A Bug's Life Review
by David Sunga (zookeeper AT criticzoo DOT com)December 2nd, 1998
A BUG'S LIFE (1998)
Rating: 3 stars (out of 4.0)
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Key to rating system:
2.0 stars - Debatable
2.5 stars - Some people may like it
3.0 stars - I liked it
3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie
4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out *********************************
A Movie Review by David Sunga
Written and Directed by: John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton
Starring:
Voices of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Hayden Panettiere, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Phyllis Diller, David Hyde Pierce, Roddy McDowall, Jonathan Harris, Richard Kind
Ingredients: Ants and grasshoppers in human situations.
Synopsis:
A gang of big mean grasshoppers is extorting protection money from a cowering colony of little ants. One day an innovative ant named Flik (Dave Foley) goes on a quest to find bugs who might be willing to save the colony from the bad guys. Coming upon recently fired flea circus performers, Flik mistakenly believes they are altruistic commandos.
Opinion:
A BUG'S LIFE is sure to please both parents and children. First, take your basic western (terrorized town, mysterious strangers ride in) and then replace all violence with cartoon humor. Then change all the townspeople to cute, kid-friendly Disney-style CGI insects. Add an underdog hero, a hint of romance and a supporting character who's an impetuous child (or in this case an impetuous young bug), and you have yourself a hit movie.
It's amazing how computer generated imagery keeps evolving and getting better. At the rate things are going, soon virtual characters will be used just as often as real life actors and actresses, and the whole film industry will go digital. Imagine, if technology keeps increasing, then in the next evolution, all we'll need to do is use sensor clay to model a performer's unique face and expressions, and all the action and effects can be done by computer generation (intelligent software) instead of live acting and stunts. If and when advanced computers become commonplace it would reduce the cost of film-making by millions, since only scripts, modeling, and intelligent software would be needed.
Getting back to A BUG's LIFE, it's always fun to see if you can recognize the voices in animated features. In A BUG'S LIFE you'll hear echoes of LOST IN SPACE, PLANET OF THE APES, FRAZIER, SPIN CITY, SEINFELD, and LA CONFIDENTIAL as well as the voice of the grand dame of comedy, Phyllis Diller. Bring the family; you'll love it.
Reviewed by David Sunga
November 25, 1998
Copyright © 1998 by David Sunga
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