In the animated trend of personifying unloved members of the animal kingdom, it’s only fitting that bees would get their day in the sun. They might not be the cuddliest of creatures, but they create a product that humans love to consume. And rebelling against the “hive mentality” seems a pretty easy plotline for a feature.

Add Jerry Seinfeld to the mix and you have a pretty marketable film. Or at least that’s the plan. The little bee that Mr. Seinfeld decided to voice has taken over the airways and byways in recent weeks. Swarms of people in yellow and black costumes have been occupying New York City street corners, and Mr. Seinfeld has promoted the film up and down, appearing on late-night talk shows, chatting with Oprah, starring in trailers, and putting in a cameo on NBC’s “30 Rock” last week.

What started as an easy way to slide back into national entertainment has become a litmus test of whether Mr. Seinfeld will be able to overcome the “Seinfeld curse” that has plagued the other cast members from his critically acclaimed TV series.

The comedian has enough in the bank from “Seinfeld” to render the topic of a comeback moot, but with “Bee Movie,” he likely has a new franchise on his hands. But unlike other cartoons that look for talent after the storyline and script have been established, Mr. Seinfeld came up with the premise, wrote the script, and then handpicked the cast. Renée Zellweger co-stars as his love interest, and the all-star voice talent includes Matthew Broderick, Chris Rock, John Goodman, Kathy Bates, and Megan Mullally.

The animation team at DreamWorks has spared no detail in animating the film, infusing the bee world with bright citrus colors and intricate hexagonal patterns. New Hive City is a company town. Honex, the industrial hive complex where Barry B. Benson lives with his parents, keeps everyone in plush honeycomb happiness. The 1950s aesthetic of the hive fits in well with “The Graduate” storyline of fearing the specter of adulthood. Having just graduated from college, Barry is not prepared to devote his life to one hive. He yearns to see the world, and rebels against the constraints of middle-class hive life.

His best friend, Adam (Mr. Broderick), urges Barry to “think bee,” but Barry will not accept the normal limitations of young bees. He joins up with some pollen jocks and is soon flying around Central Park, breaking the cardinal rule of bee life — talking to humans.

The character of Barry is a surprisingly close rendering of Mr. Seinfeld in bee form. It is strange to see a tiny bee complain about the quirks of life that irk Mr. Seinfeld (“D’ya ever wonder …”), and it will be interesting to see if children who don’t know a man-purse from a Soup Nazi will take to this nebbishy insect.

Mr. Seinfeld has one of the most recognizable voices in entertainment, and “Bee Movie” demonstrates why he may be having trouble picking roles in film and television (aside from the amount of time that swimming through money must eat up). Mr. Seinfeld built the entire series of “Seinfeld” around his persona, and similarly, Barry is more a version of the comedian than a created character. Ms. Zellweger does a better job of escaping into the character of his human love interest, Vanessa Bloome, and together the two share an engaging rapport that helps to propel the movie.

Vanessa is an adorable florist with an affection for bees and nature that many of her species lack. After she saves his life, the two begin a courtship of sorts and start to frolic happily in the human world. But their honeymoon is cut short when Barry goes with her to the grocery store and learns that humans have been stealing the fruits of bees’ labor and putting it in jars for their own consumption. He does what any self-respecting bee would do in his situation — he sues.

There’s nothing like giving children a jumpstart on the nation’s enchanting pastime of frivolous lawsuits. Barry heads a class-action lawsuit against the honey industry to defend the right of bees to their own honey.

Barry takes down the evil honey conglomerate, represented by the slimy Layton T. Montgomery (Mr. Goodman), and wins one for the future of all beedom, but soon he realizes that court decisions are not always the right decisions. Barry’s lawsuit ends up ruining not only the honey industry, but his species’ way of life. Formerly industrious bees are laconic, honey overloads their beautiful hive, while fruits and vegetables die without bees’ pollination.

It is a strange plot twist. Despite all of the fun and excitement of this bee story, Barry just ends up doing mundane tasks in a new locale. But at least “Bee Movie” stepped back from its politically correct tale and refrained from following the film with a public-service commercial asking viewers to swear off honey forever.

mkeane@nysun.com