The DVD transfer is better than ever and continues to rank among the very best.
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Potential movie buyers have experienced a veritable avalanche of special editions lately, with any number of old DVD favorites showing up in two, three, and even four-disc sets. In a few cases the films themselves have been remastered and improved in quality, but in most cases the films have simply been augmented by the addition of commentaries, documentaries, games, outtakes, and the like.
In the case of Disney/Pixar's computer-animated "A Bug's Life," the already excellent video of the first edition is further improved and tons of extra materials have been added to a second disc. If you don't already own the movie in one of its first editions, a recommendation for this new two-disc set is easy. However, if you do already own one of the earlier DVDs, you might question whether this new, Collector's Edition is worth the added investment. I've mentioned the first DVDs, plural, because this latest set appears to be at least the third or fourth DVD issue the Disney studios have offered of "A Bug's Life." Don't you hate decisions?
Anyway, in another of those monumental coincidences that only Hollywood could manage, in 1998 two superbly animated cartoons on the same subject from two separate studios arrived in theaters just weeks apart, Disney's "A Bug's Life" and DreamWorks' "Antz." Comparisons were inevitable at the time of their release, and now that both are available on DVD, comparisons are unavoidable. If you want my advice in a nutshell, though, buy them both. They are visually stunning.
"A Bug's Life" has the more juvenile story line and the cuter, more Disney-ish, child-oriented characters. However, although it is more obviously aimed at younger audiences than "Antz," it does not necessarily mean that it's any less entertaining for adults. It may not have Woody Allen's dry wit, as "Antz" does, but it is the more colorful and more action-packed of the two films.
The star of "A Bug's Life" is an ant named Flik, perhaps a distant cousin of Allen's angst-ridden Z. Flik is an inveterate inventor, always thinking up new schemes and ideas. When we first meet him he's trying out a new cultivator he's built that's more trouble than it's worth. When Flik's anthill gets beset by their perenniel enemies, the grasshoppers, Flik decides to seek help. He enlists the aid of a group of flea-bitten flea circus performers whom he mistakes for gallant warriors. And that's actually about all there is to the plot. The grasshoppers bully the ants; Flik finds help; together they figure something out; Flik and the circus players become heroes.
So unlike "Antz," where dialogue, thoughts, and story were foremost, "A Bug's Life" relies almost exclusively on sights and sound. Fortunately, it succeeds wildly. The voices in "A Bug's Life" are provided by Dave Foley (as Flik), Kevin Spacey (as Hopper, the villainous head grasshopper), Phyllis Diller, Dennis Leary, Jonathan Harris, Madeline Kahn, Roddy McDowall, and a host of others.
I've said in the past that I am immune to most cartoons. "Snow White," "Pinocchio," "Fantasia," "Toy Story 2," "Shrek," "Monsters, Inc.," and maybe "Aladdin"; that's about it. But I must admit I was struck by the sheer beauty of "A Bug's Life." It has far more variety in its range of characters and far more color in its settings than "Antz." For instance, "Antz" was largely done in shades of brown, eight million brown ants in brown holes, while "A Bug's Life" comes in all shades of all colors of insects and plants imaginable. It is truly a feast for the eyes.
Video:
The DVD transfer is better than ever and continues to rank among the very best I've seen. The video is now THX certified and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. I noticed in the first edition that colors seemed to a very small degree faded, a condition that is now rectified. This transfer has a higher bit rate than the previous one, hues are a shade darker and richer, and definition is, if anything, even sharper. It is quite lovely to look at.
It is still amazing to me watching the computer-generated graphics bring so much three dimensionality to all of the characters and objects on screen. And those grasshoppers are some mean dudes. They are the only insects in the film that look truly like insects, and that means they look like they've just stepped out of a space-alien horror movie. Scary, but comic, too. Remember, this is Disney. As before, there are no signs anywhere of digital artifacts, line shimmer, dancing pixels, or what have you. Just pure picture.
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