Good, but not great

Rating: Null/10 (18 December 1999)

Of course, comparison between this film and the superior (my opinion) Antz is inevitable, but I think other than the fact that they're computer animated and have to do with ants, they have very little in common. They're completely different stories, if Antz is Metropolis, this film is The Seven Samurai (or The Magnificent Seven if you prefer). Not to say this film is a Seven Samurai remake, other than the concept of a besiged village hiring warriors, it really doesn't have anything in common with Kurosawa's film.
I really did like the fact that Antz was PG, and had an "edge" to it, I'm really glad that people are starting to see that animation need not be just for kids, in Europe and Japan, this is not a new idea. A Bug's Life is much more of a kid's film by comparison, but that didn't keep me from liking it. I do have some complaints though, I didn't find Flik (voiced by Dave Foley) to be a very strong lead character, I thought Woody Allen's Z was a much better lead. Another thing I didn't like was the character designs, much too "cute". Why are the ants blue? I have never seen a blue ant, or a four-legged one (actually, these are more two-armed, two-legged). The world of Antz had a real sense of danger to it, that I think was only hinted at in this film.
Technically, the film is flawless, I think the quality of the animation is one area where Antz and this film may tie. The animation in this film is very good, some of the characters almost look more like very smooth claymation than CGI. I think computer animation really does it's job when you don't think about it coming from a computer, and I had moments of that feeling watching this film. As to be expected from a digital-to-digital transfer, the DVD looks beautiful. The two sets of "outtakes" during the end credits are pretty clever, if you watch the film for the first time on DVD, watch the movie before you watch they outtakes, they're funnier that way. The short "Geri's Game" that precedes the film is a real gem, too (I enjoyed Geri's cameo appearance in Toy Story II).
This film is definately worth seeing if you're a fan of computer animation, but don't expect Antz, I really wish the two films had been released further apart. Also, if you like insect movies, also check out the French documentary Microcosmos.