1998, 1 hr 26 min. Voices of: David Foley (Flick), Kevin Spacey (Hopper), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Princess Atta), Hayden Panettiere (Dot), Phyllis Diller (Queen), David Hyde Pierce (Slim), Denis Leary (Francis), Bonnie Hunt (Rosie), Richard Kind (Molt), Madeline Kahn (Gypsy), John Ratzenberger (P.T. Flea).

Nov. 26, 1998--There's nothing like a movie on Thanksgiving night, except maybe a movie on Christmas evening. A big crowd, lots of gabbing kids and the family. Went to see it with Dad and Danielle, Scott and Jenn, Stacy and Joe, and Stephanie and Bill.

Before the movie, the Star Wars prequel trailer. Still very cool, just much better on the big screen. Wow. Also seen, the Inspector Gadget trailer was on. Mixed views, Scott thinks it will be a disappointing movie, I'm not going to disagree too fervently. It wasn't that funny, and the effects didn't blow me away. Needs more work. Matthew Broderick may still be able to do comedy, but never as good as Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

A Bug's Life is a movie that made me smile the entire time. It was hilarious, and the animation was amazing. Sure, Antz had more realistic ants, but this is Disney, so Flick and his colony were more cuddly and able to be sold in mass quantities in Disney Stores in a mall near you. The sound and shots put you on the bugs' level, such as deadly rain falling or the dung beetle sounding like a helicopter, the bugs flying past an ant on a blade of grass like a copter whizzing by a waving kid in a field. That was my favorite overall shot.

Disney just has a way of getting you to feel for the characters, whether bad or good. Little Princess Dot looks similar to a dozen other kid ants, but through her voice and freckles and gestures she comes across as the cutest thing you ever saw.

The scary parts, mainly with the bird, could make anyone jumpy. A little robin appears to be a rabid dragon after the ants and other bugs. And Hoppers' henchman Thumper is vicious with the snarl and grungy look. As any Disney, some scenes are so tense you wonder how kids stand it, let alone me.

I'm not sure which had the better trash pile, A Bug's Life with The City, or Antz with Insectopia. The City was funny, with the traffic congestion, the lightning bugs using Christmas green and red lights, the tough saloon. But Insectopia showed how grandios our trash must be, where food isn't scarce and the bugs can take time to reflect on life; such as the mosquito on a high, asking "you ever think there's more out there? A whole universe?"

This movie is worth seeing if only for the credits. Shown are outtakes, even funnier considering it's an animated film. I would compare it in the amount of laughs to Grumpy Old Men and its' sequel. Different humor, but very funny.