History Main / AmicableAnts

* In the Japanese medieval tale of ''Amewakahiko no zoshi'', Amewakahiko is a dragon king who comes to Earth in serpent form and marries a human maiden. When the maiden betrays his trust, he departs to his celestial realm and she goes after him. Once there, she meets her father-in-law, an Oni, who forces her on impossible tasks, one of wich is to carry 1,000 ''koku'' of rice from one granary to another. With the help of her husband's magical sleeve, countless ants come to fulfill the task for her.

Subtrope of AnimalStereotypes. Compare VirtuousBees, another social arthropod that is often depicted as friendly for many of the same reasons, and PrettyButterflies, an insect that may have some different personality traits, but is still depicted as benevolent. [[TermiteTrouble Termites]] and [[WickedWasp wasps]] are often seen as the UnpleasantAnimalCounterpart to ants if the work features both. Contrast AntAssault for a less positive depiction of ants (and one that is far more likely when they are depicted as non-anthropomorphic).

* In Italian literary fairy tale ''Lo Turzo D'Oro'' ("The Golden Root") - a variant of ''Cupid and Psyche'' - , after she loses her husband, heroine Parmetella meets her in-laws: a family of ogresses and their ogress mother. The ogress mother submits Parmetella to a series of tasks: the first, to sort a heap of mixed grains. Her husband, Tuone-e-Lampe (Thunder-And-Lightning) summons a colony of ants to help her.

* The Book of Proverbs in Literature/TheBible contains the quote "Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise" -- effectively imploring one to emulate ants in their industriousness.

* ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'': Downplayed. While the Ant Troopers are mooks who perform contact damage, they are shown to have warm smiles and don't go out of their way to hurt the player, instead moving in predictable patterns as a unit.

Subtrope of AnimalStereotypes. Compare VirtuousBees, another social arthropod that is often depicted as friendly for many of the same reasons. [[TermiteTrouble Termites]] and [[WickedWasp wasps]] are often seen as the UnpleasantAnimalCounterpart to ants if the work features both. Contrast AntAssault for a less positive depiction of ants (and one that is far more likely when they are depicted as non-anthropomorphic).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAntBully'': Hoova is a motherly, kind female ant that takes upon herself the responsibility of teaching Lucas the ant's way. There's also the Queen, that gave him a chance of redeeming himself and gives him an ant name after Lucas helps save the colony from being poisoned by Stan Beals. Zigzagged with the other ants, who had good reasons to distrust Lucas because he mistreated them when he was at his normal size, but become friendlier to him after he becomes a better person.

[[caption-width-right:350:Friendly formicidae? Ant go wrong with that!]]

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[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]
* In the Graeco-Roman myth of ''Myth/CupidAndPsyche'', after she loses her husband and goes to Venus for penance, as her first task, Venus forces the girl to separate a heap of mixed grains and cereals. A colony of ants take pity on her and help her separate the grains.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAntBully'': Hoova is a motherly, kind female ant that takes upon herself the responsibility of teaching Lucas the ant's way. There's also the Queen, that gave him a chance of redeeming himself and gives him an ant name after Lucas helps saving the colony from being poisoned by Stan Beals. Zigzagged with the other ants, who had good reasons to distrust Lucas because he mistreated them when he was in his normal size, but become friendlier to him after he becomes a better person.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gallavants}}'' is about a peaceful, benevolent colony of ants called Gallavants. The Gallavants are very hard-working. Each one has a specific job, and they place great importance on knowing one's place in the colony. The protagonist, Shando, is lazy, and wants to become a musician without having to do any lessons. He ends up going on an adventure and [[EarnYourHappyEnding earning his dream job]].

* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'': [[Characters/MCUAntMan Ant-Man / Scott Lang]], like his [[ComicBook/AntMan comic book counterpart]], is an [[AnimalThemedSuperbeing ant-themed superhero]] with the same {{sizeshifter}} and [[TheBeastmaster ant-controlling abilities]]. He is portrayed as a comical, but very capable hero who even plays a major role in reversing the effects of Thanos' snap in ''Film/AvengersEndgame''.

* In Menotti Del Picchia's book ''Literature/InTheAntsLand'', two boys, João Peralta (Naughty Jack) and Pé de Moleque (Peanut Brittle), sneak into the hut of an old, Afro-Brazilian sorcerer. Out of curiosity, they drink a magic potion that makes them shrink (but they keep their clothes), but they can't turn back to normal because now its antidote is out of reach. They are helped by some friendly animals, including two ants that become very grateful to Pé de Moleque after he saves one of them from a bird, with his slingshot. Out of gratitude, the colony helps them not only to get the antidote, but also to find a treasure that'll keep João Peralta's father from being evicted.

* ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTales'': In "Little Big Mouse", Tom gives a cube of ice to a little ant who is nearly dying with the heat. Minutes later, Jerry takes advantage from the nap Tom and his owner are taking in front of the open fridge to snatch all the food for a picnic outside, causing Tom to be unfairly kicked out of the house. The little ant reappears to ask some of the food Jerry has stolen, but he refuses to share. She proceeds on stealing the food from under Jerry's nose until the humiliated mouse is forced to toss the towel. Then she shares it [[AndroclesLion with Tom]].
* ''WesternAnimation/WordWorld'': Ant is one of the many Word Friends of the titular setting. He is best buddies with Pig and with other insect Word Friends like Bee, Fly and Bug, and is always willing to help out the other Word Friends in a pinch.
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Other traits that may make ants relatable to humans include their intelligence--ants are capable of using scent trails, landmarks, and the position of the sun to find their way back to the nest from long distances even by human standards--and their [[StrongAnts strength]], a trait often [[BrainsEvilBrawnGood associated with heroic characters]]. Since they usually lack wings they aren't considered as much of a nuisance either.

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]

* The Book of Proverbs in Literature/TheBible contains the quote "Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise"-- effectively imploring one to emulate ants in their industriousness.

[[folder:Mythology]]

Other traits that may make ants relatable to humans include their intelligence--ants are capable of using scent trails, landmarks, and the position of the sun to find their way back to the nest from long distances even by human standards--and their [[StrongAnts strength]], a trait often [[BrainsEvilBrawnGood associated with heroic characters]].

Subtrope of AnimalStereotypes. Compare VirtuousBees, another social arthropod that is often depicted as friendly for many of the same reasons. [[TermiteTrouble Termites]] and wasps are often seen as the UnpleasantAnimalCounterpart to ants if the work features both. Contrast AntAssault for a less positive depiction of ants (and one that is far more likely when they are depicted as non-anthropomorphic).

Subtrope of AnimalStereotypes. Compare VirtuousBees, another social arthropod that is often depicted as friendly for many of the same reasons. [[TermiteTrouble Termites]] are often seen as the UnpleasantAnimalCounterpart to ants if the work features both. Contrast AntAssault for a less positive depiction of ants (and one that is far more likely when they are depicted as non-anthropomorphic).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAntBully'': Hoova is a motherly, kind female ant that takes upon herself the responsability of teaching Lucas the ant's way. There's also the Queen, that gave him a chance of redeeming himself and gives him an ant name after Lucas helps saving the colony from being poisoned by Stan Beals. Zigzagged with the other ants, who had good reasons to distrust Lucas because he mistreated them when he was in his normal size, but become friendlier to him after he becomes a better person.