When A Bug’s Life was released in 1998, I was twelve years old and still in love with all things Disney.
After Toy Story, I was very excited to see another Disney/Pixar joint venture. While I don’t believe this movie is at the same level of greatness as Toy Story, it is still a classic and one that I have watched repeatedly over the years.
The main character, Flik (voiced by Dave Foley) is a bumbling do-gooder who continually attempts to help and ends up making things much worse. He is enamored with Princess Atta (voiced by Julia Louise-Dreyfus) who is in training to one day take her mother’s place as queen of the ants. The Queen (voiced by Phyllis Diller) is laid back with a genuine sense of humor, but at the same time she has a strong sense of duty and respect for her subjects. Dot (voiced by Hayden Panetierre) is Princess Atta’s baby sister and one of the few ants that believes in Flik’s abilities and doesn’t see him as an idiot.
Every year, the ants are visited by the grasshoppers and their leader, Hopper (voiced by Kevin Spacey), and they are forced to gather a large offering of food in exchange for “protection.” Eventually, Flik finds the courage within himself to try to save the day.
The cast in this movie is excellent, and the message is one of survival, courage, and friendship. A Bug’s Life has a firm place in my movie collection and is one that I will watch with my children for years to come.
