patofox_m4a1
Is this perhaps the most underrated Pixar film to date? It could be, let's see: it's super entertaining, it has funny moments, creative bits of action and also small tender parts. The characters were built to know their place in this film, which in my personal view I would describe its plot as an "adaptation" (quote unquote because unofficially it is not) of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954), for they both consist of a small village or colony being subjugated by invaders demanding food during each invasion, but placed in a world of an animated colony of ants; so the protagonist, Flik, comes up with a great idea, to search for a group of "warrior" bugs (they are in fact members of a circus) to help them defeat the invaders, a group of malicious grasshoppers whose leader may be one of the best villains Pixar's creative team has ever offered, the evil Hopper. This movie also subtly touches the idea of revolution, as the ants ultimately wish to eradicate their raiders in order to live life peacefully. Another thing worth mentioning is the clever way in which they decide to deal with the grasshoppers, and although it is met with an unfortunate mishap, the denouement of the film is utterly satisfying, just wait and see if you haven't already!
Oh, and the outtakes at the end of the movie are really ingenious and creative, not to mention funny! A great adventure that I would watch many many times, but I feel that with so many excellent films that Pixar has provided the public over the years this one may not rank as high as many others, which is why I believe that is somewhat underrated.
Torrin-McFinn77
I don't remember my first reaction to the film, much less all the hype that came out while the movie was in theaters. But I've watched this one a few times and I must say it gets better with each viewing. A good cast, good visuals, and lots of interesting characters. I haven't seen anything this detailed since Toy Story. It's also inspired by that fable featuring the grasshopper and the ant. I remember that story vaguely but could not find it again. Regardless of the source, if you're an insect lover, this is mandatory viewing. It may not be entirely accurate, but no movie is entirely accurate. Sometimes you just have to suspend some disbelief while watching movies. So get on it!
classicsoncall
It all started with one of Aesop's famous fables, and then in 1934, Disney produced a classic Silly Symphony titled "The Grasshopper and the Ants". It tells the story of a single lazy grasshopper who fiddles his summer away living for the moment while his neighbor ants work tirelessly, squirreling away massive amounts of food for the winter months. When the cold finally arrives, the starving grasshopper is reminded of his laziness and lack of preparation by the ant queen, who allows him to stay with the colony if he plays his fiddle, in a sense, working for the food and warmth he'll be provided.Disney ups the ante in "A Bug's Life" by pitting a grasshopper warlord and his followers against a huge colony of ants by demanding that they provide food for them on a regular basis. Noting that the ants far outnumber the grasshoppers in quantity, little Flik (voiced by Dave Foley) embarks on a series of initiatives to free the ants from domination by Hopper (Kevin Spacey) and his mean crew. I've read other viewer comparisons of the movie to Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven, and that might work except in one respect. When push came to shove, it was Flik and his own ingenuity that helped win the day for Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and the colony. With more than a little help from the voiceless, colorful bird that made bird food out of Hopper. I always get a kick out of the ingenuity and cleverness that goes into these animated features and this one provided it in spades. Very colorful and well drawn, the insect characters are unique and fun, especially the 'warrior' bunch from the circus. If you liked this, you owe it to yourself to look up the original Disney Silly Symphony, as the restored version is glorious with outstanding color and first rate animation. You can't go wrong with either one.
Lee Eisenberg
It was a surprise when "Antz" and "A Bug's Life" (both computer-animated movies about formicids) got released a month apart in 1998. Most people called "A Bug's Life" the better movie, probably because they found it weird that the former had Woody Allen voicing the main character. Nonetheless, I saw "Antz" and not the latter; a trailer that I saw (preceding "Beloved" of all movies!) made it look childish, particularly with the line "Turn off your butt!"Well, I've now seen "A Bug's Life". I have to say that "Antz" is the better movie: cleverer and not so silly. "A Bug's Life" has the occasional funny reference to the real world, but it's no match for "Antz".As for the cast. I don't know who Dave Foley is. It's a bit jarring to hear Kevin Spacey's voice, now that he's fallen from grace. The rest of the cast includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Phyllis Diller, Denis Leary, Madeline Kahn, Roddy McDowall and Edie McClurg. Put another way, it stars Elaine, a comedienne, the ref, Lili von Schtupp, Cornelius and Ferris Bueller's principal's secretary (McClurg also appeared as the clerk who receives a profanity-laden rant from Steve Martin's character in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles").
AD
