On behalf of "oppressed bugs everywhere," an inventive ant named Flik hires a troupe of warrior bugs to defend his bustling colony from a horde of freeloading grasshoppers led by the evil-minded Hopper.
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Reviews
Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.
It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
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.
I enjoyed this movie when I was little, but I don't see why. The animation isn't very good and the character designs are terrible. Most of the characters are unlikable and the plot is dumb. This isn't the worst thing you could put on for a kid, but its not exactly quality entertainment.
This movie is sweet and well-done, but it's not the best. It doesn't live up to Pixar. I'm not saying that today's Pixar is better than yesterday's--it's quite the opposite. You'd think that the very first Pixar films (and this was one of them) would be the most original and outstanding, but this isn't. It has a really good message, but the plot is O.K. and predictable.
A Bug's Life was Pixar's second dip into the movie business and is widely considered to be on the lower end of Pixar's quality films. When I was growing up or was one of my favorites, and to this day I don't get where the hate comes from. This movie follows an inventor ant named Flik (Dave Foley) who is your stereotype clumsy dreamer. His colony is extorted through fear of the grasshoppers, led by Hopper (Kevin Spacey), for their food. The grasshoppers make the ants collect food for them to have during the "Rainy Season." After Flik accidentally destroys a large supply of food, causing Hopper to double the quota, Flik goes on a quest to find some big bugs in the big city to protect the colony and stop the tyrannical grasshopper rule once and for all. Unfortunately, he gets a group of bad circus performers instead, and may find a way to use their limited talents to save them all. This movie is underrated. The political undertones to this film speak volumes, especially in our current political climate. The voice acting is decent. Kevin Spacey definitely gives a menacing performance, and it's adorable to hear a young Hayden Panettiere as an ant princess. The animation is pretty nice for its time. Certain moments looked better than others, but the real triumph was texturing, especially in the grasshoppers' designs. This movie isn't perfect. Many moments were predictable, and the movie relied heavily on gags. But still, it's fun and funny. And it does craft moments of actual fear and shows kids the power people can have when they stand together. It's definitely aimed more towards kids (even if it does get a bit...*murdery* seriously, rewatch it, it's very dark), but adults can appreciate that there's something there for them too. Altogether I'd rate this movie a 7. Not a bad Pixar film. Should be seen. PS: Ratzenberger's role in this film was P.T.Flea, the ringleader of the circus bugs. It's a funny role that sits his voice well.