Classic Review: A Bug’s Life (1998)

It’s getting harder to remember a time when computer animated movies were still a big question mark. In 1995, Toy Story revolutionized the way we watched movies with A Bug’s Life serving as the follow up to Pixar’s triumphant premiere. The film’s initial release was surrounded by doubt (could Toy Story be just a one hit wonder?) and when it opened, it proved that Pixar was the real deal in animation.

Fast forward twenty-something years later, and one can pretty easily see the strengths and the weaknesses of the genre. The animation itself fails when compared to later outings from the company, like Brave, The Incredibles and Coco. The visuals seem a bit flat, without much texture and complexity. The truth is Pixar set up such a high standard of quality in its projects that our eyes got totally accustomed to perfection , and we can spot the imperfections quite easily. Because of that, A Bug’s Life loses a bit of its, life when we watch it now.

On the other hand, its qualities remain intact, and one in particular became the trademark of the Pixar movies: a strong story. Flik (Foley) is a technical man; he is always creating new ways to work the field, new machinery to ease the labor work. Unfortunately, his vision is not well received by his fellow ants, who prefer to follow the system they are all accustomed to. The ant farm has two purposes every coming winter: save food for harsher times and prepare the offering for the grasshoppers who force them to share their earnings. In an accident Flik wastes the grasshoppers share and is kicked out of the community. He goes to Bugs Town where he finds a band of misfits who claim can help him save his family. But they are not a group of heroes; instead, they are just a circus troupe with no battle experience.

Pixar’s scripts are stuff made out of narrative dream; they have all been studied, and for good reason. It’s quite impressive how much character development they manage to instill in all their stories, and A Bug’s Life is no different. Every character has a very clear arch, a very distinctive personality, and a very charismatic persona. This is the most powerful magic Pixar managed to create: we care for toys, for fishes, robots, emotions, characters in video games, and bugs. We always see them as three dimensional characters, because they are.  Their problems are universal, and the cast of characters transform the experience into a delicious one. Every single time, even in the films that are not part of their masterpiece slate. And almost all of them are.

It has to be said that A Bug’s Life is not as perfect as Toy Story was, but it is just as entertaining, with a great villain played by Kevin Spacey (Hopper). It’s funny, charming, emotional, it’s everything we came to expect from a Pixar movie. The great aspect of going back in time to watch this is to see that, since the start, they were always on point, they always knew what mattered and how to achieve it.

Though it may not be perfect, A Bug’s Life is still a great cinematic experience.

*still courtesy of Disney/Pixar*

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leandromatos1981