Movie Guys: ‘A Bug’s Life’ is a pretty good one

Friday, Nov. 27, 1998 | 12:29 p.m.

* Grades: Jeff A; Dave A * Starring: The voices of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Phillis Diller, David Hyde Pierce and Denis Leary. * Screenplay: Andrew Stanton, Donald Mcenery and Bob Shaw. * Directed by: John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton * Rated: G. * Running time: 100 minutes * Playing at: Regal Cinemas Boulder Station, Regal Cinemas Village Square, Rancho Santa Fe 16, Century Orleans 12, Cinedome 12 Henderson, UA Green Valley.

Synopsis:

Life is no picnic for the ants on Ant Island. Each summer, a gang of greedy grasshoppers descends upon the colony to demand a hefty portion of the ants' hard-earned harvest and make life generally miserable for this peaceful community. It's up to one ant, Flik, an original thinker and inventor, who takes it upon himself to get outside help to fight off the grasshoppers and save the colony.

Dave: The creative minds at Disney's Pixar -- who entertained audiences in 1995 with the landmark computer-animated feature "Toy Story" -- have created a fantasy world in which tiny bugs are bigger than life.

"A Bug's Life" is a much tamer, family friendly film in comparison to "Antz," DreamWorks' first venture into animation. It is hard not to compare and contrast the two, since they share insects as main characters, groundbreaking computer graphics and Jeffrey Katzenberg, formerly a Disney bigwig, who now heads Dreamworks.

Jeff:

When the dust clears on the ant hill after the battle of the bugs, "A Bug's Life" will come out on top. Why? Because of its appeal to kids and the magic of Disney -- a tough combination to beat. You really can't compare the two; they are so different. I laughed more with "Bug's." It appealed to my inner child and outer adult. Absent is the neurotic, sophisticated (and at times, fascist) adult comedy present in "Antz." Instead, "Bugs" has a light, fast-paced story that children and adults will treasure.

"A Bug's Life" is a mix of "Seven Samurai," "The Three Amigos," and the classic Aesop fable "The Ants and the Grasshopper." Our tiny hero, Flik, (voiced by "Newsradio's" Dave Foley) is out to save the colony from the gang of grasshoppers, whose leader, Hopper (voiced by Kevin Spacey), is one of Disney's most delicious villains in years. Flik is an inventor and a dreamer who wants nothing more than to make a difference. Too bad that everything he touches turns into a disaster.

Dave:

Or so it seems. Flik's intentions are always in the right place, he just needs the confidence of his fellow ants to make that difference. Foley brings the same charismatic nature that made him a standout on his long-lived "The Kids in the Hall" show on cable's Comedy Central, and present success on NBC's sitcom "Newsradio."

After a mishap that leads the bullish grasshoppers into demanding the colony's winter food supplies, Flik convinces the queen-in-training, Princess Atta ("Seinfeld's" Julia Louis-Dreyfuss), to allow him to journey into the city where he may recruit "warrior bugs" to help fight for the good of the colony.

Jeff:

Flik finds his warriors to defend the colony, but they aren't fighters -- they're a band of half-rate actors, recently discharged from P.T. Flea's traveling circus. The members of the circus are a roster of lovable bugs: Slim, a wise-cracking stick bug (voiced by "Frasier's" David Hyde Pierce); Heimlich (Joe Ranft), an obese German caterpillar whose always hungry; Manny ("Lost in Space's" Jonathan Harris), a praying mantis who conjures up a magical act with his assistant moth, Gypsy, (Madeline Kahn); Tuck & Roll (Michael McShane) a pair of Hungarian Pill bugs who can't understand a lick of English; Dim (Brad Garrett), a lovable rhino beetle, the muscle of the outfit; Rosie, a big-hearted black widow (Bonnie Hunt); and P.T. Flea (John Ratzenberger), the boisterous barker and owner of a run-down circus.

In the first moments of "A Bug's Life," as we make our way through blades of grass, seemingly as tall as skyscrapers, who can mistake the soothing voice of the late Roddy McDowall as Mr. Soil, or the charm and wit of Phyllis Diller as The Queen Ant? Pixar and Disney used them to create unforgettable characters.

Dave:

That's not completely true, Jeff. For example, take Denis Leary, who plays Francis, a male ladybug with a permanent chip on his shoulder. His identifiable style of humor and delivery are undoubtably unique to Leary, let alone his gruff voice.

"A Bug's Life" has a variety of insects to characterize, allowing its makers to expand its use of its vocal cast. Just one moment with Richard Kind, who voices Molt -- the bumbling and soft-hearted grasshopper and brother to the evil Hopper -- adds energy and humor to this small wonder.

However, "Antz" possessed an organic look to its characters and an environment that enabled you to nearly forget that you were watching an animated feature. "A Bug's Life," even with its considerable advances in rendering computer images, still resembled its predecessor "Toy Story." If Pixar's latest film outdoes the likes of DreamWorks, it will only be because of the film's light-hearted story by directors John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, and its broader family appeal in relationship to the darker themes and witty humor.

Jeff:

The humor is unmistakably Disney. There are so many in-jokes for adults, such as a moth heading for a florescent light zapper. "Don't look at the light! Turn away," his pal pleads. "I can't," he replies. "It's so beautiful." Then ... zap! Loads of laughs. Or when Flik visits a seedy bar in the big city. As he walks through the bar we hear, "Hey waiter! I'm in my soup!" When a couple of intoxicated flies are hitting on Francis the Ladybug (who is all man), his reply is, "Shoo fly! Don't bother me." The best is saved for last, when the filmmakers showcase outakes from the making of "A Bug's Life," and we see what scenes didn't make the final cut. Do stick around -- they are hysterical.

We won't explain all of new technical advancements in computer animation and technology that "A Bug's Life" has achieved. Just keep an eye out for the television program currently airing on the Disney Channel (Cox Cable channel 28) that explains how they did it.

"A Bug's Life" is the family event of the year, and it's no wonder that this form of animation and storytelling will be around for years to come. With the sequel to "Toy Story" due in theaters next year, and a feature-length computer version of "Frankenstein" in the works, we can imagine the sights and wonders of this medium that await us.

NAME THAT FLICK

For last week's quote -- "Oh, that's quite a stutter you've got there, Ken" -- we got a flood of phone calls! Congratulations go out to Carol Nystrom who correctly guessed Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda." Way to go, Carol!

For this week, who said this and in what film (and here's a hint: it's a Thanksgiving movie): "You see, we're saving money already. We make a pretty good team." Does it sound familiar? If you think you know, call The Movie Guys Hotline at 225-9026, or e-mail us at movieguys5@aol.com. Be sure to spell your name and leave your daytime phone number and if you're the first correct caller/e-mailer, we will print your name right here in our column for the entire Las Vegas Valley to read. See you next week!

MOVIE BUZZ

Trailer trash:

Lucasfilm has been trying to cope with the flood of interest over the trailer for "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace." Since Lucasfilm made has made the trailer available on the official "Star Wars" website (starwars.com), the site has reportedly been accessed at a mind-boggling rate of 400 times per second! Meanwhile, the appearance of the trailer in theatres has caused a similar stir, with people paying full-price admission just to see the two-minute and 20 second preview.

DiCaprio to be Baker?:

Miramax has won the rights to produce a movie about the life of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, with Leonardo DiCaprio attached to play the musical genius. The terms of the deal with Baker's estate were not disclosed, but the studio's "sensitive approach" to Baker's life may have been the deciding factor. Universal had also reportedly pitched a Baker bio starring Brad Pitt, and Paramount threw its hat into the ring by offering Jim Carrey as the star.

Eddie goes goofy over "Pluto":

Eddie Murphy and director Ron Underwood will team for "Pluto Nash," a sci-fi comedy set on the moon in 2087. Underwood made his feature-film directing debut with the science-fiction comedy "Tremors." His credits include "Hearts and Souls" and "Speechless" as well as the upcoming Walt Disney picture "Mighty Joe Young" starring Bill Paxton and Charlize Theron. Murphy's last film was, uh, what was it? Oh, yeah, "Holy Man." We almost forgot. To be more specific, we tried to forget.

THE MOVIE GUYS, starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears Friday in the Sun (additional material provided by Thomas Feeney). You can also read their capsule reviews of movies in Las Vegas Weekly magazine. Plus, check them out online at lasvegassun.com/sun/sunlife/movies.

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