, right?
You bet. I'm the producer.
Uh...one of them.
I know for a fact that there are thousands of ants
in an ant colony,
but in your show, I only counted 137.
Well, I guess you must be an account-ant.
Ha ha ha! Get it?
Oh, boy. Now I know who's responsible
for all those terrible puns.
[chuckling]
Well, actually, you're right.
There are thousands of ants in one colony,
but we couldn't afford to hire that many extras.
And there are also thousands of different species of ants.
You only showed one kind of ant.
Right again.
There are about 10,000 different kinds of ants,
more than all the other social insects put together.
And you didn't say a thing about the fact
that all the ants we saw were female.
Yes, we feel quite repent-ant--ha--about that.
Ha ha ha!
Almost every ant in a colony is female.
The only thing the few males do
is mate with the queen.
Anything else?
Yes. Ants use pheromones
for more than telling friend from foe.
It's how they communicate where food is.
If the nest needs repairing,
they smell pheromones like we hear words.
You know, kid, I have to say you're pretty darn smart.
Actually, I'm brilli-ant.
Ha ha! Gotcha!
click
[telephone ringing]
One more call, and that's it, I promise.
Hello. Magic School Bus.
(woman) This is the Oscar Awards Committee
returning your call.
Yes. I just had a question about the rules.
In the category of best camera work,
is it possible to nominate a--
a lizard?
Ha ha ha!
beep beep
♪ Surfin' on a sound wave ♪
♪ Swingin' through the stars ♪
♪ Take a left at your intestine ♪
♪ Take your second right past Mars ♪
♪ On the Magic School Bus ♪
♪ Navigate a nostril ♪
♪ Climb on the Magic School Bus ♪
♪ Spank a plankton, too ♪
Take that!
♪ On our Magic School Bus ♪
♪ Raft a river of lava ♪
♪ On the Magic School Bus... ♪
♪ So strap your bones right to the seat ♪
♪ Come on in ♪
♪ And don't be shy ♪
♪ Just to make your day complete... ♪
♪ Step inside, it's a wilder ride! ♪
♪ Come on ♪
♪ Ride on the Magic School Bus ♪
Funding to purchase and make this educational production
accessible was provided by the U.S. Department of Education:
PH: 1-800-USA-LEARN (V) or WEB: www.ed.gov.