A Bug's Life (1998)

A Bug’s Life

Written by Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery, & Bob Shaw

Directed by John Lasseter

Accompanying Short: Geri’s Game

Written & Directed by Jan Pinkava

Like the other lists of films I’ve reviewed, some of the fun of watching these lists in order is watching the progression of the medium (in this case, computer animation). That holds true for this list as well, as there is a jump in the abilities of the animators in a film that, while considered successful, is sometimes forgotten in the Pixar lineup.

The titular Geri (my husband said, “Is that short for geriatric?”)

But first, let’s briefly discuss the short that accompanied this film, Geri’s Game. This is another short I had not seen before, and while it’s cute (an old man plays a thrilling game of chess against himself), it doesn’t have a ton of substance. The idea of Geri almost becoming two different people to play the game is admittedly pretty genius, and the camerawork sets up the idea nicely. What is most important about this piece is that it is the first Pixar release to feature a human as a main character (and it’s an improvement from Toy Story, where the humans all look a little too creepy). The Pixar shorts are generally used to broaden the research and development teams, and it’s a little fun to see the “sneak peeks” of what is coming down the pipeline into the features.

So let’s talk about this feature! I remember A Bug’s Life opening, but I wasn’t as interested in the film as I was for Toy Story. I’m not really sure why…perhaps I was shifting out from the “target audience” by this time? After all, Toy Story was released when I was in 4th grade, while A Bug’s Life was released when I was in 7th grade…not a huge difference, but perhaps it was just enough (also, 7th grade was all about discovering Star Wars and, unrelatedly, my own sexuality. So, you know…there was a lot on my plate). I do also remember that this film and Dreamworks’ Antz went up against each other, and I definitely had no interest in the latter.

(Also, if you get chance, read up about the rivalry between Antz and A Bug’s Life, it is FASCINATING)

Antz vs. A Bug’s Life…seriously, check out the drama

Suffice it to say, it took me a year or two to see this film. Then, as now, I enjoyed the film, but I can’t say I was terribly entertained, either. It’s hard to put my finger on just what doesn’t do it for me. It’s not that it’s bad, but I can also see why this film is sometimes overlooked when considering Pixar’s films.

Perhaps it’s because I don’t find the story as engaging as Toy Story. Toy Story had the fun conceit of “what do your toys do when you’re not around?”. A Bug’s Life has the conceit of…”Bugs are sometimes mean to each other”? I mean, I learned that lesson when I saw The Lion King, so it’s not exactly breaking new ground. The idea of this alternate universe for bugs was already explored in Disney’s The Rescuers and its sequel, so it’s not like this is something new, either. It’s a harsh word, but it feels…derivative.

WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY??

I will admit that what kept me somewhat interested was that what I thought was the full plot of the movie occurred within the first 30 minutes. The ants collect the food for the grasshoppers, Flik destroys the pile, the grasshoppers get mad, Flik finds the circus bugs, all is well. Well, there is a little (and I mean little) more to the plot than that, but all of that happens by the halfway point, so I was curious to see where the film would go. Of course there are the scenes that HAVE to happen: As soon as we learn that Flik doesn’t understand that the bugs he’s found are circus bugs, we know there will be a scene in which all is revealed, and that will lead to everyone turning their back on Flik. I wish that the filmmakers hadn’t gone the cliche route, and had instead invented other twists in the story. Admittedly, this is only Pixar’s second feature, but I don’t think that’s a valid enough excuse.

The circus bugs

From an animation standpoint, the film looks pretty good. There aren’t any humans or toys to compare the designs to, but some of the characters definitely are a bit more expressive than their Toy Story predecessors. Granted, most of the characters don’t look like their real life counterparts, but I’m very much willing to let that go, because insects are, to put it kindly, gross. The voices are nothing spectacular (until you realize that most of them are sitcom stars of the 90’s), although Kevin Spacey gives a pretty great performance, sooooo…that’s problematic now.

Kevin Spacey as Hopper

A Bug’s Life isn’t a bad film. It’s cute, it’s humorous, it’s got a little bit of heart in it. Kids would probably love it, if they weren’t getting some of the other franchises shoved into their faces. Pixar’s sophomore outing doesn’t quite nail its landing, but it’s still an adequate entry on the list.

Also, what deal with the devil did Randy Newman strike to write songs for two Pixar films, back to back? Or, rather, who at Pixar has the hots for him?

SHORT GRADE: B

FILM GRADE: B