Solid effort from DreamWorks

Rating: 8/10 (3 February 1999)

Overall, I'd have to say this film is a solid first effort from DreamWorks. The animation could be a tad more colorful (I preferred A BUG'S LIFE in this department), and the story bogged down at times. However, it's nice to see an animated film trying for more than just mush, but actually try to say something, even if it wasn't quite sure what it was saying at times. Also, casting Woody Allen as the voice of Z was a stroke of genius. Like Robin Williams in ALADDIN, he makes it funny just by showing up. The other actors doing voices were all good as well. Finally, it was nice not to suffer through badly written songs for the movie, but hearing good songs, like "I Can See Clearly Now" and "Almost Like Being in Love," being used.