Pixar's first movie, Toy Story, was a widespread success that spearheaded the studio to produce more animated films. That film changed our perspective in terms of animation and storytelling.
Their second film, A Bug's Life, may not be as good as its predecessor, but it still shook many heads in the animation industry.
Based on one of Aesop's fables, The Ant and the Grasshopper, this Pixar movie had so much more than ants and grasshoppers.
In the ant colony called "Ant Island," led by an aging queen and Princess Atta, they are forced to give a portion of the food they gathered to the bully grasshoppers every summer. One day, a clumsy but innovative inventor, Flik, destroys the harvested food with his harvester. When the grasshoppers arrived, led by their menacing leader, Hopper, they were shocked and angry that the ants didn't fulfill the end of their bargain. He demands twice as much food as compensation.
Flik has had enough of the grasshoppers and proclaims that they need to seek help from bigger bugs to fight the grasshoppers. He set out to look for bug warriors that would assist them. He stumbles upon a couple of weird circus bugs and mistakes them for the one he needs. They travel back to the colony and celebrate their return with a feast. Unknown to them that the bugs were frauds while the grasshoppers are starting to get restless and wary because they have superior numbers.
A Bug's Life features the incredible voice talents of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Hayden Panettiere.
When I watched this film for the first time as a kid, I was terrified of Hopper. He may be one of Pixar's genuinely menacing villains, like Lotso from Toy Story 3. Combining his looks with Kevin Spacey's voice adds the perfect touch for the perfect evil counterpart.
The story of A Bug's Life is quite simple and mashed into a 95-minute spectacle that may not be as majestic as the ant colony, but it is still quite remarkable. I liked it as a kid and still loved it today. I think Pixar really took chances in making this film because it shows what they are capable of. Thankfully, they did an excellent job, indicating that they try to innovate in any way possible.
Overall, this is a simple movie that everyone can enjoy. It's a perfect popcorn film that you can sit around on a Sunday night to chill and relax.
I think this is a good 3.5 out of 5 stars.