Insects have been a standard subject of animated stories, dating back to Winsor McCay's second film How A Mosquito Operates (1912). From Ladislas Starevitch's breath-taking stop-motion silents to numerous Silly Symphonies, Merrie Melodies and Terrytoons of the `30s & `40s, the world of bugs is a familiar one to cartoon filmmakers. This fall we are presented with two computer animated "bug" movies, the second in a series of DreamWorks vs. Disney same-subject feature films (DreamWorks' Deep Impact beat Disney's Armageddon to the theaters earlier this year).

Z, a worker ant, complains to hisfriend Weaver, a soldier, in the bar. © DreamWorks LLC.

Antz is the first to arrive, and it delivers the requisite goods to be a crowd-pleasing family film. However, everything I perceived about the film, before seeing it, was generally true about the finished product. On the one hand, the film has a dark look and claustrophobic feel, plus the character design is rather ugly. On the plus side, casting Woody Allen, as the neurotic lead character, was inspired.

The Film's Events
The film begins promisingly enough, as "Z" (Woody Allen) explains his inferiority complex to his analyst, while staring out at the vast ant colony going through its daily routine (a stunning opening sequence). We are then introduced to the General (Gene Hackman) who controls the soldiers and worker ants and is scheming a take-over plot tied to the digging of a strategic tunnel. That night at the local bar, Z's spirits are lifted when he hears about an "Insectopia" located somewhere in the outside world. He is further transformed after meeting Princess Bala, who is secretly slumming among the workers.

Z's fleeting moment of bliss dancing

She picks Z to dance with and he falls in love. The following day Z wanders through his predictable schedule in a love-struck stupor. When he learns that the Queen will review the troops, he arranges to switch places with his soldier pal, Weaver (Sly Stallone, whose character looks somewhat like The Tick). Unfortunately for Z, the troops are immediately sent to battle, a suicide mission planned by the General, against the Termites. The battle sequences are spectacular, but not unlike the insect vs. human war in Starship Troopers. Z is the only survivor. The scene of Z surveying the battlefield, and finding the disembodied head of companion soldier Barbatus (Danny Glover) is effectively touching, sad and funny. Hailed at the colony as a war hero, Z formally meets the Queen and Bala. When it's discovered that Z is actually a worker, not a soldier, a confrontation leads Bala and Z to fall through a trash chute to the outside world. Escaping the dangers of a magnifying glass and giant water drop, the pair make their way toward "the monolith" (a water fountain), where "Insectopia" is rumored to be just beyond.