The Ant Bully Release
Date:
July 28, 2006 Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Director: John A. Davis
Screenwriter: John A. Davis Starring: Nicolas Cage, Bruce Campbell, Zach Tyler Eisen, Paul
Giamatti, Regina King, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin Genre: Adventure, Animation, Family MPAA Rating: PG (for some mild rude humor and action) Official Website:
TheAntBully.com
Plot Summary: From Academy Award nominated
filmmaker John A. Davis ("Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius") and producers Tom Hanks
and Gary Goetzman ("The Polar Express"), "The Ant Bully" tells a witty and
heartwarming story about a 10-year-old boy who embarks on a remarkable journey.
New in town, friendless and tormented by a neighborhood bully, young Lucas
Nickle has been taking out his frustration on the innocent ant hill in his yard.
But one day the ants retaliate. Using a magic potion, they shrink Lucas down to
ant size and sentence him to live like an ant in their colony. In this strange
new world Lucas will learn important lessons about friendship, get a whole new
perspective on life and ultimately find the courage to stand up for himself.
Happy
Suspense Peter Veugelaers:
EntertainmentNutz.com
The Ant Bully (G) is an animated adaptation of the John
Nickle book about Lucas, a young boy picked on by the bigger guy.
But Lucas picks on an ant colony in his family’s garden. (The logic of
the connection sits better as a thematic device than storytelling). The
family are going away while he’s left at home with alien obsessed
grandma.
The ant colony is fighting for survival and procures a natural formula
for shrinking Lucas, thus eliminating the problem. He winds up at the
grass roots of the yard learning how to live like an ant instead of
facing punishment. The Queen ant offers such mercy.
There are three problems: Lucas wants to go home, other bugs threaten
the ants, and an exterminator was hired to rid the garden of pests. But
Lucas could be their chance for survival.
This is definitely suitable for families in its story and overall
content, and also with a warm hearted and uplifting moral about
understanding your neighbour before ridiculing him. It is heavy handed,
but straight to the point and positive.
There are strikingly well visualised action scenes.
In spite of some dull moments, with 20 minutes to go it’s obvious that
this has worked by keeping this reviewer in happy suspense.
This review
was originally published at
Challenge Weekly, New Zealand's weekly
Christian newspaper.
What
A Picnic! Tom Long: Detroit News Everything comes together in "The
Ant Bully" in a way that has eluded other entries in the recent rash of
computer-animated tales...more
The
Movie Is All Exoskeleton Michael Rechtshaffen: Hollywood
Reporter
Despite the Hanks seal of approval and the lure of a
stellar voice cast including Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage,
Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin, the animated version feels
anonymously generic and charmlessly mechanical....more
We would love to know what you think, sound off on the
movie message boards and let us know how you liked the movie!
Release
Date:
July 28, 2006
Happy
Suspense
The
Movie Is All Exoskeleton