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A Bug's Life Dir: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton Stars (Voices of): David Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louius-Dreyfus, David Hyde Pierce, Richard Kind, Denis Leary Maybe it was just general holiday good vibes. Maybe I had just slept well the night before. I may even be getting soft in my old age. Whatever the reason, I found it hard to be cynical watching "A Bug's Life," the latest high-tech animation feature from Disney and Pixar. But the movie was just too much fun to resist. Not that there weren't reasons to be skeptical. Going in, I had little doubt that the good guys would be good, the bad guys would be bad, and that goodness would ultimately prevail. And, thanks to the mountain of coloring books and action figures I've passed by every week in every grocery store and retail outlet since October, I knew that our hero is a young inventor named Flik. I also knew that he gathers a band of misfit bugs to protect his village. So I knew there were going to be few surprises. But once I sat down in theatre and the first few frames started flickering across the screen, the realization hit me - "Hey, I'm watching cartoons!" I started to feel like I did when I was young enough to actually get up before sunrise, just to watch Droopy, He-Man, and the Transformers. And "A Bug's Life" did not disappoint. The first two things that drew me in were the breathtaking landscapes and the script's sense of humor. The characters had to be endearing to keep people from just staring at the scenery. Flik himself is in constant motion, whether he's figuring out how to gather the harvest more efficiently or teaching young Dot why it's not bad to be small. Flik's hillmates aren't as impressed with him as the audience might be. They slave to make an adequate sacrifice to the grasshoppers, led by (guess who?) Hopper, a ruthless tyrant who keeps the ants under control by threat of violence. When Flik accidentally looses the bulk of the harvest, he is wholeheartedly encouraged to leave the village to find help. He meets up with a bunch of circus performers, mistakes them for warriors, and voila, you got yourself a plot. The literal story of the little guy taking on the big guy. Sure, it's simple, but "A Bug's Life" does manage a decent depth of character, especially in Flik and Hopper. And the supporting cast couldn't be more colorful. But I guess that's why they're circus performers and all. Usually, in a big-name cartoon production like this, the voice talent draws at least half of the attention. Not so with "A Bug's Life." Every actor seems to capture their character perfectly, and their name recognition doesn't overpower their performance. There is no Robin Williams as the wacky genie, ad-libbing scene after scene. There are only characters in the script. Denis Leary's is the only voice that conjures up an image of its owner, and even that doesn't negatively affect his character. Take it for granted that the animation is incredible. But, like the voice talent, the best thing about it is that it fades into the background as just another element in a great story. Credit the character animators for being as versatile as any actor, giving Flik & Co. a wide pallet of facial expressions and emotions, which allows them to rise above caricature. So ignore how many huge computers it took to make "A Bug's Life," and all the marketing being shoved down your throat. No matter how complicated the process, the end result is a simply wonderful movie. -Nick |
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