Antz [DVD] [1998]

It follows the story of Z, a worker ant who wants a better way of life, to be totally free, and who unlike his fellow worker ants, is not content to dig tunnels for the rest of his life. One night he meets Princess Bala in the bar until a huge bar brawl starts up and the two are split up. However Z is determined to see the princess again, and switches places with his best mate Weaver, a soldier ant, so that he can get close to her.

What he does not realise however is that they are at war with a termite colony and that he is now on the front line. By a minor miricle, Z survives the battle, and returns home as the only surviver, istantly becoming a war hero. This allows him to meet the Princess, and getting desperate, he resorts to kidnapping her and off they go in search of a better place - insectopia. Meanwhile things are happening at the colony that are putting the lives of his friends in great danger.

As i have already said, the cast of this movie, really is amazing - so many superstars in the same movie. There isn't really any member of the cast that is not worth mentioning. The comedy genius Woody Allen voices the lead role of Z. Sylvester Stallone (who worked with Allen in Bananas) voices the role of Weaver the soldier ant, Z's best mate. Sharon Stone (who worked with Stallone in 'The Specialist') provides the voice of Princess Bala. Gene Hackman gives the evil General Mandible some life with his voice. Dan Akroyd vocies the role of Chip. Other voices include those of Danny Glover, Jennifer Lopez, Anne Bancroft, Jane Curtin, and Christopher Walken.

As regards the DVD, that also is very good, with plenty of extras to please even the most die-hard fans. These include: a behind the scenes featurette, a look at how the actually make an animated film such as this, an audio commentary, a look at the process of character design, and a theatrical trailer, to name but a few.

Overall, 'Antz' really is a wonderful movie that both children and adults can enjoy in their own different way, as there are comic moments for both. With such a star-studded cast, a nice storyline dealing with an age old theme, and good animations alround, 'Antz' really is a winner. If you enjoy it then also try 'A Bugs Life' which is similar but still very good.