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From Amazon.co.uk
An all-star cast--including A-list stars such as Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep--lend their voices to The Ant Bully, from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker John A. Davis (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius) and producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman (The Polar Express). Social misfit Lucas gets bullied by the bigger boys in his neighbourhood, so he takes out his frustrations on the only things around smaller than him: an ant hill on his front lawn. After being flooded and stepped on, the ants fight back when ant wizard Zoc (voiced by Nicolas Cage) develops a potion that shrinks Lucas down to bug-size. But Zoc's thirst for revenge gets foiled when the ant queen (Meryl Streep) decrees that Lucas must learn to live like an ant, and Zoc's girlfriend Hova (Julia Roberts) takes up the task of teaching the unhappy boy how to value others over himself.
The animation of The Ant Bully makes good use of scale as Lucas grapples with the gigantic world around him, but the writing is not so imaginative; the name actors are thrown away on bland characters and lackluster dialogue. The lessons Lucas learns are admirable (and amusingly Communist in flavour), but the way he learns them feels contrived and uncompelling. It's too bad, because there probably won't be many other movies featuring the combined talents of Meryl Streep and Bruce Campbell. Also featuring Ricardo Montalban (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan), Lily Tomlin (Nashville) and the much-underrated Paul Giamatti (Sideways) as a sleazy exterminator. --Brett Fetzer
The animation of The Ant Bully makes good use of scale as Lucas grapples with the gigantic world around him, but the writing is not so imaginative; the name actors are thrown away on bland characters and lackluster dialogue. The lessons Lucas learns are admirable (and amusingly Communist in flavour), but the way he learns them feels contrived and uncompelling. It's too bad, because there probably won't be many other movies featuring the combined talents of Meryl Streep and Bruce Campbell. Also featuring Ricardo Montalban (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan), Lily Tomlin (Nashville) and the much-underrated Paul Giamatti (Sideways) as a sleazy exterminator. --Brett Fetzer
Product Description
Computer-animated comedy adventure. Lucas Nickle (voice of Zach Tyler Eisen) is a ten-year-old boy whose family has just moved to a new town, and Lucas isn't enjoying it much. He hasn't made any friends yet, his big sister ignores him, his parents (Larry Miller and Cheri Oteri) are occupied with their upcoming vacation in Mexico, and his loving but slightly crazy grandmother (Lily Tomlin) is convinced space aliens are casing out the neighbourhood. To make matters worse, the local bully has found Lucas and is making his life miserable, so the boy looks for someone he can push around - and he soon finds a large colony of ants in his yard. Lucas takes out his frustrations by stomping, drowning, and burying the bugs, not realising that the ants see him as a threat to their safety and aren't about take his attacks lying down. Zoc (Nicolas Cage) is a 'wizard ant' who creates a formula that shrinks Lucas to the size of an insect, and the tiny boy is brought before the leader of the Ant Council (Ricardo Montalban) and the Queen of the Colony (Meryl Streep) to answer for his crimes against the ants. Showing compassion, the queen sentences Lucas not to death, but to live among them and see how difficult their circumstances can be.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Fantastic. The Ant Bully is just a fantastic animated film on multiple levels. The animation is superb, the characters are wonderfully memorable, the cast of voice actors boasts many a big name, and the story is as educational as it is entertaining. Adults should have already learned the message of this film, but they can still enjoy The Ant Bully just as much as the kids. Frankly, I had never even heard of this movie until a couple of weeks ago, and that's a real shame because this is an animated film that should have been talked about just as much as Cars, Happy Feet, etc.
Like Lucas (Zach Tyler), the little boy in this film, I used to squirt water on ants and destroy their little ant hills - I'm not proud of that, but I was just a dumb kid. Lucas has yet to learn that tormenting other creatures is bad. A local bully keeps picking on him because he's little, so he turns around and picks on ants because he is bigger than they are. For their part, the ants in his front yard have had enough of the horrible beast they call "Destroyer," and thanks to a young wizard named Zoc (Nicolas Cage), they have a way to fight back. Using a potion, they shrink Lucas down to their size and carry him back to the colony. Many of the ants want to kill and eat their nemesis, but the benevolent Queen (Meryl Streep) decrees that he is to remain in the colony and, through training, learn to become an ant himself. Zoc's girlfriend Hova (Julia Roberts) eagerly volunteers to train him, which threatens to drive a wedge between her and Zoc.
Lucas makes for a stubborn student, rejecting the teamwork inherent in ant society; he doesn't need anybody's help, thank you very much. Not having any human friends, he is even reluctant to accept the friendship that ants such as Hova offer him.... Read more ›
Like Lucas (Zach Tyler), the little boy in this film, I used to squirt water on ants and destroy their little ant hills - I'm not proud of that, but I was just a dumb kid. Lucas has yet to learn that tormenting other creatures is bad. A local bully keeps picking on him because he's little, so he turns around and picks on ants because he is bigger than they are. For their part, the ants in his front yard have had enough of the horrible beast they call "Destroyer," and thanks to a young wizard named Zoc (Nicolas Cage), they have a way to fight back. Using a potion, they shrink Lucas down to their size and carry him back to the colony. Many of the ants want to kill and eat their nemesis, but the benevolent Queen (Meryl Streep) decrees that he is to remain in the colony and, through training, learn to become an ant himself. Zoc's girlfriend Hova (Julia Roberts) eagerly volunteers to train him, which threatens to drive a wedge between her and Zoc.
Lucas makes for a stubborn student, rejecting the teamwork inherent in ant society; he doesn't need anybody's help, thank you very much. Not having any human friends, he is even reluctant to accept the friendship that ants such as Hova offer him.... Read more ›
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By K. bruce
Format:DVD
just finished watching this with the kids! wow! i don't know who loved it more, me or them! i thought cage was excellent as a cartoon, i knew his voice straight away, (almost) and felt he played the character well, all the rest were great to. much better than some of the other animated features i have watched recently in this genre, definitely worth watching and buying! the environment in which the ants live is absolutely beautiful, alot of imagination has obviously gone into this one and the character design is one of the best i have seen, each ant looks different, the colours and textures used are stunning, their are alot of tribal elements hinted at and for me these are the best ant's i have seen in in comparison to bugs life and antz.
the story was interesting and held my attention from start to finish, (and the kids, one is 4, the other 2) although they didn't quite get some of the jokes, (aimed at older viewers) such as the "yellow rain" lol, i was laughing, panicking, the lot!
the initial scenes of destruction were very well done, the effect's are very detailed and "expensive" looking, i found myself gasping at those scenes and yelling at the antz to escape! very realistic, i felt as if i was watching a live action "war of the worlds/the day after tomorrow" scene!
i won't say any more so as not to spoil it except go out and buy buy buy!
excellent effects, character designs, great voice overs, character development, an actual 'good' storyline and alot of originality!
you've nothing to lose with this one!
the story was interesting and held my attention from start to finish, (and the kids, one is 4, the other 2) although they didn't quite get some of the jokes, (aimed at older viewers) such as the "yellow rain" lol, i was laughing, panicking, the lot!
the initial scenes of destruction were very well done, the effect's are very detailed and "expensive" looking, i found myself gasping at those scenes and yelling at the antz to escape! very realistic, i felt as if i was watching a live action "war of the worlds/the day after tomorrow" scene!
i won't say any more so as not to spoil it except go out and buy buy buy!
excellent effects, character designs, great voice overs, character development, an actual 'good' storyline and alot of originality!
you've nothing to lose with this one!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Kiwi
Format:DVD
This is a lovely movie. The story is simple yet interesting enough to keep my 3year old entertained over and over and over. The moral is a good one and the animation is beautiful. Very pleased with this purchace.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Fenix Rising
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
I always pondered on the numerous Ant themed animated movies made and I think Ant Bully is a prime example of a film plot thats reached the slightly overkill stage. For this reason I think Ant Bully escaped many radars and was somewhat underwhelming in many ways. That is, except how stunningly good it looks in high def...I cannot emphasis how sumptuous, vibrant, colourful and just plain gorgeous it is. Sounds like I'm describing Megan Fox's buttocks, but Ant Bully is truely a sight to behold and actually its not a bad movie by a long shot and there are some genuine laugh out loud moments. Probably more a 3 star but I'm giving 4 cos its just simply amazing to look at. For you high def boffins out there who love the animated genre (and Megan Fox's bits) as I do, I can highly recommend it.
By Linda
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
My 2 yr old kids enjoyed it. I didn't like the plot. I think it will appeal to younger kids.
By claire
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Too similar to antz/bugs life but not as good. I must admit I don't like the cover art on this dvd. For me this is a watch once only film.
By sueb
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
what a good little movie.my grandson andi really enjoyed it never thought i,d hear myself say that,but there it is,it,s so much better like that than to just tolerate what kids like sueb
By Liz
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Speedy delivery. My seven year old son had been hassling me for ages to get this so I finally gave in...it was a good film though I must admit I was gutted to see that I could have watched it for free on 'Lovefilm' when I signed up the day the DVD arrived!
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Ant Bully
Chose this film for my 9 yr old step son but we all ended up watching it. Good family film.
Published 3 months ago by Mrs Julie Barnes
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant
great film, easy to watch (not for me! for my 6 year old son) it was a great stocking filler
Published 5 months ago by juliel steadman
4.0 out of 5 stars
enjoyable
I bought this film when it was on offer. A good family film. Enjoyed by all, even the grand parents.
Published 5 months ago by carolyn smith
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good
I brought this for my son and this is a good value for product especially since it was used on a daily basis.
Published 6 months ago by Kendra Young
5.0 out of 5 stars
delightful
I purchased this for my 4 year old(going on 14)Great Grandson.
he was delighted with it and wants to watch it over and over again. Read more
he was delighted with it and wants to watch it over and over again. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Dotty
5.0 out of 5 stars
ant bully
this is a really good production. The story tells you how one should consider life of small creatures and is a good video to show children and kids so that they will be more... Read more
Published 17 months ago by B. Waruna Gomis
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Ant Bully
This was great a service and a excellent product, my Kids loved this film, Many thanx would recommend and use again.
Published 21 months ago by Ms Kl Haywood
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous tool for stopping Bullying!
Brilliant film for teaching children about Bullying and the Psychological reasons why people get bullied. Read more
Published on 19 Dec 2010 by SASSYCHIC
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