by JACK VASVARY
After eating too much turkey, stuffing, and all of that other good stuff, I went and saw "A Bug's Life." When I went to the theatre, I expected to only see the movie, but as the lights dimmed, I saw the "Star Wars: Episode 1" trailer and an animated short called, "Geri's Game."
This was the first time I had seen the Episode 1 trailer on the big screen. The only time I saw it before was on my computer on a small screen with poor sound and resolution. Seeing it in the theatre was a whole new experience. I was afraid that it just wouldn't feel like Star Wars, but I was quickly proven wrong in that two minutes. If you haven't seen it in the theatre already, get your butt over to the theatre now!
Before "A Bug's Life," Pixar showed its award-winning animated short, "Geri's Game." It won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film of
1997. The short was a breakthrough in animation with photo realistic cloth and skin. The story itself wasn't anything special but I liked it. I almost liked it better than "A Bug's Life." "Geri's Game" is the story of an old man, Geri, who plays a game of chess against himself one day in a park. He bets his dentures on the game. He makes a move and quickly moves over to the other seat and makes his "opponents" move. The two players are Geri's good and evil sides. After the first couple of moves, it just cuts back and forth between good and bad Geri to give you the idea that two different people or personalities are playing the game.
This is one of the best looking and best computer animated features I've ever seen. Geri's clothes looked so real, I'd swear they were real if I
didn't know any better. His facial expressions were amazing, too. This was important because they had to bring out both sides of Geri's personality without using any words. The end of the short is quite clever and funny. If you want to know what happens, you will just have to see it yourself.
Oh yea, I also saw "A Bug's Life." I must say that I was disappointed in this movie. I am a huge fan of Disney animated features. Most of their previous films have had a good blend of kid and adult humor. "A Bugs Life" just seemed to be mostly kid humor. I was hoping to see some
more things that adults might find funny like parodies from popular movies and such. The bar scene is one of the only funny parts of the
movie, but most of it was shown in the preview. For instance, a mosquito goes up to the bar and asks for a bloody Mary, type "O". Other than that, I didn't laugh much.
The story also lacks the substance that most Disney movies have had in the past. Even "Toy Story's" plot, although simple, was good. Again, I think this was attributed to the fact that it seemed to be generated for a young audience.
As, for the animation, I was quite impressed. It was a giant step up from "Toy Story." The lighting was well done. The landscapes also stood out, especially the arial shots. The grass and dandelions were particularly realistic. I liked most of the scenes that involved water, although I thought they were inconsistent. The shot at the beginning of the movie had some great looking water. Even the beads of water worked well. The only time when I thought the scenes didn't work was during the storm. The rain drops just didn't look right. The rain was also just a little too "syrupy". I haven't seen a totally convincing
animated feature that has solved the "syrupy"-looking water problem. Hopefully, with the advances made in "Geri's Game," animators will
finally work the problem out.
So, if you're a Disney fan and are looking forward to seeing this movie, don't expect to see some of their best work; however, if you are looking
for a flick to take the kids to, "A Bug's Life," will be right up their alley. It's almost worth the $5.00+ just to see the Episode 1 trailer
and "Geri's Game."
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by BRIAN KORTE
The cookie-cutter format of Disney's movie productions has hit the big screen once again, this time in digital format. The highly hyped "A Bug's
Life" is now number one in the box office, reaping millions of dollars for Pixar and Disney. The crowds enter the theaters like the ants they are about to watch. Some, like me, leave disappointed.
"A Bug's Life" is a good example of what happens when a highly creative team of computer graphic engineers and highly skilled production managers
are forced to meet the hindering requirements of a family-centered dictatorship such as Disney. There is a great deal of creativity in "A Bug's Life," but the movie is just too "perfect."
The creative aspect of "A Bug's Life" is top notch, however. New techniques used in the movie have made textures like cloth, hair, skin, and water much more realistic than ever before. Rumors began about "A Bug's Life" the month after the highly acclaimed "Toy Story" hit box offices everywhere. It is quite obvious that Pixar took their sweet time paying attention to every little detail of design. I had no doubts that I would see that sort of precision in "A Bug's Life." I just wished that the storyline had been a little more mature.
The premise of "A Bug's Life" goes a little like this: An ant colony prepares food for the grasshoppers each winter season. One day, an ant
accidentally destroys the grasshopper's cut. The grasshoppers aren't too thrilled about this, and decide that they'll tap into the ant's food supply
instead. The trouble-causing ant, Flick, then comes up with an alternative solution. Why not go exploring and find bigger insects to fight off the
grasshoppers when they return? He does just that. Flick goes out to find a team of "flea" circus performers, insects of every kind, and brings them
back to his colony. When the circus team realizes that Flick is looking for warriors and not circus performers, they decide to slip away and return
home. Ultimately, Flick retains the team, and they work together to solve the grasshopper situation once and for all.
If you have seen "Three Amigos," you have seen the plot line for this story. Of course, You can't stamp "Disney" on the movie unless you have a
team of multi-colored characters, each with their own flaws and strengths. Your movie has to have singing and personal goals met. You have to portray mass suffering, and how one person (or ant) can change things by using his mind. "A Bug's Life" does all of this. Perhaps it is because Pixar followed this systematic, cookie-cutter style that I was turned off by the movie. At best, I'd call it cute.
In comparison to Drawnwork production of "AntZ," "A Bug's Life" doesn't match up in my opinion. "AntZ," while cute in its own right, had more of a plot and a better struggle than "A Bug's Life." The voices in "AntZ" seemed more appropriate to the creatures.
If you want to take your little brother or sister to a movie, or maybe you want to find a flick for your parents to see, "A Bug's Life" may be for
you. Otherwise, save your $7.50, and spend $3 on "AntZ" when it comes to video this spring. You'll get the entertainment you've been looking for, and you'll never look at an anthill the same way again.
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