Antz (1998)

95% of critics liked it
(88 reviews)
47% of users liked it
(584,302 ratings)

DreamWorks and Pacific Data Images collaborated on this all computer-animated comedy-adventure about the ant angst of misfit worker ant, Z (voice of Woody Allen), who feels trapped by the conformist confines of his totalitarian ant civilization and eventually sets forth in search of Insectopia.… More DreamWorks and Pacific Data Images collaborated on this all computer-animated comedy-adventure about the ant angst of misfit worker ant, Z (voice of Woody Allen), who feels trapped by the conformist confines of his totalitarian ant civilization and eventually sets forth in search of Insectopia. After DreamWorks began animating Prince of Egypt June 1, 1995, the company launched Antz in Palo Alto a year later (5/20/96), the same month the DreamWorks/PDI partnership was announced. The screenplay by Chris and Paul Weitz and Todd Alcott has uncredited input by Woody Allen (who matched dialogue to fit his usual style of verbal delivery). The story suggests the possible influence of Yevgeny Zamatin's classic novel We (1923) and Ayn Rand's similar-themed Anthem (1936), filmed in the early '70s in a rarely seen unauthorized film adaptation (which Rand never allowed to be shown commercially). Following the 1995 Toy Story (1995), Antz is the second fully computer-animated feature, preceding the release of Disney's all-CGI A Bug's Life by seven weeks. Antz begins with worker ant Z discussing his feelings of insignificance with a shrink (voice of Paul Mazursky) before heading off to his tunnel-digging job, work supervised by General Mandible (Gene Hackman) and Colonel Cutter (Christopher Walken). Mandible has big dreams of conquest, and he convinces the Queen (Anne Bancroft) an attack is necessary to prevent a termite invasion. Her daughter is Princess Bala (Sharon Stone), who's not overly enchanted by her engagement to Mandible. The Princess goes slumming, visiting the bar where Z hangs out with his friend Weaver (Sylvester Stallone). To the tune of "Guantanamera," Bala dances with Z -- in a scene with allusions to the dance in Pulp Fiction (1994). Entranced by the encounter, Z convinces Weaver to swap places, so a military parade will allow him to see Bala in the reviewing stand. Befriended by soldier ant Barbatus (Danny Glover) during the parade, Z nervously realizes he's actually marching into battle. Attacked by termites, the troops experience horrors highly reminiscent of the Starship Troopers (1997) bug battles. The dying Barbatus tells Z, "Don't follow orders all your life." As the only survivor of the slaughter, Z returns home a war hero. Threatened by Mandible, Bala and Z are thrown together in a journey into the outside world, and they travel toward the legendary Insectopia. Major city newspaper critics were almost unanimous in their praise of Antz. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 23 min.
Directed By: Eric Darnell, Anne Bancroft
Written By: Chris Weitz
Genres: Animation, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 2, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Mar 23, 1999
Studio: Dreamworks

Critic Reviews

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
Kids may be puzzled by rebellious worker ants chanting Marxist slogans, but their parental guides may welcome the relief from the prevailing blandness of family films.
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
The filmmakers seem to have deliberately snubbed the traditional audience for animated features.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
It's a perfect picnic, without the pesky human interference.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Antz is refreshingly naughty and nice.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Antz is brief enough, clocking in at 83 minutes, but its story is too predictable to make an impact even in such a short space.
Jay Carr, Boston Globe
It's fresh, exhilarating, funny, able to tell an old story in a beguiling new way!
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Great effects, but surprisingly violent. Lacks kid appeal.
Kevin Courrier, Boxoffice Magazine
A Engaging and awe-inspiring animation once again elevates Shrek's world to fantastic heights, and the laughs are just as freewheeling as we have come to expect.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
By any standard, the film is a remarkable technical achievement.
, Film4
The artwork is spectacular, vocal performances uniformly capable and the jokes appealing to both adults and children.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Appeals to your daydreams when you were a kid and you wondered about the daily physical hassles of an ant.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Visually striking and dynamically shot, this has strong characters and no shortage of incident.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Though the story is standard formula kids' fare, the Allen presence brings an adult swing to it, making it more than passable for both.
Chris Gore, Film Threat
Succeeds at pushing the technology as well as and offering intelligent family fare that won't leave adults bored. Great fun.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
A clever, funny, fascinating to watch film that could have been more.
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
...the message of Antz is this: Freedom of choice is important, but one should use their freedom to be decent, responsible, humble, and helpful.
JoBlo, JoBlo's Movie Emporium
A few chuckles here and there, and a semi-interesting story line, but nothing too outstanding.
Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
Has enough of a story to keep a child engaged and a script clever enough to keep an adult amused.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
exciting, often hilarious and frequently wondrous film... Adults who live in fear of seeing non-Disney animated movies would be well-advised to overcome their prejudices.
Eugene Novikov, Film Blather
Star-studded, gloriously animated, beautifully written, this cartoon will appeal just as much, if not more, to adults as to children.

Read all 24 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Lady D

Such a metaphorical film for many issues. Woody Allen was a great choice for the main character here, a great film to teach the kids about individuality.
Directors C

As smart as Pixar's "A Bugs Life" is. Antz is smarter. However it isn't as funny. Both have their flaws but like Bugs Life its family entrtainment that isn't too bland for adults. It's less colourful than Bugs Life but it instead has a complex story.
AJ V

It's always been funny to me that this movie and A Bug's Life came out around the same time. They appear similar, but really this one has a deeper, and better story. It isn't only entertaining and cute like A Bug's Life is.
Scott G

As a child I would watch when I could, can't say much has changed, but it still has a fun storyline to watch, for once I can admire Sylvester, mostly because he isn't actually on screen, but a really good, family film, kept me quiet so there's a hint.
Unknown H

I really REALLY liked this movie for the simple fact that on the surface of it, it appeared to be a kids movie, but when you scratch the surface of it, really its just a deliciously constructed metaphor for communism. Its a Bugs Life on crack. Awesome movie with some pretty convincing… More
I really REALLY liked this movie for the simple fact that on the surface of it, it appeared to be a kids movie, but when you scratch the surface of it, really its just a deliciously constructed metaphor for communism. Its a Bugs Life on crack. Awesome movie with some pretty convincing names, including the king of neurosis, Woody Allen.
Brad W

47%??? This movie wasnt as good as Bugs Life but come on people, it was an animated achievment at the time. The plot was interesting, the characters were quirky but fun, and Woody Allen can sure have a funny voice. But this movie swears, who wants to show their kids that. Anyway,… More
47%??? This movie wasnt as good as Bugs Life but come on people, it was an animated achievment at the time. The plot was interesting, the characters were quirky but fun, and Woody Allen can sure have a funny voice. But this movie swears, who wants to show their kids that. Anyway, the movie is good, but not great.
Alexander D

An all-star voice cast can barely make up for this bad movie.
Bethany M

A childhood favourite and a classic!
Michael E

One of dreamworks best movies and had a great cast, great comedy, great animation, great drama, and great struggles in the film
Bently L

While Pixar's "A Bug's Life" is a film about insects aimed at children, Dreamworks Animations's debut film "Antz" is very similar but aimed at the more sophisticated older audience. A troubled ant named Z is a worker ant who dosen't like to… More
While Pixar's "A Bug's Life" is a film about insects aimed at children, Dreamworks Animations's debut film "Antz" is very similar but aimed at the more sophisticated older audience. A troubled ant named Z is a worker ant who dosen't like to work. His friend who is a soldier ant decide to switch places. Z is then dragged into a brutal war with termites (which is an awesome scene), and gets stranded with the Princess of the ant colony. While trying to get back home, they run into hilarious mischeif and fall in love in the process. Sounds like a good plot but the film is very smart that little children won't get very much out of it. Not to mention, this film has some pretty surprising language for PG-Rated animated flick. It's not one of the best animation films out there but its worth watching. "You the ant!"
Spencer S

Satiric and structured, it's another Woody Allen project that is a winner in my book.
Richard C

C
Tony G

Ill-scripted and uninteresting
Alice S

I saw this as a kid and didn't like it - probably because it's not really a kids movie. It's an animated Woody Allen movie! So much angst and neuroticism. I'm not a great fan of Woody's trademark hedging around though.
KJ P

I did not find this movie anywhere as good as people say it is! A Bug's Life is a million times better!
Conner R

A weak attempt from Woody Allen and Dreamworks to cash in on computer generated technology. It is the ugly cousin of Bug's Life, a far better film. This is a bland script with cheesy dialogue and uninteresting characters.
Jennifer X

Woody Allen! I love that ending homage to Allen's beloved New York, with Doris Day heading off the closing credits. The animation is far worse than A Bug's Life, but as a story, I like Antz better. While I wouldn't say the movie is particularlly colorful in respect to… More
Woody Allen! I love that ending homage to Allen's beloved New York, with Doris Day heading off the closing credits. The animation is far worse than A Bug's Life, but as a story, I like Antz better. While I wouldn't say the movie is particularlly colorful in respect to bugs and their lives, the dialogue is pure Woody, and because of that, it is hilarious. This is also probably the inception of Disney hiring famous actors to do voicework, but somehow - at least in this film - it doesn't detract.
Anthony L

Great cast but not a great film! Why is it that Pixar and Dreamworks always seem to bring out their own versions of the same story at the same time?
Leigh R

Totally cute.
Jason O

When I started watching "Antz," I wasn't expecting it to be the kind of movie that it turned out to be. I thought it would be like many of the most popular Disney movies and have a lot of singing in it along with a simple story of bravery, adventure, friendship, etc.… More
When I started watching "Antz," I wasn't expecting it to be the kind of movie that it turned out to be. I thought it would be like many of the most popular Disney movies and have a lot of singing in it along with a simple story of bravery, adventure, friendship, etc. However, after I finished watching it, I found out it was better than I was anticipating. It has a few comedic parts to it, but it is mostly a story of the ups and downs of being a hero. A worker ant trades places with a soldier and becomes the biggest hero the colony has ever seen and also stirs up a lot of turmoil when he kidnaps the princess. After you watch "Antz," you'll remember it from some of the parts such as when Zee unwillingly becomes a hero and when he takes the princess to a place that every ant wants to go to. If you like 3D cartoon movies, then you need to see "Antz." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000 that I wrote while in Texas with weird family. Antz is much better than A Bug's Life and I'd love to own it one day.