ANTZ

1998, DreamWorks SKG

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 83 mins.

THE STORY:

Z (Woody Allen) is a worker ant who is not satisfied with his lot in life. He longs to choose his own path and to be his own individual rather than just do the work his social station dictates for him. His desire for more is enhanced when he meets the daughter of the colony's queen, Princess Bala (Sharon Stone), and is instantly smitten.

Z changes places with his best friend Weaver (Sylvester Stallone), a soldier ant, in order to get closer to her. Inadvertently, however, he ends up being sent into battle on a suicide mission against the termites. The army and the queen have come under the control of a maniacal general ant who is on a mission to eradicate the 'lesser' social order in order to purify and strengthen the ant race.

It is up to Z and Princess Bala to rescue the worker ants who have literally been digging their own grave. In so doing they also manage to teach their fellow colonists that they have the ability and the right to exercise free will.  

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• damn
• hell
• stupid
• ass
• bitch

VIOLENCE:

• the ants fight a serious battle against the termites
• an ant dies on screen due to injuries sustained in battle

TEACHING POINTS:

• lots of lessons about the dangers of autocracy/ military dictatorships
• the first step in exercising free will is recognizing that you have it

THE UPSHOT:

It's typical Woody Allen, so if that sounds appealing you'll love it. The cast is amazing, the script is hilarious (from an adult perspective) and the animation is impressive. I liked that it had a big message atypical of animation, but that is part of what makes it more of an adult film than a kid's film. 

Young kids will get something out of it, but to truly appreciate the story you need a certain degree of understanding of the world

The five year-old in the room liked it, but the grown ups in the room loved it.

4/5