Customer Reviews

Bugs Life

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

As always, Pixar delivered a breath taking experience when they brought us A Bug's Life. While not overly realistic, the animation is bright and rich and incredibly detailed. The colours and textures suck you into their world.
The movie features a nice mix of humor and excitement. Some moments are full of suspense and tension.
The voice actors do a great job, particularly Kevin Spacey as the villain Hopper. He's truly menacing! When the voice talents are combined with Pixar's fabulous job of giving natural movements and mannerisms to each different species of insect the mix creates very believable characters.
As per usual Disney style there is a great moral to be learned through the story, about the importance of standing up for yourself, and how one small person truly can change the world.
The only drawback of the movie is that the characters are relatively shallow and underdeveloped when compared to Disney's usual level of complexity. However, when you consider that this film is based off of the fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper" it puts things into perspective and you appreciate how much imagination and creativity actually went into this project. The end result is highly entertaining and sure to be a classic in generations to come.

PIXAR is a truly innovative company that is literally redefining what can be accomplished with computer animation. The company has a much longer history than many are aware of, they were once part of George Lucas's empire before the company was sold and then taken public by Steve Jobs of Apple fame.

"Bug's Life", is my favorite full-length film from PIXAR although there are individual character creations from other films like, "Monsters Inc.", that also rate amongst their best computer generated thespians. This film has a great story, and great performances from a host of players including Kevin Spacey, Kevin Foley as Flick, and Phyllis Diller as The Ant Queen. The list continues with Denis Leary, Madeline Kahn, and Roddy McDowall as Mr. Soil.

The extras that are included on the disc are almost worth the cost of the disc alone. Both sets of, "outtakes", are included, and these provide some of the best moments of humor in the film. They are so well done; you get a similar feeling of seeing an actor in a traditional film making an error as opposed to just a computerized character. The fact that these characters don't exist, either means that I get a bit too lost in these films, or PIXAR is that good. I tend to believe it's the latter.

One of the more notable experiences was watching the film short, "Geri's Game", once again. When this was first released in 1997 the realism that was presented was almost hard to believe. Now only 5 years later it not only shows its age, certain aspects look like nothing more than well drawn cartoons. The trees in, "A Bug's Life", can pass for the real item, in the short film, the idea of realism for the trees never occurs. This in no way is meant as criticism, quite the opposite, the folks at PIXAR have continued to push past barriers at an amazing rate so that each subsequent film exceeds the first. I believe you can watch the films and place them in order of release, even if this is the first time you have viewed them.

And PIXAR is showing no signs of slowing down much less pausing, as a look at the trailer for their next film demonstrates. Next Spring, "Finding Nemo", will open, and based on the trailers I have seen, they have once again raised the bar by a factor of 10. This time they will take you to a world created under the sea, and the bits I have viewed will leave your jaw a bit slack.

PIXAR has redefined animation, and are rapidly creating a genre that needs a description all its own, computer animation does not place these creations in their own category, and they deserve one. PIXAR is not the only company producing great computer products, but so far they are the best and most consistent. I don't believe any other studio can state that every single film they have made resides securely in the top 100 grossing films of all time.

As always Pixar has good movies. I liked the story and think it was really worth the price, and fun for someone of any age to watch.

Those Pixar folk are amazing. Not only do they make an excellent movie, but they complement it with a first rate package of extras, especially the outtakes and the movie short "Geri's Game". The two-disc Collector's Editions are worth waiting for, and you will find yourself playing the second disc as often as the first.

This innovative take on the old fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper" teaches us a few important lessons:

1. There's a clumsy nerd who wants to be a hero in every colony
2. Phyllis Diller is an old queen
3. David Hyde Pierce is stiff
4. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is neurotic and can't dance
5. Grasshoppers live it up in Mexican joints during the Summer
6. German caterpillars are funny, and so are pill-bugs.
7. Ladybirds may not be ladies
8. Birds can be flammable
9. An ant may look at a queen
10. Don't stir up an ants nest

To maintain good family relations, you should allow your kids to watch this movie too.

Amanda Richards July 13, 2004

This film was originally released in 1998, but I didn't actually see it until a few months ago. Simply put, it's Pixar doing what they do best. A widely caried and excellent cast of characters, a simple but elaborately executed plot, and of course, the rendition of a half a dozen themes that run universal throughout our lives.

Essentially, a mild and nerdy ant known as Flic accidentally destroys the entire food supply of his ant colony. Of course, the food was not for them; it was their yearly offering to the grasshoppers. As a result, the grasshoppers decree that the ants can spend the remainder of summer gathering it all again. Hopper, the ingenius and menacing leader, notes that Flic stands up to him for one brief moment, and this becomes pivotal later. I won't say any more past there, only that there are plenty of intriguing twists to keep things interesting.

Overall, this movie bears an obvious resemblance to Finding Nemo. First of all, both movies involve the creation and manipulation of a natural environment and its inhabitants. Second, they both involve unlikely heroes (A bumbling ant and a fearful clownfish). Third, both are at a standard of quality that the animation world has never before seen.

Honestly, Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Hopper is reason enough to see A Bug's Life. (I could say the same thing about Albert Brooks' portrayal of Marlin in Finding Nemo.) However, the movie offers much more in the long run, and the special features are deep and surprisingly un-boring. The director's commentary of this movie and other Pixar films is much, much more entertaining than most movies. I credit a lot of that to Andrew Stanton, but the guys just have a creative knack to them that makes their ideas and comments brilliant.

Recommended to all fans of animation, all lovers of Pixar, and all those with good taste.

I think that this movie was extremely creative and exciting. It was very unpredictable. The protaganist Flick was a character that has made a difference in my life because he had the courage to stand up to the antagonists, the grasshoppers. The main antagonist was Hopper who was head of the grasshoppers and was taking food from the little bugs and when Flick made the plan to fight them off he just showed a side of bravery and courage. If I were ever a bug, I would want to be just like Flick and if I wereever in a situation like that I could be just as brave as him.

"The Battle of the Bugs" is what the media labeled Dreamworks SKG's successful attempt to get their 3-D animated bug story released in theaters before Disney did, although the former began production several weeks after the latter. Whose film would be released first: The Company of Michael Eisner, or that of his former disgruntled employee Jeffrey Katzenberg? In retrospect, this behind-the-scenes drama seems more than a bit silly, because: 1) That a similarly-themed movie is released first does not necessarily guarantee bigger box office than its competition, and 2) The solidly-PG-rated ANTZ has less in common with the indisputably-G-rated A BUG'S LIFE than one might think, and 3) Therefore, each film attracted a different audience. As it turned out, both films were smash hits: ANTZ garnered better reviews; however, A BUG'S LIFE made a lot more money (as I'm sure it was destined to do).

Walt Disney Pictures' A BUG'S LIFE, co-directed by Andrew Stanton and John Lasseter, and released in October of 1998 (a full month after Dreamworks SKG's ANTZ), tells the very cute story of a not-so-bright worker ant simply named Flik, voiced by Canadian comedian Dave Foley. His constant bumbling attempts to help the ant colony drive the others to distraction, and to loathe him. I love the opening scene with Flik accidentally losing the yearly "offering" of food meant for the grasshoppers, who regularly exploit the ants for their own purposes. This leads to a very funny scene in which the grasshoppers angrily confront the ants, and demand satisfaction.

My advice is to see this film with an open mind; forget about "The Battle of the Bugs" as A BUG'S LIFE has really nothing whatsoever to do with ANTZ, with the only exception being that both films star a nerdy ant who attempts to win the affection of the ant colony princess. That's the only similarity! Otherwise, A BUG'S LIFE is a rather light story dealing with Flik's attempt to woo Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, brilliantly expressive in a superb comedic role) while he attempts to fix the aforementioned mess he made. Unfortunately for Flik, he is sent out of the ant colony all alone, and into the vast unknown, supposedly populated by big, scary bugs and other creatures. In his search for fierce warrior bugs to fight the grasshoppers, Flik unknowingly comes across a "bug circus" in which he is convinced that he has found the muscle that the ant colony needs. In what is one of the funniest scenes, Flik is welcomed back as the unlikely hero of the ant colony, impresses Princess Atta and then proceeds to find out the truth about these circus-performer bugs he has brought back with him. These bugs are hilarious, by the way. With Slim the walking stick (David Hyde Pierce), Heimlich the big fat German-accented caterpillar (Joe Ranft), the tough-talking male ladybug (Denis Leary), and Manny the old British-accented 'thespian bug' (Jonathan Harris--yep, Dr. Smith himself!), this is truly a motley crew of bugs if there ever was one. But the bug that really steals the show is the villain; the evil grasshopper leader Hopper (Kevin Spacey). Spacey's vocal performance is brilliant; so much so, in fact, that I had no idea it was Kevin Spacey until the first time I saw the end credits!

Spacey is hilariously deadpan while delivering lines like: "Do I look stupid to you? Do I? Do I...look...STUPID...to YOU? Let's just think about the logic for a second, shall we? If it [the offering] was UP THERE, why would I be DOWN HERE, LOOKING FOR IT??" Of course, as a typically self-referential Disney film, the screenwriters couldn't resist having fun with another Hopper line: "It's one of those Circle-of-Life things." Unfortunately, they gave some of the film's worst lines to The Queen (Phyllis Diller); for example, "It's our lot in life. It's not a lot, but it's our life! Ahahahaha!!" I'm sure Phyllis was paid enough to not care so much about the corniness of her lines, but still!

A BUG'S LIFE is an absolute triumph of 3-D CGI animation. It is a beautiful film to look at. The images are bright, sharp and colorful. This film offers a much better viewing experience than ANTZ, which has a more engaging storyline, but has mostly sepia-toned imagery that is neither as sharp or realistic-looking. Again, these are completely two different films: ANTS, with its mildly adult language, themes and occasional violence, is definitely PG-rated. Its humor is appreciated more by adults than kids. A BUG'S LIFE, however, is deservedly G-rated. You can let your 4-year-old watch it, and even though they probably won't be able to follow the storyline (as meager as it is), they will certainly be entertained by both the imagery and the funny voices over and over again. There may be a scene or two that may scare them a little; however, it says a lot that the scariest character in the film is a red robin.

The final verdict in my review: A BUG'S LIFE is a very entertaining combination of 3-D animation and excellent voice-over acting by excellent (and very well-cast) actors such as all who were previously named, plus Madeline Kahn, Bonnie Hunt, Michael McShane, John Ratzenberger and Brad Garrett. It is true that ANTZ has a better story; however, A BUG'S LIFE has superior animation. In addition, this was the Disney film that originated the idea of creating fake 'outtakes' to show over the end credits. Originally, I found this practice to be quite odd, but now I kind of like it. This Collector's Edition has even more bonus features than the original DVD. Now a two-DVD set, A BUG'S LIFE is really loaded; besides the behind-the-scenes featurette, there are interactive games that are sure to provide additional entertainment for your little ones, and maybe even for yourself.

RECOMMENDED
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR DISNEY/PIXAR FANS

I love "A Bug's Life"! It's one of my most favorite movies next to "The Lion King". The movie's about a hard-working bunch of ants that are being forced to feed and serve some very mean Grasshoppers. This life style lasted for a long time until, Flik, an adventurous young ant, who before, accidentally knocked the Grasshoppers food over a cliff, suggests that the ants get bigger bugs to come and fight. So he goes to look for some bugs and finds some so-called "warrior bugs" who are really a bunch of out-of-work circus bugs. Results aren't pretty when the other ants finally figure that out. So what happens to the grasshoppers and what becomes of Flik? That's for you to figure out!

I would recommend this film to anyone who liked Pixar's "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo". Just to warn you, a couple of the grasshopper scenes would be kind of intense for smaller children. But other than that the film is very funny and even has outtakes at the end credits! I hope you enjoy the movie as much as I did.

My Grandma taped this movie for our family a while ago, and I was excited to see it because I had heard so much about it. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed but not much. And I'll tell you why.

The animation is great, but Finding Nemo is so much better. The story line is good, but not as good as it could have been, I thought. The dialogue is wonderful in some parts, but in other parts its not so great, especially when a bit of dirty humor came into play (for pity's sake, this is a kids movie!) . However, if you can get past these flaws, you will find a movie that is funny, interesting, and will keep your kids mesmerized for the entire film.

"Toy Story" will always be considered one of modern cinema's greatest achievements. Unfortunately, movies like "A Bug's Life" and "Monsters, Inc." will always be brushed by the wayside for the fact that they weren't first. That's a shame, because both movies had better plots and performances. "A Bug's Life" is funny. It has a great cast of characters that are more memorable than "Woody" or "Buzz" and the villain, "Hopper," is one of the best villains in Disney history. His fate is also right up there with greats like "Scar" from "Lion King" and "Hades" from "Hercules."

Dave Foley is fun as "Flik." He's kind of a geeky lookin' guy in real life, so that made this character more believable. As state before, "Hopper" is the ultimate bad guy, and Kevin Spacey plays him perfectly. Denis Leary is outstanding as "Francis" the ladybug. Overall, this is an ensemble cast that is rounded out by great support from actors like John Ratzenberger and Phyllis Diller.

The animation is wonderful. It is bright, bold, and downright terrifying when need be(ref. the bird attacking "Hopper.") The music is good, though not as utilized as in "Toy Story." That is beside the point since the story of "Bug's" is so much better than "Toy Story."

Why is it that a Disney flick that is seriously funny always seems to get lost behind dramas such as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?" In Disney's storied history I've always felt that movies like "A Bug's Life" were overlooked because they don't have some great moral story to them. Granted, "Flik" realizing that he must never give up and the rest of the ants learning about strength in numbers is good, but these lessons just don't stick like in other films.

Watch this movie because it is funny. I used to give it a less than stellar rap until I watched it again. It really is funny and deserves to go down as one of Disney/Pixar's best films ever.

The DVD provides some great extras. There is literally something for everyone. For the kiddies there are games, for producer/director wannabes there are documentaries on the creation of the film. The best extras are the entire group of "bloopers" from the film, with personal favorites listed by members of the production team and, of course, "Geri's Game." This made me laugh out loud in the theater and at home.

If you want a funny, memorable movie that doesn't receive the attention it should, buy "A Bug's Life."