A rather neurotic ant tries to break from his totalitarian society while trying to win the affection of the princess he loves.A rather neurotic ant tries to break from his totalitarian society while trying to win the affection of the princess he loves.A rather neurotic ant tries to break from his totalitarian society while trying to win the affection of the princess he loves.
- Directors
- Writers
- Stars
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 6 wins & 14 nominations total
Woody Allen
- Z
- (voice)
Sharon Stone
- Bala
- (voice)
Gene Hackman
- Mandible
- (voice)
Sylvester Stallone
- Weaver
- (voice)
Dan Aykroyd
- Chip
- (voice)
Anne Bancroft
- Queen
- (voice)
Jane Curtin
- Muffy
- (voice)
Danny Glover
- Barbatus
- (voice)
Jennifer Lopez
- Azteca
- (voice)
John Mahoney
- Drunk Scout
- (voice)
Paul Mazursky
- Psychologist
- (voice)
Grant Shaud
- Foreman
- (voice)
Christopher Walken
- Cutter
- (voice)
Jerry Sroka
- Additional Voices
- (voice)
Eric Darnell
- Additional Voices
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Pat Fry
- Worker Ants
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Antz is rock-solid entertainment, and while it isn't as funny as Bug's Life, it has a great social message that Bug's Life lacks. I thoroughly recommend this movie, and the only criticism I have is that there are some scenes that young children might find frightening, like the fight between the ants and the big green bugs. The visuals are a delight, as well as the tightly-structured script.The story, while simple, is well-told, and is sensibly revolved around the life of Z, brilliantly voiced by Woody Allen. Sharon Stone was suitably feisty as Princess Bala, and Sylvester Stallone was a huge surprise as Weaver. Christopher Walken was also good, but it's the villain who steals the show, like Bug's Life. Gene Hackman's General was deliciously sinister, and quite complex, very similar to Kevin Spacey in Bug's Life(Hopper is SLIGHTLY better). All in all, a witty and charming film, that is recommended. 9/10. Bethany Cox
It's probably the first time Woody Allen is so much like himself when he isn't at all. Ant Z, a neurotic, fatalistic, depressive, sorry ant with a record low level of self-esteem transforms into a (part-time) content, revolutionary hero of his utterly totalitarian and fascistic colony ever imaginable. Apart from the incredibly precise animation and "logical" fantasy, one feels a bit distracted with the subliminal messages the picture tries to impose. While it would be easy to reduce the moral to the frequently recited motto: "think for yourself once!", there are too many of them to ignore. This definitely is not a kid's flick, it is meant for and appreciated by adults, with many philosophical, psychological and social references and conflicts. One big "bravo!" to Dreamworks. I think they have achieved the point where adults can actually enjoy animation movies while believing the whole stuff. These insects are surely going to bite some Disney bugs.
I watched this for the first time with my sister as part of our Dreamworks Movie Marathon. Though not even remotely comparable to Pixar's A Bug's Life in terms of quality, Antz is an enjoyable overall experience. The main character was a bit annoying, but at least he was different than I expected. His romantic counterpart was very intolerable, and this resulted in an extremely forced romance between two characters who had no reason to fall in love.
That all being said, the movie had teeth, and it was unafraid to kill off characters left and right. The main theme of non-conformity really beat you over the head throughout the film, and could have been a bit more subtle. This basic plot leads me to believe this film is directed at kids, but the innuendo and adult-jokes make me think otherwise. Not sure if it's a good kids movie since I'm not a kid anymore, but Antz is a pretty good film with some problems here and there.
I'll be reviewing every Dreamworks film after my sister and I watch it, so Antz is a good start.
That all being said, the movie had teeth, and it was unafraid to kill off characters left and right. The main theme of non-conformity really beat you over the head throughout the film, and could have been a bit more subtle. This basic plot leads me to believe this film is directed at kids, but the innuendo and adult-jokes make me think otherwise. Not sure if it's a good kids movie since I'm not a kid anymore, but Antz is a pretty good film with some problems here and there.
I'll be reviewing every Dreamworks film after my sister and I watch it, so Antz is a good start.
From what I have read, DreamWorks got the idea of an insect animation film from Disney, rushed to market before the Disney version was released, and that they think this will enable them to compete against Disney in the animated film market? I think some reevaluation is in order.
ANTZ is not bad, far from it. The animation is very well done (to this untrained, unschooled eye) and the voices well-acted (and maybe Woody wasn't so much acting as being Woody). The feel-good plot was well......very Disney. Certainly worth the price of a rental. And I mean this for adults. I can't comment of the movie being too dark and violent for small children, well maybe very small children.
Nothing earth-shaking or leading edge, but good ol' entertainment.
ANTZ is not bad, far from it. The animation is very well done (to this untrained, unschooled eye) and the voices well-acted (and maybe Woody wasn't so much acting as being Woody). The feel-good plot was well......very Disney. Certainly worth the price of a rental. And I mean this for adults. I can't comment of the movie being too dark and violent for small children, well maybe very small children.
Nothing earth-shaking or leading edge, but good ol' entertainment.
Okay, so it's not War and Peace, but this film is about as dark and meaningful as you could want a big-budget comedy animation to be. The computer animation itself never ceases to be awe-inspiring and more than compensates for the plot holes - I personally did like the style of the characters themselves, although others have disagreed. The casting is perfect, and Woody Allen as Z-4195 the neurotic worker ant complete with impeccable one-liners is at times hilarious. Although the plot falls into predictability, the communist metaphors combined with the basic boy-meets-girl-above-his-station story make this highly enjoyable, and all you could want as a 3D animation suitable for adults. A strong opening blow in the Disney-Dreamworks rivalry swordfight.
Did you know
- TriviaChristopher Walken's voicework was so excellent that Cutter's role was expanded. He was originally a faceless lackey to General Mandible, but Walken brought some unexpected depths to the character.
- GoofsIn 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.
- Crazy creditsA child's hand holding a magnifying glass brings into focus the tiny names of the cast.
- Alternate versionsIn 2008, Cartoon Network started broadcasting the film in an edited format, with all explicit language completely removed, despite airing it virtually uncut in 2004.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Masters of Fantasy: The Anime Filmmakers (1998)
- SoundtracksGive Peace a Chance
Written by John Lennon
- How long is Antz?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Antz: Hormiguitaz
- Filming locations
- Universal City, California, USA(Studio)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $105,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $90,757,863
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $17,195,160
- Oct 4, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $171,757,863
- Runtime
- 1h 23m(83 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
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