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Life is good!
by CarlosC (movies profile)
Jun 4, 2008
4
of
4 people found this review helpful
A BUG'S LIFE was all work and hardship as long as the little ants had to slave away to pay an annual tribute to the grasshoppers, until a little, unconventional guy named Flik (voice of David Foley) came along and took a defiant stand. More enthusiastic than adept, little Flik keeps blowing it, and making LIFE harder for the others when his far-fetched plans backfire. But, when he accidentally tips over the yearly offering into a creek, his hair-brain scheme is all the colony has left to work with. Funny and light, A BUG'S LIFE is a great children's film. All the darkness and grown-up angst of ANTZ is nowhere to be seen in this year's second animated feature about bugs. For our purposes, suffice it to say that BUG'S is better than ANTZ (more colorful, more entertaining, better animated, better characterized). BUG'S is buoyed by its portrayal of a colorful, delightful troupe of bugs, all members of a second-rate flea circus, whom the bumbling Flik mistakes for a gang of marauding warriors, and enlists to aid his cause. They include the voracious -- but, otherwise, tame -- caterpillar, Heimlich (voice of Joe Ranft); a walking stick named Slim (David Hyde Pierce); and, a praying mantis swami/magician bug (Jonathan Harris). Children will find A BUG'S LIFE accessible because, even though it offers a central character who defies the rigidity of colony life, there is no pretense of sociology, here. No class-struggle overtones; no chanting, "Give Peace A Chance." Instead, A BUG'S LIFE entertains the wonders that a child might appreciate -- like the magic of flight. When Flik is borne aloft in a pollen parachute, no philosophical overlay is employed, or required. When the bloated caterpillar, Heimlich, is carried a few dizzying inches off the ground by his motley insect posse, he quips that from that altitude, "You all look like ants!" Even the heavies in this movie will be accessible to kids. The grasshoppers are not portrayed like genocidal villains, but more like playground bullies, stealing lunch money from weaker tots. They have the trappings of cooler, bigger kids: when their wings sputter into action, they sound like motorcycle engines, and they are led by a thuggish hipster named Hopper (voice of Kevin Spacey). Even the colony's queen is portrayed humanely and with a light-hearted touch that emphasizes her and her family's troubles so that the audience can relate. They will be appealing to young movie-goers, unlike the aloof and remote royal family of ANTZ. In fact, the most appealing character outside of Flik is the young Princess Dot (voice of Hayden Panettiere), who has to constantly battle the fact that others dismiss her because she is so young. A BUG'S LIFE is like a child's dream. (Carlos Colorado) |
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