A BUG'S LIFE
Sherrie Lee
Directed by: John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton
Produced by: Darla Anderson and Kevin Reher
Vocal Talents: Dave Foley(Flik), Kevin Spacey (Hopper), Richard Kind (Molt), Julia Louis-Dreyfus(Princess Atta), David Hyde Pierce(Slim).
Runtime: about 100 min
Rating: ***** out of *****
Official Website: Bug's Life at Disney.
This Review Filed: 21 November, 1998.
A comparison with ANTZ (see Inkpot review) is inevitable but the two animation pieces should be judged on their own merits. In ANTZ, the unmistakable Woody Allen (the voice behind Z) gives the story a satirical slant, allowing for social commentary, while A BUG'S LIFE is truly family entertainment, a spectacular display of the imagination and genuinely very funny.
Flik is an earnest ant worker, sincere, helpful and full of ideas but is constantly viewed as someone who messes things up. So when the ant colony is threatened by the grasshoppers, Flik is sent away so as not to disrupt the colony's plans of gathering food for the grasshoppers. Flik mistakenly recruits a group of "warriors" who are no more than failed circus bugs from a flea circus. Just when all seems lost and the grasshoppers come from their final assault, Flik and the circus bugs rally to the occasion and burst forth in comic confrontation.
Disney and Pixar, who produced the phenomenally successful A TOY STORY in 1995, succeed in splashing colours and shades onto the insect world, exploring details of cereal cartons, making full use of any discarded items. The insects, whether central to the story or not, are alive with realistic twitches and facial expressions. With improved computer animation technology, Pixar has progressed beyond TOY STORY's flat landscapes and limited movements. However, it is not a better computer that wins an audience, but characters that know how to mesmerise.
![[ Flik ]](/film/images/bugslife4.jpg)
The bugs scream for attention, not for their cute features, but for their individual personalities that talented actors like Foley, Kind and Pierce bring to life. In particular, the circus bugs take centre stage with their crazy antics and quirky and side-splitting moments. The grumpy male ladybug Francis (Edie McClurg), the goofy Hungarian pillbugs Tuck and Roll (Michael McShane (I)), the caterpillar Heimlich (Joe Ranft) and the stick insect Slim (Pierce)are full of fun and wit, tempers and tantrums. On the less zany side are Flik (Foley) and his love interest, Princess Atta (Dreyfus). While Flik struggles to recover his self-esteem, Princess Atta has to get over her nerves and prove she is worthy to be queen. Foley, a relative unknown among actors like Dreyfus and Spacey, plays Flik with much sensitivity, transforming from loser to hero.
The insects may be cutesy and cartoony but they know how to entertain, and not with the run-of-the-mill humour in some Disney animated films with sidekicks pulling the punchlines, but with great chemistry, humour and good clean fun.
P.S. Stay right till the end of the credits. You will not regret it!
The Flying Inkpot's Rating System
* Wait for the TV2 broadcast.
** A little creaky, but still better than staying at home with Gotcha!
*** Pretty good, bring a friend.
**** Amazing, potent stuff.
***** Perfection. See it twice.
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