A Bug's Life

After dazzling everyone with its unforgettable debut that revolutionised the entire animation industry in the long run, Pixar Animation Studios' follow up to their highly revered Toy Story is another wonderful piece of imagination, innovation & animation that once again presents a unique take on life but this time from a bug's point of view.

The story of A Bug's Life follows a misfit ant who thinks differently yet only ends up causing more trouble for his colony so when his latest escapade wastes away all the food ants had gathered to offer to the greedy grasshoppers, he decides to make up for it by finding & recruiting tough warrior bugs to save the entire colony from its oppressors.

Directed by John Lasseter, A Bug's Life marks Pixar's second consecutive home-run & just like their previous feature, brims with so much creativity & passion that the narrative it puts on the silver screen remains finely balanced in storytelling department and is then taken to the next level by further refinement & advancement in their state-of-the-art animation.

There are wide range of bugs to be found in this fable and the animators have done a fab job in envisioning, designing & rendering all of them. While none of its characters manage to be memorable, it's the sum of the parts that makes it click. The themes it deals with are nicely addressed, humour is effectively used, score is lightweight but fitting & it never loses its sense of fun.

On an overall scale, A Bug's Life is definitely one of Pixar's most underrated films that may not have anything as memorable as the studio's best works but it nonetheless scores high marks in all filmmaking aspects to make up for an enjoyable & entertaining ride that viewers of all ages can benefit from plus delivers its message of 'strength in unity' with remarkable simplicity & effectiveness.

In many ways, I find it to be a reflection of Pixar's very own modus operandi for it offers an interesting insight into the way these talented minds come together under one roof for the sole purpose of envisioning, creating & stringently refining stories that are fun & entertaining but also not devoid of heart, soul & emotions, with an added incentive to be able to do that without compromising with the art or quality of its medium.

This is a FUNNY film. It has all the usual Disney components (music, great range of characters, story, appeal), entwined with superb animation and the excellent voice talents of less well known actors as those in say "Antz" and "Price of Egypt".

The characters work really well, and have a strong appeal, and the humour is aimed at a wide level which overcomes generational barriers. The movie is also presented in superb cinemascope format, which adds to the cinema experience.

Call me crazy, but I have seen the film three times, and I intend on taking more friends to see it this weekend. Many skeptics have seen this film on my recommendation and not been disappointed. I work in a multiplex, and I can honestly say that no-one has ever walked out of this movie without a sense of satisfaction.

See it, and don't be put off because it is animated. You are sure to enjoy this movie, and make sure you stay for the end credits! The bloopers and out-takes at the end are the funniest part of the film, which is packed with laughs throughout.

Several of Walt Disney Pictures' best animated films of recent years have been released or distributed through Pixar, an animation studio that specializes in computer generated animation and "A Bug's Life", their follow up to the hugely successful "Toy Story" ranks as one of the best and funniest Walt Disney Pictures animated films. Released during the same month as a similar computer generated animated film, "Antz", "A Bug's Life" suffers no bad comparisons because I consider it to be just as good as amusing as "Antz." The main focus of the film is Flik, a worker ant who has a very inventive mind and keen eye for detail. He means well but his attempts at helping his fellow ant colony with his ideas and inventions usually cause accidental disaster. One day, the ant colony set up a tribute display for a bad grasshopper named Hopper and his gang but Flik accidentally knocks it down. Hopper is very upset by this and he threatens to kill off the entire colony if they don't build him another provisions pile by the time he inspects the area again. Flik decides to help. He has only a few days to find some "warrior" bugs that can stand up to Hopper and his gang. He comes across a group of disgruntled bugs that had just been fired from their gigs at a flea circus. Flik decides to bring them back to the colony and recruit them as warrior bugs. An inventive idea for a children's film with much of the same humor and ideas that helped to make "Toy Story" an animated classic.

There is great detail in A Bug's Life. Everything is covered. The film looks great and the animation is sometimes jaw-dropping. The film isn't too terribly orignal, it's basically a modern take on Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, only with bugs. I enjoyed the character interaction however and the bad guys in this film actually seemed bad. It seems that Disney usually makes their bad guys carbon copy cut-outs. The grasshoppers are menacing and Hopper, the lead bad guy, was a brillant creation. Check this one out.

Critically, people say that Antz is better. Antz is a good film, but I enjoyed Bug's Life a bit more. I can't remember a Pixar animation, other than the two Toy Story films, that I was laughing so hard. The animation is clean, the story is original and doesn't preach. The voice overs are what make this movie. Dave Foley is an earnest ant that gets himself into trouble a lot. Hopper is a superb characterisation by the always wonderful Kevin Spacey, as is Haydn Panettiere as Dot . There is also sterling support from Dennis Leary, David Hyde Pierce and Madeline Kahn, and I could go on and on. The script is fantastic, so funny and sometimes even touching. It lacks the social messages of Antz, but what we have is rock-solid entertainment. 9/10. Bethany Cox