Samuel-Shovel
We've seen this plot over and over again (see Dances with Wolves, Avatar, Ferngully, etc.) and this one does it worst than a lot of them. Similar to Ferngully, this is a cartoon movie with an overt message of acceptance of something that is helpless against us. While this is an important message, it is done very poorly.The jokes in this one all fall flat, the voice acting is poor, the animation is C-average, and the plot is boring and will make you sleepy. The director really had an opportunity to do some fun things with space and size distortion from an ant's perspective but we really don't get enough scenes regarding this. The kite-surfing was really the only fun one that comes to my mind. Besides this, the other ones don't really capture your attention. Skip this one.
Jackson Booth-Millard
From director John A. Davis, and the rest of the team that created Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, I wasn't expecting much from this computer animated film, but I still went for it. Basically ten-year-old Lucas Nickle (Zach Tyler), moved in a new neighbourhood, has no friends, and is the target for a local bully and his gang. The only thing Lucas can do to express his anger is bully the ants in his front garden, and the ants themselves are living in fear of the giant "Destroyer". Wizard ant Zoc (Nicolas Cage) has invented a magic potion that he is sure will shrink Lucas down to their size, and it works, and they drag him down to their colony. As punishment for endangering all the ants, Lucas is sentenced to live and work amongst the insects, and slowly this does open his eyes up, not just to what he has been doing, but to what the ants get up to, e.g. teamwork. But Lucas forgot that he signed a form to get the help of bug exterminator Stan Beals (Paul Giamatti) to vaporise the colony, so with the help of all ants and some wasps, they team up to save everyone. Also starring Julia Roberts as Hova, Meryl Streep as Queen, Jerry Maguire's Regina King as Kreela, The Evil Dead's Bruce Campbell as Fugax, Lily Tomlin as Mommo, Scary Movie's Cheri Oteri as Doreen Nickle, The Nutty Professor's Larry Miller as Fred Nickle, Allison Mack as Tiffany Nickle and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan's Ricardo Montalban as Head of Council. This film was obviously very hyped with the list of big stars providing their voices, and while the animation is good, the story that goes with it is a little dry, but I suppose there is some fun to be had for the family. Okay!
BA_Harrison
Lucas is a victim of bullying by the other kids in his neighbourhood; he takes out his frustration on those smaller and weaker than himselfthe ants in his gardenby flooding their colony with water.Fed up with Lucas's destructive behaviour, and keen to teach him a lesson or two, ant-wizard Zoc creates a magic potion which shrinks the boy to insect proportions. With the now-tiny lad held prisoner in their nest, the ants set about showing Lucas the error of his ways.Inevitably, Lucas realises that he was wrong to persecute the poor little bugs, makes a few new friends, and eventually risks his life to save the colony from a nasty exterminator who is determined to destroy all insects.Thematically, the Ant Bully ain't exactly the most original of CGI movies: the 'bully' angle has already been tackled by both Antz and Toy Story; the whole 'talking insect' thing has been covered by Antz (again) and A Bug's Life; the 'shrunken-boy-in-the-yard' routine was done (poorly) in Arthur and the Invisibles; and the core message of 'tolerance for all others, despite their differences'well, that's as old as the (ant)hills!However, none of this matters too much because, with so much beautiful animation, several stunning action sequences (highlights being an air assault by nasty flies, and a brilliant frog attack), hilarious one-liners (yellow rain!!!) and sheer inventiveness crammed into 88 minutes, it's easy to be a little forgiving.Even the fact that writer/director John A. Davis's frequently lazy script pushes the limits of believability purely for narrative convenience doesn't stop The Ant Bully from being constantly engaging and very funny (just try not laughing out loud at the 'insect head' gag).My advice is to try and ignore the weak plot devices: Zoc's inexplicable ability to make magic; the crazy gran with the fan fetish; Lucas's seeming indestructibility and eventual possession of ant powers. Manage to do that, and you should find The Ant Bully a satisfying and entertaining experience.
Chrysanthepop
'Ant Bully' is another cute animated film with ants. Many might compare it to Dreamworks's 'Antz' and if I'm told to pick one, then 'Ant Bully' is the better one. Of course the story isn't anything new per se but it moves at a steady pace and the characters are very likable. Besides, there's no harm in enjoying some laugh-out-loud moments. For me it was a good 90 minutes spent laughing as I was watching it with my mom and little sister (who enjoyed it too). Voice talents include names like Nicolas Cage, Lily Tomlin, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti and many more. All of them do fairly well, though Cage appears to sound a little theatrical urban. The animation is brilliant. I especially like how the aunt 'colonization' was created with vibrant colours and attention to detail. Watch out for some cute shorts of the ants. All in all, this is a cute film to enjoy with the family.
AD
