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The Ant Bully [2006]


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Amusing, entertaining and fun
Review date: 2008-03-29 Rating: 8 out of 10

One of the better animated films, this is a story, as always, with a moral, but it doesn't let that, or over-sentimentality, get in the way of the action or the story. With so many famous names cast as the voices, it has a quality feel to it, and, at 1h30 long, you don't really have time to get bored, as there is a pretty good pace to proceedings...You should see it because "You have a brain the size of a peanut!" (That's a compliment, by the way!;-))

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Reviews


FANTASTIC! one of the better ones!
Review date: 2007-07-20 Rating: 10 out of 10

just finished watching this with the kids! wow! i don't know who loved it more, me or them! i thought cage was excellent as a cartoon, i knew his voice straight away, (almost) and felt he played the character well, all the rest were great to. much better than some of the other animated features i have watched recently in this genre, definitely worth watching and buying! the environment in which the ants live is absolutely beautiful, alot of imagination has obviously gone into this one and the character design is one of the best i have seen, each ant looks different, the colours and textures used are stunning, their are alot of tribal elements hinted at and for me these are the best ant's i have seen in in comparison to bugs life and antz.

the story was interesting and held my attention from start to finish, (and the kids, one is 4, the other 2) although they didn't quite get some of the jokes, (aimed at older viewers) such as the "yellow rain" lol, i was laughing, panicking, the lot!

the initial scenes of destruction were very well done, the effect's are very detailed and "expensive" looking, i found myself gasping at those scenes and yelling at the antz to escape! very realistic, i felt as if i was watching a live action "war of the worlds/the day after tomorrow" scene!

i won't say any more so as not to spoil it except go out and buy buy buy!

excellent effects, character designs, great voice overs, character development, an actual 'good' storyline and alot of originality!

you've nothing to lose with this one!

Cross my heart (not my butt) -- what a fantastic animated movie!
Review date: 2007-02-24 Rating: 10 out of 10

Fantastic. The Ant Bully is just a fantastic animated film on multiple levels. The animation is superb, the characters are wonderfully memorable, the cast of voice actors boasts many a big name, and the story is as educational as it is entertaining. Adults should have already learned the message of this film, but they can still enjoy The Ant Bully just as much as the kids. Frankly, I had never even heard of this movie until a couple of weeks ago, and that's a real shame because this is an animated film that should have been talked about just as much as Cars, Happy Feet, etc.

Like Lucas (Zach Tyler), the little boy in this film, I used to squirt water on ants and destroy their little ant hills - I'm not proud of that, but I was just a dumb kid. Lucas has yet to learn that tormenting other creatures is bad. A local bully keeps picking on him because he's little, so he turns around and picks on ants because he is bigger than they are. For their part, the ants in his front yard have had enough of the horrible beast they call "Destroyer," and thanks to a young wizard named Zoc (Nicolas Cage), they have a way to fight back. Using a potion, they shrink Lucas down to their size and carry him back to the colony. Many of the ants want to kill and eat their nemesis, but the benevolent Queen (Meryl Streep) decrees that he is to remain in the colony and, through training, learn to become an ant himself. Zoc's girlfriend Hova (Julia Roberts) eagerly volunteers to train him, which threatens to drive a wedge between her and Zoc.

Lucas makes for a stubborn student, rejecting the teamwork inherent in ant society; he doesn't need anybody's help, thank you very much. Not having any human friends, he is even reluctant to accept the friendship that ants such as Hova offer him. When the colony finds itself in danger, though - particularly when The Cloudbreather shows up to exterminate the lawn - Lucas sees the error of his ways, begins to understand how important friends are in life, and even goes so far as to risk his own life to protect those around him. It's hard for a child to realize that a "me first" philosophy won't get you very far in life, and The Ant Bully communicates that very important lesson in a wonderful, expressive way. While most animated films play strictly for laughs, The Ant Bully uses comedy to reinforce one of life's most important lessons. Yes, there's an element of socialism in it all (and heaven knows how much I hate socialism), but the true message of the film is a good and proper one.

I love this film's animation and cinematography. The attention to detail is amazing; for example, it would have been all too easy to just give the ants plain white eyes, but these animators went the extra mile to make their ants' eyes reflect the convexity of real ants' compound eyes. In terms of the cinematography, I found myself thinking back to some of the epic battle scenes from the original Star Wars trilogy as the ants rushed to defend their base from an aerial assault by wasps. I also loved the scene where the view pulled way back for a dramatic ant-sized explosion, only to show - from a human perspective - the very modest poof of a little firecracker. That doesn't sound like much, but I thought it was brilliant. In fact, I thought this entire movie was brilliant. And wait - there's more. You also get to hear the great Ricardo Montalban and Bruce Campbell lend their voices to a couple of characters, as well. Wow! What else could you ask for? Truly, The Ant Bully is one of the best animated films I've seen in some time.

Wasps get a raw deal
Review date: 2007-01-08 Rating: 8 out of 10

Though socially disturbing
This movie's lots of fun
It's not the best there ever was
But it's for everyone

If Lucas were my little son
And his sister my daughter
I wouldn't leave them with my Mom
Come hell or high water

Lucas is a weedy kid
Who takes out his frustrations
Upon an anthill in his yard
But then they're complications

Shrunk down to an ant-like size
He has to pay the price
For cruelty beyond belief
And just not being nice

Sentenced to hard labor
Experiencing first hand
Just what it's like to be an ant
So he can understand

Foraging and climbing
Eating honeydew
Some gross-out parts may thrill your kids
(All I can say is "Ewwwwww!")

Then in comes the Cloud Breather
Armed with his deadly smoke
Lucas faces his mistake
And tries to fight the bloke

Enemies can become friends
When there's a common foe
The wasps go kamikaze
(Though the ant death rates are low)

Of course there is a moral
There's more to life than brawn
But there's no way that huge anthill
Could stay on my front lawn

The movie has a stellar cast
Reminding one of Antz
So if "A Bug's Life" made you buzz
Please give this one a chance



Amanda Richards

Product Details/Specifications


Director(s):

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900736688
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2007-03-05
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 85 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2006
Language: English (Original Language)

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