Disney and the Toy Story crew fashion a decent flick.
Course there is the inevitable comparison to Ants , the Dreamworks flick, and the similarities are downright spooky.
Both movies have:
Like I said: s-s-s-s-s-p-p-p-p-p-p-o-o-o-o-o-o-k-k-k-k-y-y.
There isn't complete reciprocal plagiarism (if such a thing is even possible). The movies do differ .
A Bug's Life's (truly an innane title) plot has the ants supplying food for the marauding grasshoppers. Things don't go well thanks to our hero, Flik, screwing up and he sets off to make amends. He hopes to find warrior bugs to kick the grasshoppers' asses (abdomens?). Instead, Flik finds a flea (natch) circus which he misconstrues to be the entomologic 300 Spartans. So all sorts of wackiness ensues.
The plot needlessly meanders. Given the tightness one expects from animation which does not waste movie frames, this is surprising. Specifically too much time is spent on the flea circus doing its schtick.
But it's Disney and the Toy Story crew is back in action. They've produced an enjoyable story, but have not hit one out of the park. In some ways, Antz is the better flick. On the other hand, the breadth and depth to Bug's has had its CGI world rendered leaves Antz in the dust. So as Siskel and Ebert would put it, ABL gets a "qualified thumbs up".
If you go, you must stick around for the credits. They've included "outtakes" of the "actors" flubbing their lines. You see this at the end of every Jackie Chan movie, but since ABL shots had to be rendered each and every one, they add up to a completely unexpected treat. They're the funniest part of the entire movie.
Movie's suitability for: