Word: ant
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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From the Manhattan skyline to Woody driveling anxiety to his shrink, the first moments of Antz suggest a film destined to become another prototypical Woody Allen movie. Until Woody (now an ant named "Z") gets off the psychoanalyst's couch and walks into "The Colony." The makers of Antz seem particularly interested in demonstrating their ability to depict water and human movement, disregarding the fact that the plot must make some rather forced detours in order to accommodate these animated showpieces. Though the character of Allen as well as those of the other actors (voiced by Dan Akroyd, Anne Bancroft...
...like a hot little ant...
...plot couldn't be more typical. Z (Allen) is one of two individualistic ants in a colony which (like any good super-organism) demands subservience if it is to survive. Depressed by his insignificance, Z follows his heart and breaks the rules to court the Princess Bala (Stone). Gump-style, Allen becomes a war hero and accidentally escapes with the princess, inciting the colony to rebellion by his example of disobedience. As it turns out, the insubordinance is well timed, since the Colony's other individualistic ant (voiced by Gene Hackman), has plans to work the colony to death...
...maggots, inspite of their usual chillpower, turned out to bequite stunning in all their hulking, iridescentsplendor. In Antz on the other hand, thingsare very much as you'd expect them to be; aninsectine monarchy where Utopia is a defined by ared checked picnic blanket. The trick 3-D spacegives ant mythology the strongest flavor ofrealism, though nothing could be further from thetruth...
...interest that the storyline issuperimposed. It was a good pick. Thoughartificial imitation of lifelike movement isquickly improving, it still lags behind real life,and its best approximation is hand drawn 2-Danimation. Because insects are commonly depictedin the media through a time-lapse photographytechnique, jerky, almost mechanistic movement inthe ant-characters is exactly what one wouldexpect. By altering the subject from human toinsect, the flawed technology seems spot...