It’s tough being an ant in the world
Flik is a unique ant. He doesn’t follow the line, he tries to work smarter and he’s looking for a way to fit in. While trying to put the seasonal food together for some very angry/hungry grasshoppers, he accidentally tips it all over the edge of a cliff. When the grasshoppers come and find no food, they threaten the livelihood of the ants by taking their food for the winter. In attempt to help out again, Atta (the up and coming Queen ant) sends Flik to find some help to get rid of the pesky grasshoppers. What Atta is really trying to do is get Flik out of the situation before he causes more trouble. Flik finds help in circus performers, who he mistakes as ‘tough guys’, and brings them back to the hill to help the situation. The performers think they have been hired to perform, until they find out otherwise. What happens next is something you’ll have to find out for yourself.
When I first saw this film I didn’t really know what to think about it. I felt like it wasn’t as witty as Toy Story, but also felt that it was slightly more intelligent. It took a more refined humor approach, as it didn’t simply do one-liners or use images as gimmicks like Toy Story did (the toy soldiers, while funny, still were more gimmicks than well thought out humor). It showed the audience that there are bullies everywhere and that once in awhile you have to take a stand (even when you don’t necessarily want to). Yes, you can apply this to a child’s life, but you can also apply to anyone stage of a human being’s life. You have moments where you find a situation like this when you’re a teenager and even when you’re an adult. It’s a message that applies to everyone, and it’s a powerful one. I think I liked this most about the film and still to this day feel like it’s the feature’s strongest attribute.
With that said, the one thing I didn’t like about A Bug’s Life is the casting. In 1998, there were more than a few people available to constitute an all-star cast. Having Dave Foley, who I love and respect — mostly because of The Kids in the Hall, as the lead character made the story somewhat weak. Foley, who certainly does play a wonderful bumbling idiot, just wasn’t a very strong character. Even towards the end of the film I didn’t feel like he had finally reached a new level of respect from his peers. He was the man with the plan more than not, but he didn’t transform into a strong character by the end. At least that’s how I saw it. I think the biggest reason, because the writing was solid, is that Foley never plays the strong characters in any of his roles. Not to bring this film up, but Blast from the Past he played a side-show role where he merely acted as a device to push the story along. While funny, witty, cute and whatnot he didn’t change from the beginning to the end. He stayed on one level of character development and that’s what I think he does here.
As for the rest of the folks, Kevin Spacey (who plays Hopper — the lead grasshopper) plays a great villain. He’s the perfect a-hole who gets what he deserves by the end of the story. Spacey was at the top of his game (or near it) at this point in his career. He was coming off of the movies Se7en, L.A. Confidential, and A Time to Kill. He was truly at the top of his game. He certainly showed how vicious he could get when he wanted to. For the rest of the cast, you have Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Atta, who does a good job, but certainly not memorable. You also have the very funny Denis Leary as the Lady Bug Francis. One word for him, hilarious. The late Madeline Kahn brought a very stylish Gypsy Moth, who doesn’t fail to entertain. And what reviewer would I be if I didn’t talk about John Ratzenberger as P.T. Flea. It wouldn’t be a Pixar film without Ratzenberger.
Let’s talk animation briefly. I think that while it certainly does look dated in comparison to more recent Pixar movies, there were so many things that A Bug’s Life did to propel Pixar into the future. The textures of the ants and the details of the environment are certainly a step up from Toy Story. There’s so much life to the surroundings, it literally is leaps and bounds compared to the first Pixar major release. The character models, while simple for the most part, still sported more life and detail than characters prior. If you need two good examples look no further than Spacey’s Hopper (who looks creepy/menacing) and the bird (you’ll see what I’m talking about). The expressions, the details on the shell and feathers were unrivaled back in the day. Kudos to Pixar for the animation upgrade.
Blue skies on the Blu-ray
Every time I think that Blu-ray has hit its pinnacle for animation, Pixar proves me wrong. The vivid colors and the lack of graininess is unrivaled on A Bug’s Life. I usually don’t go ga-ga for things like this, but I’m truly impressed with the transfer from film to HD. Even the sound makes me smile really hard knowing that Disney and Pixar want to make sure you’re getting truly what you paid for. Here’s hoping that all their releases come stylized like this.
As for features, here’s what you’re getting:
• INTRODUCTION BY JOHN LASSETER
• FILMMAKERS ROUND TABLE
• A BUG’S LIFE: THE FIRST DRAFT
• STORY TREATMENT INTRO BY JOHN LASSETER
• BD-LIVE
• Pixar Animation Studios’ Academy Award®-winning Best Animated Short Film, Geri’s Game
• A Walt Disney Silly Symphony – “Grasshopper and the Ants” (1934)
• Director Commentary
• Story and Editorial
• Storyboard To Film Comparison
• Outtakes
• Behind the Scenes of “A Bug’s Life”
• Character Interviews