Plot: What’s it about?
Lucas is a young boy who often finds himself at the mercy of bullies, simply because they’re bigger and stronger than he is. When he is picked on, he has no choice but to endure the punishment, as he is too small and weak to fight back. He is humiliated by these encounters, so in an effort to get back some of his pride, he lets the bully in himself come out. Not on other children however, instead he targets smaller, weaker prey, the ants who live in his front yard. He forces the colony to endure all kinds of torture, simply because he is bigger, but little does he know that the ants have a plan. Tired of the constant abuse, the ants have turned to their most powerful wizard, who concocts a most special potion. After the potion is used to shrink Lucas down to ant size, the boy is taken to the colony, to face the Queen. While vengeance seems proper, instead Lucas is sentenced to take part in the lifestyle of the ants, to learn about the colony’s culture. As he lives with the ants and sees their lives, he begins to understand how his actions have brought harm to them. He knew how he felt when he was bullied, but know he knows both sides of the coin. But what will the experience bring out in Lucas; will he continue on as always, or has he learned a valuable lesson?
In recent years, we’ve seen two separate computer animated features about ants, so of course, it was time to add a third installment, right? As you should be able to tell from the title, The Ant Bully is all about social content, lessons the little ones can absorb. I admit, that sounds like a disaster in the making, but the movie manages to deliver numerous social messages, while staying on track in terms of entertainment. Some of the lessons are obvious, such as the bully situation, but others are explored in more subtle ways. So the message gets across, but is never forced and as such, the movie is still a lot of fun. In terms of overall entertainment, The Ant Bully doesn’t rank with the computer animation elite, but it holds its own. The voice cast is impressive, with such names as Julia Roberts, Nicholas Cage, Bruce Campbell, Meryl Streep, and Paul Giamatti, as well as others. Some put more into the roles than others, but overall, the voice work is quite good. The animation itself looks very cool, with a bright and vivid world on showcase. The visual design drops realism in favor of a more fun to look at style, which works well in this instance. In the end, I think The Ant Bully is a fun movie that the entire should enjoy, so this one earns a solid recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
The Ant Bully is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is as good as we could want, a clean and sharp visual presentation with no real flaws. This is a digital to digital transfer, so print issues are not a concern, which means the image is clean and unencumbered. The detail level is high, but keep in mind, the animation here is not that complex. So the textures don’t always have the subtle touches seen in other films of this kind, but that is due to the source. No issues with colors either, as hues have a rich and bold presence, while black levels perform at an accurate, smooth clip. This movie has some well crafted, fun to watch visuals, so I am pleased the transfer turned out so well.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital 5.1 option offers an active, more than effective presentation, not on par with the best out there, but well above average. The full range of sound is covered here, as we have scenes that show some punch and power, as well as sequences that use more creative, subtle approaches. The surrounds are put to use often in both cases, so there is no lack of presence here. The power isn’t booming, but it is well handled and the atmosphere on the whole is quite immersive. I expected a solid effort here and overall, this soundtrack went beyond my expectations. This disc also includes French and Spanish language tracks (both 5.1 surround), as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A behind the scenes featurette runs just over fifteen minutes and has some decent interviews, but is still mostly a promotional piece. You can also check out seven animated shorts based within the film’s world, as well as some terrific deleted scenes. To be honest, I expected more in terms of supplements, but I suppose some extras are better than none.
