- A Bug's Life is an entertaining animated film that zooms in for a close look at the life of an ant named Flik (Dave Foley). In a colony where conformity is usually considered a virtue, Flik comes across as one of the few original thinkers. Unfortunately, his initial excursions into inventiveness result exclusively in mishaps, the most disastrous of which destroys an entire harvest, promising serious trouble for his colony. You see, the evil locusts and their maniacal leader, Hopper (Kevin Spacey), demand a regular supply of food in exchange for allowing the ants to crawl in peace. Flik's colossal blunder earns him a de facto banishment from the merciful Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) in the form of a hopeless quest to find a group of mercenary bugs-for-hire.
- But perhaps his quest is not so hopeless after all. In no time flat, Flik stumbles into an insect tavern (humorously located beneath a mobile home), where he spots a group of particularly rough-looking bugs whose voices sound suspiciously like those of Dennis Leary, Jonathan Harris, David Hyde Pierce, Madeline Kahn, and Brad Garrett, to name a few. Although Flik doesn't have the best vantage point, it appears that this gang of potential mercenaries has just trounced a bunch of local rowdies, and he hires them on to help defend the colony. Of course, the audience already knows that these bugs are in fact part of a rather inept traveling flea circus. Their act, the highlights of which include a moth disappearing act and pill bugs getting shot out of a cannon, can't even draw flies, making them plenty eager to take up Flik's offer. Sure, they're not exactly the fighting type, but how tough can a bunch of grasshoppers really be?
- While the plot of A Bug's Life follows a fairly predictable course (hint: it turns out that Flik's inventions help save the day), the film is nonetheless quite creative in how it conveys the scale of its characters. Many of the settings are nothing more than everyday objects writ large, and an average robin takes on a Godzilla-like countenance (and roar) viewed through the eyes of an ant. In fact, the settings are so convincing that they often overshadow the film's characters who, while great in number and voice talent, are not as interesting as they could be. Fortunately, the film's many charms outweigh its few drawbacks, making A Bug's Life an enjoyable entry in Pixar's outstanding filmography.
- I hadn't really noticed the plot's loose similarity to Seven Samurai, but the film is also dedicated to Toshiro Mifune.
- Did I mention the voice acting of Phyllis Diller, Richard Kind, Roddy McDowall, Edie McClurg, and John Ratzenberger? The list goes on and on...
- This was Roddy McDowall's and Madeline Kahn's final film role.
- Shown before the film was the entertaining short "Geri's Game" about an old man who plays chess against himself.
