Decent animated insect flick

Rating: 5/10 (5 December 2016)

Released in 1998 and produced by DreamWorks, "Antz" is an animated adventure/comedy about a colony of ants where one of the workers named Z (voiced by Woody Allen) feels insignificant in a system of rigid conformity. He meets Bala (Sharon Stone) and they escape the colony to find the mythical "Insectopia," which might not be the paradise they anticipated. Meanwhile, arrogant General Mandible (Gene Hackman) seeks to liquidate the lowly worker ants once they finish a mega-tunnel.
This is a solid animated flick with many chuckles, but I found the opening act rather dull. The story really picks up when Z and Bala discover the outside world and the myriad hazards thereof. The end reveal of where the colony is located made me bust out laughing.
Part of the fun of animated movies is trying to place the voices of the characters. Hackman was easy to figure out, as are Sylvester Stallone and Christopher Walken. Other actors who contributed include: Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Jane Curtin, Danny Glover, Jennifer Lopez, John Mahoney and Jim Cummings.
How does "Antz" compare to Pixar's "A Bug's Life," which was released about the same time in late 1998? Generally speaking, "Antz" is more adult-oriented and darker while "A Bug's Life" is more family-oriented and colorful. When it comes to animated 'bug' films, I much prefer the nigh-genius of DreamWorks' "Bee Movie" from 2007.
The film runs 83 minutes.
GRADE: C+/B-