A Bug's Life [1999] - DVD (Kevin Spacey, Dave Foley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Phyllis Diller - Dir: Andrew Stanton)

There was a rare magic on the big screen in 1995, when the people at Pixar came up with the first fully computer-animated film, Toy Story, and their second feature film, A Bug's Life, may miss the bull's-eye but Pixar's target is so lofty that it's hard to find the film anything less than irresistible. Brighter and more colourful than the other animated insect movie of 1998 (Antz), A Bug's Life is the sweetly told story of Flik (voiced by David Foley), an ant searching for better ways to be a bug. His colony unfortunately revolves around feeding and fearing the local grasshoppers (lead by Hopper, voiced with gleeful menace by Kevin Spacey). When Flik accidentally destroys the seasonal food supply for the grasshoppers he decides to look for help ("We need bigger bugs!"). The ants, led by Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), are eager to dispose of the troublesome Flik. Yet he finds help--a hearty bunch of bug warriors--and brings them back to the colony. Unfortunately they are just travelling performers, afraid of conflict. As with Toy Story, the ensemble of creatures and voices is remarkable and often inspired. Highlights include wiseacre comedian Denis Leary as an un-ladylike ladybird, Joe Ranft as the German-accented caterpillar, David Hyde Pierce as a stick insect and Michael McShane as a pair of unintelligible woodlice. The scene-stealer is Atta's squeaky-voiced sister, baby Dot (Hayden Panettiere), who has a big soft spot for Flik. More gentle and kid-friendly than Antz, A Bug Life's still has some good suspense and a wonderful demise in store for the villain. However, the film--a worldwide hit--will be remembered for its most creative touch: "outtakes" over the end credits à la many live-action comedy films. These dozen or so scenes (both "editions" of outtakes are contained here) are brilliant and deserve a special place in film history right along with 1998's other most talked-about sequence: the opening Normandy invasion in Saving Private Ryan. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews of A Bug's Life [1999]

Darth Maciek
Belgium
5th August 2007

Very intelligent and well done movie, very likeable hero
Some people consider "Bug's Life" as not being on the same level of quality as other Pixar productions, but I really can not agree with them. My daughter clearly wouldn't agree either. This is a very funny movie, with a lot of interesting innovations (we will never look at bugs in the same way, me and my family) and a kind of surprising kindness - even the bad guys are shown with some understanding (having chosen the life of parasite racketeers, they are now trapped by it - as much as their ant victims). The principal hero is possibly one of the most likeable characters I ever saw. A little warning - there is one scene at the end, of the final demise of the leader of grasshoppers, that can impress the littlest children (under 6) - otherwise this movie is just perfect. The missed outtakes chapter at the end of the movie is probably the best I ever saw in a kids movie. Really perfect for a rainy sunday afternoon.

wolvie-ware
London
4th January 2006

Dissappointing...
Maybe I've been spoiled by all the other Pixar classics, but am I the only one to find A Bug's Life slightly dissappointing?

It is certainly the black sheep of the Pixar family.

For a start, the characters are bugs. Who likes bugs? Nobody finds bugs cute or cuddly, or even nice to watch. And in A Bug's Life, the characters are all slightly dull, with the exception of Kevin Spacey's Hopper, a fantastic character and well voiced.

But the other characters suffer from a lack of detail. In fact, the whole film suffers from a lack of detail. There's a lot of grass, some trees, a few funny sight gags, but it was a bit underwhelming. there wasn't the imagination seen in Toy Story, or the monsters world of Monsters Inc, or the underwater scenes from Finding Nemo.

Some of those later films would have benefitted from better technology, of course, but the computer animation here has held up well. It suits the storyline, but what the animation lacks is the imagination that makes it memorable. There's not very much detail.

Couple that with an average storyline about an ant trying to hire some soldiers to defend his colony from grasshoppers, but accidentally hires clowns instead, is all a bit run of the mill.

It may be distinctly average, but it is not a bad film. Kids are certain to enjoy it, but Pixar have endeared themselves to adults as much to kids, and for grown ups, or for the kid inside all of us, this film misfires.

marcusmuck

2nd August 2004

A superb animation classic again from Pixar.
It's based vaguely around the 'Magnificent Seven' storyline: a group of goodies are hired to protect a village and overcome adversity.

It's similar to 'Antz' in some respects (being an individual in an ant colony, team working but with freethinking etc).

The characters are varied and memorable.

It's not as funny as say 'Toy Story' but with a better story I feel. It's aimed more for kids than other animated films with a host of 'adult' jokes.

The extras are a bit disappointing- but only comparing it to other great packages (am I being too greedy nowadays?)

Enjoyable- my two year old girl likes it too!

Hotpurplekoolaid
ECD, Guyana
22nd July 2004

Gotta love them bugs
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

Mark Baker
Santa Clarita, CA United States
12th June 2003

Already Overlooked Masterpiece
The ants on Ant Island are putting the finishing touches on their annual offering to the grasshoppers, a payment for leaving them alone and keeping them safe from other bugs. Princess Atta is extremely nervous as this is her first year in charge. Things don't go as planned when Flik accidentally knocks all the food into the water. As a way to get rid of him while they met the increased demands, the colony sends him off to find warrior bugs to protect them. Through a series of mistakes, he finds a bunch of disgraced circus performers instead. Will they find a way to protect the colony?

This movie already seems to be delegated to the bottom of Pixar's list of movies, which is a real shame. As with all their movies, it's wonderful. The action keeps up at a brisk pace, the characters are likeable, the voice talent is wonderful, and there are plenty of laughs for everyone. This is also the first of their movies to feature outtakes. The animation does date the movie a little. The bugs look a little plasticy. However, some of the effects are wonderful, especially the fog and rain.

This was the first of Pixar's movies to be released on DVD. The picture clarity and sound were news worthy at the time because it was the first movie released directly from the digital source. That clarity still holds up today. They went all out with the extras, featuring an informative audio commentary, and all the behind the scenes info you could want. I especially liked looking at the original story idea and seeing the wide to full screen comparisons.

Don't get so caught up in the hype around their other movies that you over look this one. It's just as great a story for kids of all ages as anything Pixar has put out to date.