Being a believer in the infinite monkey theory I have no problem accepting that two animated movies about insects, A Bug's Life and Antz, could come out at the same time without one, as some people claim, being a rip off of the other. Yes, both movie's main characters are ants and yes; neither of them fit in the regimented culture of their society. But there the similarities end. Flick, the hero of A Bug's Life deals with a threat from outside his congenial, but overly traditional society. For years Flick's colony has been subjected to a protection racket run by a small, but vicious group of grasshoppers. Only this year, due to a accident caused by Flick, the colony can't pay. So, in an unprecedented move, Flick leaves the colony to go out into the world and bring back warriors to fight for his people. In fact, at it's core A Bug's Life starts out as more of an animated version of the western classic The Magnificent Seven then a rip off of Antz. But instead of warriors Flick unknowingly winds up with a circus act so inept they'd just been fired from their jobs at a second rate flea circus. The humor in A Bug's Life is more slapstick then it's darker counterpart Antz, but as a result is on a level that can be enjoyed by both younger and older audiences. The computer animation, like Disney's first computer animated movie, Toy Story, is wonderful and seems more detailed and colorful then the computer work in Antz. There's also a wider variety of insects in A Bug's Life all of whom seem more interesting and well rounded then the characters in Antz. As for which movie of the two is better, well, that's a judgement call each parent will have to make for themselves depending on their child's age and maturity. Having seen both movies more then once, my advice would be to take younger kids to see A Bug's Life and older ones to see Antz, but if you can only see one of the two A Bug's Life is the slightly better movie. Either way, I suspect that twenty years from now, as the fans of these movies grow up, there's going to be a huge increase in the field of entomology. By the way, the 'blooper' reel run at the end of the movie as the credits roll is worth sitting through. It's very funny and also has a cameo by a suprise guest.
Average Grade: B+
