Ant Bully

Ant Bully, The
A Film Review by James Berardinelli 2 stars
United States, 2006
U.S. Release Date: 7/28/06 (wide)
Running Length: 1:23
MPAA Classification: PG (Naked digitally animated butt)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Cast (voices): Zach Tyler, Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage, Bruce Campbell, Regina King, Paul Giamatti, Ricardo Montalban, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Cheri Oteri, Larry Miller
Director: John A. Davis
Screenplay: John A. Davis, based on the book by John Nickle
Music: John Debney
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers

The Ant Bully is a sore disappointment to anyone hoping for a turnaround to the recent downward quality spiral of animated films. In fact, this movie may represent a new nadir for 3D animation. Although it's pretty enough to look at (although nowhere near as exquisitely rendered as Pixar's Cars), the storyline - a cobbled-together stew of moralizing and pointless action sequences - is an insult to anyone with more than a second-grade education. Young kids may find The Ant Bully appealing, but nearly everyone else, including parents forced to sit through the movie, will understand the difference between a "family film" and a "children's film," and why this picture belongs in the latter category. How I long for the days of quality insect-oriented animated entertainment like Antz and A Bug's Life.