_Antz_ and _A Bug's Life_
I wanted to review these two films together, because of all the similarly-themed movie pairings of the last two years (volcanos, asteroids, and Morquito's syndrome-afflicted pre-teens), this pairing held the most intrigue for me. When Katzenberg left Disney for DreamWorks, no doubt a synopsis in development stayed with him--a quirky, insignificant ant saves the colony and gets the girl due to his peculiar strengths, which were earlier mocked at.
Both films are flighty and predictable, made significant due to the tremendous advances in computer animation since _Toy Story_, and due to the politics behind the scenes. Has Disney been beaten at its own game? With Katzenberg at the helm, _Antz_ is the strongest contender yet for the popular animation throne (until, of course, DreamWorks' _Prince of Egypt_).
What follows is a detailed analysis of the two films.
_Story_ Antz: It begins on a psychiatrists' couch, as Z (Woody Allen) complains about being insignificant. Within time, he would be smitten by Princess Bala (Sharon Stone), who is heir to the throne. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he inadvertantly saves the colony from the double-crossing of General Mandible (Gene Hackman).
Bugs: A colony is threatened by a gang of grasshoppers, led by the menacing Hopper (Kevin Spacey, perfectly cast). Flik (David Foley) offers to round up a posse of gifted fighter bugs to stand up to the gang. Unknown to him, the posse he finds are _really_ cowardly circus bugs from a low-rent flea circus. Guess who wins.
_Characters_ Antz: Besides the humanish life-like ants, we are treated to wasps, dung beetles, Starship-trooper type termites, and a rollercoaster ride with a worm and an apple. Further, we have a human (presumably a kid) although we don't really see too much of him.
Bugs: The Disneyfied ants are color-coded by sex. Further, we are treated to butterflies, praying mantis, black widow spider, a tough male ladybug, and many others. Also, a beautiful red and yellow bird, whose mannerisms are dead-on, and whose terrifying stance runs counter to its beauty. No humans.
_Humor_ Antz: Its jokes have enough innuendos to warrant an older audience. (Woody Allen isn't really kiddie fare anyway).
Bugs: Far more slapstick--demonstrated visually with a stickbug and a slap. The amount of groaner jokes are much higher too (as if you need to know that). The end credits, if you wait patiently, attempt to make up for the groaners.
_Visual Style_ Antz: The ants in the former film are a starkly orange color, with heads that resemble oh-so-slightly that of the actors themselves (Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, and Danny Glover are the most recognizable). The face of the Z is strikingly (but not so coincidentally) similar to that of E.T.
Bugs: Far brighter, but also more generic. The bugs are distinguished by their colors. Eyes are much bigger and chirpier. It appears that they were designed as if they could be sold as plush dolls.
_The Moral Of the Story_ Antz: Celebrates individuality over conformity. But is it just me, or is there something moronic about a mass movement of characters celebrating individuality?
Bugs: If you don't succeed, try, try again. You've probably never heard of this theme before.
_Summary_: Both films are of good quality, and are suitable for most family viewing. Of the two, I like _Antz_ better, because its' visuals had more style than _Bugs_, and it's jokes didn't fail as often. Watching me groan from another Bugs' "joke", my girlfriend told me that for all the "humor" she's been subjected to, I've gotten what I deserved.
Nick Scale: (1-10) Antz: 8 Bugs: 7
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