There is nothing like experiencing a film in 3D, especially if it’s animated. And, though more than 14 animated kid’s flicks are being released this year (excluding “A Scanner Darkly,” of course), not one of them compares to “The Ant Bully,” exclusively due to its 3D format.
The first moments of the film, a simple pan over grass, are jaw-dropping. The color and detail of the insects – including the ants, caterpillars and extraordinary metallic wasps – put any National Geographic photo to shame.
Based on the book by John Nickle and produced by Tom Hanks, the film begins with Lucas Nickle (Zach Tyler Eisen), outnumbered and being persecuted by the bigger neighborhood kids. Because he cannot (or chooses not to) fight back, he takes out his aggression on the anthill in his front yard, thus becoming a much more formidable bully himself to his tiny victims.
To his concerned mother (Cheri Oteri), Lucas is merely, “Peanut.” To the ant colony, he’s, “Peanut: The Destroyer.”
Fed up with The Destroyer’s merciless bullying, the colony decides to do something about their human menace. Once Zoc (Nicolas Cage), the ant wizard, develops a potion to shrink Lucas to ant-size, they tear him from his bed and make him stand trial before the Queen Ant (Meryl Streep). His punishment is to learn the ways of the colony with the help of Hova (Julia Roberts), Zoc’s girlfriend.
As Lucas experiences life through the ants’ world, the audience experiences a whole new era of CGIed worlds, both human and insect. And, they’re purely fantastic.
Though most kids’ movies are generally patented for audiences of all ages, “Ant Bully” primarily caters to the young ones. The very young ones. Not even Oscar-caliber vocal talents can disguise or compensate for much of the humdrum dialog. However, there are plenty of humorous moments and the visuals alone compensate for a lack of creative prose. It’s a kid’s film for crying out loud!
Plus, there are very adult elements to the story as far as Lucas, in a sense, starting out as an anti-hero. Very Kubrickian. Also, on a small or large scale, witnessing a bully get his comeuppance is something people of all ages enjoy witnessing. Even better is seeing a bully reformed.
So, not only is “The Ant Bully” a visual stunner, it truly does have a valid and necessary moral lesson for young ones. And older ones. But if you see it, be sure to do your part by taking some unruly children along. And, more importantly, be sure to see it at an IMAX theatre.
3 out of 5
Rated: PG
Warner Bros. Pictures and Playtone
Release date: July 28, 2006
