Antz (1998)

A rather neurotic ant tries to break from his totalitarian society while trying to win the affection of the princess he loves.

Directors:

Eric Darnell, Tim Johnson

Writers:

Todd Alcott (screenplay), Chris Weitz (screenplay)

Stars:

Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 6 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Woody Allen	...	Z (voice)
Dan Aykroyd	...	Chip (voice)
Anne Bancroft	...	Queen (voice)
Jane Curtin	...	Muffy (voice)
Danny Glover	...	Barbatus (voice)
Gene Hackman	...	Mandible (voice)
Jennifer Lopez	...	Azteca (voice)
John Mahoney	...	Drunk Scout (voice)
Paul Mazursky	...	Psychologist (voice)
Grant Shaud	...	Foreman (voice)
Sylvester Stallone	...	Weaver (voice)
Sharon Stone	...	Bala (voice)
Christopher Walken	...	Cutter (voice)
Jim Cummings	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Jerry Sroka	...	Additional Voices (voice)

Storyline

In an anthill with millions of inhabitants, Z 4195 is a worker ant. Feeling insignificant in a conformity system, he accidentally meets beautiful Princess Bala, who has a similar problem on the other end of the social scale. In order to meet her again, Z switches sides with his soldier friend Weaver - only to become a hero in the course of events. By this he unwillingly crosses the sinister plans of ambitious General Mandible (Bala's fiancé, by the way), who wants to divide the ant society into a superior, strong race (soldiers) and an inferior, to-be-eliminated race (the workers). But Z and Bala, both unaware of the dangerous situation, try to leave the oppressive system by heading for Insectopia, a place where food paves the streets.

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Plot Keywords:

ant | anthropomorphic insect | good versus evil | profanity | mastiff | 

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Taglines:

The Hero.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language and menacing action

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ants

Box Office

Budget:

$105,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,195,160, 4 October 1998

Gross USA:

$90,757,863

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$171,757,863

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, Pacific Data Images (PDI), DreamWorks Animation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ving Rhames were considered for the role of Barbatus.

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Goofs

All the worker and soldier ants in a colony are female.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Z: All my life, I've lived and worked in the big city, which now that I think of it, is kind of a problem since I always feel uncomfortable around crowds. I mean it, I-I have this fear of enclosed spaces. I-I-I, everything makes me feel trapped all the time. You know, I always tell myself, there's gotta be something better out there, but maybe I think too much. I-I-I think everything must go back to the fact that I had a very anxious childhood. You know, my, my mother never had time ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

A child's hand holding a magnifying glass brings into focus the tiny names of the cast.

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Alternate Versions

The TV spot edited on Cartoon Network Z says "Call me crazy. But, I have a thing about drinking from the caboose of another creature, okay?"

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Connections

Referenced in Atop the Fourth Wall: Tales to Astonish #27 (2013)

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Soundtracks

I Can See Clearly Now
Written by Johnny Nash
Performed by Neil Finn
Courtesy of EPIC Records / Rondor Music

User Reviews

Top class intelligent entertainment

I loved this story. I thought is was a very intelligently entertaining movie:- a good combination of interesting ideas mixed with great visuals and broad comedy.

All the the voice casting was top notch; especially Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, Sylvester Stallone, Dan Aykroyd, and of course Woody Allen. There was also great version of Neil Finn singing "I Can See Clearly Now"; and the visual design and music score was breath-taking and dynamic. Plus the storyline is more gritty with a darker undercurrent, and would appeal to a more sophisticated audience, which it is good to have. I'm not saying that cute fun stories aren't OK too. In fact IMHO the wider the spectrum of stories we can get the better we'll all be.

I personally think this is slightly ahead of the equally brilliant A BUG'S LIFE; even though both are really top class storytelling. This one wins by about half a feeler.