Antz (1998)

Woody Allen as a worker ant with an inferiority complex? Sylvester Stallone as an affable soldier ant who discovers that digging tunnels is cool? The animation playground we all knew so well is turning into a theme park full of in-jokes for grownups. Antz explores age-old topics (one person--err, insect--can make a difference, individuality and social responsibility must exist side by side, war is hell) with comic asides and Woody Allen's funniest quips this side of PG (adults will chuckle at the socialist slogans bandied about as he campaigns for workers' rights). Sharon Stone voices the rebellious princess with a fun-loving streak that doesn't quite overcome her royal bearing and court training, but she can learn. Gene Hackman is all teeth (ants have teeth?) and menacing grins as the Army general plotting insect-icide. This bug's-eye view of life on Earth gives Allen's neurotic nonconformist an epic adventure of microscopic proportions: a devastating war with a termite colony, an odyssey to the fabled land of plenty (a picnic ground), and a race to save his fellow workers from certain death. Other voices include Anne Bancroft as the Queen, Christopher Walken, Jennifer Lopez, Danny Glover, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and John Mahoney. The computer animation isn't exactly realistic but feels as solid and contoured as puppet animation with the smoothness and slickness of traditional cel cartoons, and the character designs and animation offer a marvelous range of expressions. The PG rating includes a gritty battle sequence that may frighten youngsters. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

One of Dreamworks' few good ones

It's ironic, but 'Antz' may be remembered as the last great Woody Allen comedy. Like Robin Williams in 'Alladin', Z's dialog is so quintessentially Woody Allen that it's hard to believe he didn't write or ad-lib some of it. It's also a damn sight funnier than anything Woody has made himself since I can't remember when, or anything Dreamworks made, up til 'Over the Hedge'.

Some of Z's lines to the ant psychiatrist in the opening scene alone are priceless. The world might be slightly tired of Allen playing the whiny, neurotic wimp, but in 'Antz' the character who, back in 1967, tried to hold up a bank with a stick-up note which nobody could read ("I have a Gub?") is absolutely perfect.

What's more, Allen is cast alongside Sylvester Stallone (who, incidentally, was voted worst actor of the century in the Razzie awards in 2000), and even HE comes across well. This is easily the most bizarre pairing since Mickey Rooney and Kurt Russell in 'The Fox and the Hound'. No, wait... I forgot about Ernest Borgnine and Sheena Easton... well it just goes to show that in animation, miracles can happen.

It's been said before, but it bears repeating: Antz, despite the ostensible similarity of subject matter, and similar release dates, is nothing like 'A Bug's Life'. Put simply, 'Bug's Life' is a kid's film this is an adult's film which kids will like.

The story, I suppose, is nothing remarkable: male nobody gets princess... another parallel with 'Alladin' - but there is a social and political undercurrent to 'Antz'. If it owes a little to Disney, perhaps it owes a little to George Orwell, too.

There's something else about 'Antz': it's one of the few CGI movies where the CGI just didn't bother me at all. In 'Toy Story' I just swallowed my preference for cel animation, because the film was so undeniably good in other respects. With 'Antz', the whole thing somehow seemed outside of the normal animated genres, such that it never entered my head to wish they'd done cel animation instead. In fact I can clearly see how scenes like the 'wrecking ball' sequence wouldn't have had half the impact with conventional animation.

Visually the film is always superb, sometimes plain stunning, especially for 'such an old' CGI.

'Antz' is straining hard to break through to greatness. Close but no cigar. It's just very good, and sadly overshadowed by the also good, but less substantial 'Bug's Life'. October 3, 2008

Not for Kids

This movie had a lot of graphic violence, including a war against termites, and a scene of torture. It also had some sexual innuendo. I did not think it was appropriate for children. It was also very much a Woody Allen Movie. My daughter, age 6, wasn't very interested in it. We won't be watching it again. July 5, 2008

Dis-educational

I would not expect any small children to learn any useful insect biology from this movie. The life history of ants is pretty far off the mark. In a real ant colony, all workers and soldiers are female. I gave it two stars because the animation is pretty good. Too bad all of the effort was wasted on this story.
August 19, 2007

Too much Adult Language for Children

If this was supposed to be a kids movie there was too much profanity. It has an allstar cast, Stallone, Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, etc... The story is a bit slow. You keep waiting for something interesting to happen. The story concept "finding Nirvana" away from the colony was not one for an exciting story. The "Evil Villan's" plot makes no sense as to why he would want to do what he wanted to do. If you want to hear the voice of the stars in animated Ants then this is movie. Otherwise its not worth the money. I have no desire to see it again. May 31, 2007

Movie To Be Seen

As an animated movie goes, this is one of the best. It has excellent voice over great grafics. This movie includes Humor, Action and a good story line. April 6, 2007

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