The movie contains several references to other film classics. For instance, the scene in which Barry is floating in a pool of honey while his parents ask him what his plans for the future are, is a direct reference to The Graduate in which Dustin Hoffman is facing the same questions from his parents. Also, the scenes in the plane are very much like the scenes in Airplane!, including the line: "Does anyone know how to fly a plane?". A scene where Barry is trying to chase a honey truck has Barry mimicking movements of Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Also, in one scene midway through the movie, Winnie The Pooh can be seen with Piglet as Pooh is tranquilized and his honey (spelled "Hunny") is confiscated. And, the Vincent The Bear of Over the Hedge made a cameo but with no voice. It also contains a humorous reference to George Lucas' company THX. The film opens with a fake THX certifacate, but the crecendo becomes so loud the THX logo explodes before the THX logo can be seen. Having just graduated from three days of college, a bee by the name of Barry Bee Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) finds himself disillusioned with the prospect of having only one career choice – honey. As he ventures outside of the hive for the first time, he breaks one of the cardinal rules of the bee world and talks to a human, a New York City florist named Vanessa (Renée Zellweger). He is shocked to discover that the humans have been stealing and eating the bees' honey for centuries, and ultimately realizes that his true calling in life is to set the world right by suing the human race for stealing their precious honey. Because of this, Barry wins the lawsuit, and all honey in the world is confiscated and returned to the bees. But now, Barry and Vanessa realize that now all the honey in the world is back, every bee has been put out of a job, and thus have nothing to do, since working was the only thing bees did the last 27 million years. Barry also realizes that without bees pollinating the flowers, all plant life is dying. To set things right, he and Vanessa find a way to re-pollinate the flowers by going to the final rose show in California, and bringing them as luggage to the airport. Afterwards, the Bees get all their jobs back and give the honey back to the humans, realizing that without their jobs they were not truly happy when they had all their honey, though the humans and bees treat each other better now. Barry becomes a member of the Bee Brigade, helping to repollinate the plants while running a law firm inside Vanessa's flower shop.
In the novelization, a little more is added. The Human-Bee Harmony Act is established, Central Park is made a non-smoking area, and the Benson-Roflex System is created, which allows bees to have one day off to pursue interests and hobbies. The book ends with Ken losing a tennis game with poor sportsmanship, and Barry offering to help Vanessa with her swing.
