"To infinity, and beyond!!!!"      

A BUG'S LIFE (G) 

Reviewed November 25, 1998 - Check out the A Bug's Life Website.

Wow.  Right on the heels of last month's PDI/Dreamworks-produced Antz, the folks at Pixar Animations and Walt Disney bring us A Bug's Life, the second full-length feature animation effort by the same group that brought us Toy Story.  The plot here is cute and simple, involving an ant colony long oppressed by a gang of grasshoppers, and one ant's search for a group of "warrior" bugs to help fight them off.  The lone ant is Flik (played by Dave Foley), and though he has the right idea when he heads for "the city" on his search, he inadvertently comes back with a hapless (and cowardly) group of flea circus bugs...not exactly your brave warrior types.  Obviously, this is a misunderstanding reminiscent of the 1986 comedy, The Three Amigos, but it works now as it did then.  With the entire colony entrusting their fates to the bumbling circus bugs, they decide to play along as the colony's would-be saviors as they head towards a final confrontation with the tyrannical grasshoppers led by Hopper (Kevin Spacey).

I am, of course, glossing over a large number of plot details here, but at the risk of leaving you somewhat in the dark, let me move on and just say this: A Bug's Life is one terrific film!  With wonderful voice-overs from the likes of Kevin Spacey, David Hyde Pierce, Dave Foley, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Denis Leary, and Phyllis Diller, this is an animated feature rich in character and texture, and one filled with genuinely funny humor.  The animation is gorgeous, the bugs are cute, and the message is refreshingly good-natured in A Bug's Life, offering a stark contrast to the more cynical undertones we saw in Antz.  This is a movie that's fun to look at and fun to laugh at, and it's definitely one to see this holiday season.  Indeed, just by watching it you can almost feel the creative energy running through Pixar as this was being produced, and you really just have to smile in admiration of what these folks have done.  Audience tip: don't leave the theater when the credit starts rolling...there's some incredibly funny surprises here which you will not want to miss. 

Nice work, Pixar.  Can't wait until the next one... :-)

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

Eoakwell@BTInternet.com gives this movie  stars: "Antz-*** This is about the same as Antz" (12/12/00)

rfksecond2@cs.com gives this movie  stars. (6/17/00)

David Rogers gives this movie  stars: "Awful! Oh pleeeeeeeeeeeeese don't let there be a sequl!" (5/6/00)

ramsay@kos.net gives this movie  stars: "this is a movie that adults, as well as kids, will love." (1/20/99)

gillianlover@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "Brilliant animation. Humorous situations. Lovable characters. Good concept. Mildly clever dialogue. Despite being aimed too much toward a younger audience, A Bug's Life is a treat to watch visually." (1/9/99)

rez125@aol.com gives this movie  stars: "this movie had the best computer animation i have ever seen. The storyline was touching." (1/3/99)

maxima2484@aol.com gives this movie  stars: "The animation was great! Everything looked realistic and there was lots of detail to the characters and background! The only other movie I've seen with bugs in it was 'James and the Giant Peach'. The people at Pixar should be very proud of themselves for such a great accomplishment from 'Toy Story'. I congradulate them on a job well done." (12/28/98)

David gives this movie  stars: "An animation masterpiece. Rates just as highly as Toy Story with great comedy and fun. I really enjoyed it." (12/23/98)

anonymous entry gives this movie  stars: "The Annimations were great!!!!" (12/21/98)