Still holds up after 2 decades

Rating: 7/10 (20 February 2020)

I watched this movie in 2020 immediately after watching Pixar's detail animation masterpiece The Good Dinosaur (2015). I was expecting Pixar's 2nd film that is nearly 2 decades older to really stand out as a dated movie, but to my surprise A Bug's Life isn't a victim of the years. Of course it's behind when you really focus on the details, but the visuals are presented so well that it keeps the viewer focused on the most intricate items on the screen, allowing the brain to ignore rendering quality and be swept up by the story.
The story begins fairly childish, especially by comparison to most of Disney and Pixar's other films. If you can put up with the intro, it quickly grows into a charming story with several clever ideas and jokes. And the villains are truly menacing, which had me filled with tension hoping the ants' plans work out. Unfortunately tension and humor were the only emotions this movie could bring out in me, but I have to give them credit for the rare feat of making me feel true apprehension from the kid's movie genre where heroes usually feel boringly invincible.