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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

From the studio that brought you Shrek.

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

---

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, Wide Release

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

Originally, this film was going to be composed by Hans Zimmer and David Newman but they were busy with a few films of 1997 and 1998 so this film was instead composed by Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell.

---

Goofs

In real life, the situation between ants and termites is reversed from their roles in the movie. Ants prey on termites, which are much smaller - and ants are the ones who secrete acid to kill them.

---

Quotes

[Z and Princess Bala have discovered a picnic blanket with food, thinking it is Insectopia, but find that they can't eat the plastic covered food]
Z: It seems to be covered by some kind of force field.

---

Crazy Credits

The Z in Antz is slightly crooked, and its also the name of the title character.

---

Alternate Versions

The TV spot edited on Cartoon Network Weaver says "What are you talking about, Z?"

---

Connections

Referenced in Charlotte Church: Voice of an Angel in Concert (1999)

---

Soundtracks

Give Peace a Chance
Written by John Lennon
Used with Permission by Yoko Ono

User Reviews

It's Alvy Singer, as a bug.

Who'd have expected an animated feature about ants that opens with a Woody Allen monologue expressing his ant angst? While kids will love the effects and there may be enough action to keep them awake, this is classic Woody down to his ant character's hand-wringing gestures. Adults will also be happy with the in-jokes supplied by Sylvester Stallone as a friendly Rambo ant, Dan Ackroyd and Jane Curtin as WASPs, and Gene Hackman and Christopher Walken playing their classic villain roles. The plot is a small step above the typical good guy vs. bad guy routine with social commentary that you can actually talk about with your kids afterwards. But remember, if you do bring the kids, this isn't Disney kitsch; it's more for the grown-ups.