F-Ant-astic

Rating: 9/10 (30 May 2020)

The protagonist of this film is relatable from the first moment we meet him. Flik is the idealistic underdog that just begs to be identified with. Flik is the black sheep of the ant colony, and when his invention ruins the tribute to the predatory Grasshoppers, he needs to right this wrong. He recruits a troop of circus bigs, thinking them to be mighty warriors, and the whole group rallies the ant colony to defeat the Grasshopper invasion. The characters are vivid, outlandish, and provide a logical (if strange) set of skills that come in handy. I tend to dislike movies or shows where a huge plot point is based around a miscommunication that could be avoided/solved with basic logic, but in this context, it makes some sense. I can understand the pressure and anxiety that would accompany correcting someone who has overestimated your worth. The emotional beats in this movie land with grace. When the colony discovers that the troupe is real performers, rather than warriors, the betrayal is palpable, and the loss seems personal. When, in the end, the caterpillar finally gains his butterfly wings, it is a small delightful moment of wish fulfillment. John Lasseter directed some of the most iconic films of my childhood and had the same magic touch in each. Toy Story, Cars, The Incredibles, and this movie all have the same magical sense of whimsy and crazy events that remain anchored in real, relatable people.