With Jim Sabatini

The Ant Bully

Rated: PG for some mild rude humor and action
Reviewed by: Tony
Release date: July 28, 2006	Released by: Warner Brothers

The Ant Bully is not A Bugs Life, this is a harsher, darker film in both feel and form. This new look into the insect realm is a nice attempt of walking a mile in an ant's shoes.

The walker in this case is a human named Lucas Nickle (Zach Tyler) who is humiliated by the neighborhood bully. Lucas takes out his frustrations on the busy anthill in his front yard by flooding the entrance as the drones attempt to protect it.

The Destroyer is the name he is known by in the ant community. But Zoc (Nicolas Cage) the wizard ant develops a potion that will bring the Destroyer down to a manageable size and Lucas faces a new universe in which he is the size of an ant. He must learn life from an ant's view or never return to the larger human world.

The animation is sharp, edgy and aggressive, even friendly ants like Hova (Julia Roberts) who is Lucas' protector, are crafted with a menacing look.

While there really is no explanation of Lucas being able to suddenly "get," understand the traits of the ants, correctly, there is absolutely no doubt who will emerge victorious in the climax with an exterminator who is the enemy in this new ant world.

There are many good scenes in this film and I'll bet we will think twice about kicking the next anthill we see.

The film may be too intense for children under six.