A Bug's Life 1998
I was expecting a lot from the makers of Toy Story. The Atlanta papers pretty much raved about this movie, while others have expressed some disappointment. First, this movie is a lot lighter than Antz. It’s wackier and sillier. Many of the scenes in the commercials are thrown at you in the first 20 minutes, before the plot really gets underway. That’s good that they haven’t given away too much but it makes you wonder if maybe there weren’t that many silly moments in the last hour of the movie.
It’s neat hearing the voices of (mostly NBC) regulars like Seinfeld’s Elaine, Newsradio’s Dave, Frasier’s Niles, and Cheers’ Cliff as well as Kevin Spacey. But compare this with Antz which had Woody Allen, Danny Glover, Sylvester Stallone, Christopher Walken, and Gene Hackman. You can see it’s just a different caliber movie.
That said, this movie is fun to watch and the story moves right along. Better than most movies that are out right now. But the animation, the story, and the depth are not quite as good as Antz. Still, it’s just as enjoyable as Antz and much better for the little kids who will go nuts for the Pu Pu Platter line, even if they don’t know what a Pu Pu Platter really is. The characters are fun and likable and the animators had a lot of fun with all the different types of bugs ( though the ants only had four legs which was a little disappointing).
There are also important bonuses. Pixar’s Oscar-winning animated short about an old man playing chess is tacked on to the beginning (at least at North DeKalb Mall) and though I was disappointed, it was still a nice treat. If you go see this movie do NOT leave the minute the credits roll. You will miss some goofy moments. That said, you don’t have to stay till the bitter end like you did in Ferris Bueller.
I give it a B
Written: 29 Nov 1998
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital