A Bug's Life | | Cast : | Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey | | Director : | John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton | | Studio : | Walt Disney Home Video | | Format : | Animated, Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | November 25, 1998 | | DVD Released Date : | May 27, 2003 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Original Language), English (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | G (General Audience) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 03, 2005 | | Summary | Bugs screaming for attention | Content
 | This is a fable about our need to believe in ourselves.
The story is probably one of the best features in the exquisite animated film, A Bug's Life. The narrative about the life of a working ant called Flick and his attempt to save his colony from the eternal domination of the grasshoppers -through recruiting a group of insects that turn out to be circus actors- is completely charming, innovative and unique. The plot is a pleasant surprise for the audience: just when one thinks everything is revealed, a new twist comes out to keep us guessing again what will happen.
The movie allows itself to have a series of incredible characters that develop while the story takes its place. Flick goes from naive and optimistic to self-confident and serious. The circus members are one of the most eclectic groups of lovable losers ever to illuminate the screen. They add color to the plot and the rest of the cast, with their adventures, mischief, eccentricities and craziness. Their growth as a group, who finally find their audience, must be highlighted too. Little Princess Dot is charming in her role as a little ant with low self esteem until becomes a leader and finally princess.
The bugs are, in fact, very graceful and funny, but it's through their extravagant personalities and their sharp dialogs that finally conquer our sympathy.
In addition, there's a solid work of animation. The visual splendor is spectacular. This is an engaging film that seems to use the most vibrant colors. The detailed work is admirable in every corner, every gesture. Ambience and characters are not limited to coexist, but to work together, consolidating the story. This is one of the best animated features of the past decade. A solid accomplishment from Pixar, who doesn't seem to let us down with their creativity, their craftsmanship and their pure genius!
|
| Rating | | | Date | July 30, 2005 | | Summary | Very Dark, NOT for little kids, nowhere near Nemo or Monsters Inc. | Content
| I let my 4 year old watch this movie, trusting the fact that it was Disney/Pixar and rated G. The fact is, the content/dialogue of this film warrants at least a PG-13 rating. Granted it does not have obscene language or graphic violence. It does, however, contain very cruel behavior, lots of "I'll kill you" (in one case a brother says to his brother something like "if not for the promise I made to mom on her death bed, I'd kill you right now!") type lines, as well as the mean grasshopper gang (who party in Mexico and are modeled after hell's angels) that is very scary and too dumb to be amusing. In general the themes/ideas presented in this story are far too dark for a kid's movie, with way too much mean-spiritedness and very little to redeem itself. Speaking strictly from the perspective of "Is it entertaining?" I'd say that the three of us that watched it (parents and child) were not entertained. One of us adults even fell asleep. By the way, the mean grasshopper gang-leader (named "Hopper") gets fed to baby birds in the end, screaming as he's lowered into the open beaks. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 28, 2005 | | Summary | BUGS BUNNY? NO, "BUG'S LIFE"! | Content
| "A Bug's Life" was actually Pixar's second production (between the two "Toy Stories"). It was also, at first, the only Pixar movie I didn't like. Having seen it a few more times, though, I can certainly crown it another of their animated gems.
All the regular Pixar honchos (Lasseter, Stanton et al.) were working with animate objects for the first time (toys are inanimate, right?), and they created a crew of...bugs! OK, that doesn't sound very appealing, but it is. Basically, they took the ancient Aesop fable, "The Ant and the Grasshopper", and made it into an engaging story about an ant colony and their grasshopper enemies. For comic relief, they added a full-dress flea circus.
Our hero is Flik, a boyish, geeky ant who's always building wacky inventions that might help the colony during harvest season. They usually flop, too, earning him the enmity of the Queen Ant and her crown princess daughter Atta- but not of Dot, the lovable "little princess". After the colony is threatened with a "harvest-or-else" mandate from a no-nonsense, mobster-tinged group of grasshoppers, Flik runs off to find the P.T. Flea Circus (headquartered in an animal-cracker box and an egg carton), whose quirky performers- a walking stick, a gypsy moth, and a plump green caterpillar with an oompah-band accent-
are happy to help out. They escape the circus and the "bug city" (made of cereal boxes!) to join the ants in a climactic- and funny- battle against the marauding "hoppers."
The voice talent here is as off-beat as the all-bug cast.
Dave Foley, from Canada's "Kids In The Hall" comedy group (their CBC shows were a staple on pre-"Sex and the City" HBO), is very likable as Flik. So is Kevin Spacey, a legit A-list star, who gives Hopper- the leader of the grasshopper mob- a spin that's both deadpan and over-the-top at the same time. Others involved include Julia Louis-Dreyfus (probably her most successful post-"Seinfeld" gig), an aging Phyllis Diller, and a circus group that includes Denis Leary (a wiseguy ladybug), David Hyde Pierce (a prissy walking stick) and even Madeline Kahn (the Gypsy Moth).
"Bug's Life" was the first Pixar movie to get the extended DVD treatment. Here, you can see how their now-familiar format- "making-of" segments, technical work, and side projects like games- came to be. You'll probably be surprised at how the bug sounds were created by Gary Rydstrom, a master sound designer who's done not only every Pixar film through "Finding Nemo" but giant hits like "Saving Private Ryan" and the second "Star Wars" trilogy. The Pixar custom of using gag-line outtakes as the end titles also began here, and two different sequences were used both theatrically and on the DVD. Finally, Randy Newman went with a surprisingly-stirring, Copland-esque score that, strangely, works better than his usual light-hearted sounds.
A few people with kids I know didn't like "Bug's Life" because- well, they hate bugs. I'm not crazy about them, either, but these bugs put on a better show than you think. And since it's all inspired by an Aesop fable, there's a nice little series of lessons about independence and teamwork that all ages can appreciate. Don't let the title scare you- these bugs don't bite (except Hopper)! |
| Rating | | | Date | July 17, 2005 | | Summary | LOVE THE BUGS...and THE NEW PRICE! | Content
| Hey y'all. I totally love the new price [12.50] and the movie rocks! The digital transfer was a success meaning that there is no mistake at all in the picture quality...simply perfect. and also the bonus features are much better then before. i think everyone should own this...this dvd is simply "perfection". |
| Rating | | | Date | June 25, 2005 | | Summary | The stars get the stars | Content
| A nerdy, clumsy bug, voiced by Dave Foley, wants to fit in, wants to help, and dreams of being a hero to his friends. His initial attempts . . . do not turn out well, to put it nicely. Does he succeed in the end? Even if you know the answer, the film is worth watching, but I'll not spoil it, anyway. The story is good enough to hold this film together, but the story is not the star here.
A good story needs to include: a plot, good characters, a good setting, a good lesson or outcome. However, every film or book ends up emphasizing some of these aspects more than others. "A Bug's Life" emphasizes the characters and their relationships with one another. And, it does that very well. Unlike the other film, to which it is often compared ("Antz"), "A Bug's Life" was not voiced by Hollywood stars, but by a big handful of great character actors, who clearly come across as knowing how to function in an ensemble. Nobody shines above the others, and no one drags the others down.
The animation, which is completely computerized, is brilliant, in its quality of execution, its attention to detail, and its lush, vibrant, yet credible colors. And, the "out-takes" that are mixed in with the end credits, are hilarious and "believable" as in mimicking the real out-takes from non-animated movies.
Overall, a good film to have on the shelf, for rainy (or sunny or snowy) days. |
|
Picture 01 (20)
