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Description
"Circus bugs! How could you be circus bugs?!"

Lets continue our Disney/Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary celebration with the story of an ant who brings with him a group of larger bugs to assist him and his colony against a gang of grasshoppers; A Bug's Life.

Ant Island is a colony of ants led by the retiring Queen and her daughter, Princess Atta. Every season, they are forced to give food to a gang of marauding grasshoppers led by Hopper.
One day, when Flik, an individualist and inventor, inadvertently knocks the offering into a stream with his latest invention, a grain harvesting device, Hopper demands twice as much food as compensation.
When Flik suggests in earnest that they seek help from other stronger bugs, the other ants see it as an opportunity to remove him and send him off.
At the "bug city", which is a heap of trash under a trailer, Flik mistakes a troupe of Circus Bugs (who were recently dismissed by their greedy ringmaster, P.T. Flea) for the warrior bugs he seeks. The bugs, in turn, mistake Flik for a talent agent, and accept his offer to travel with him back to Ant Island.
During a welcome ceremony upon their arrival, the Circus Bugs and Flik both discover their mutual misunderstandings. The Circus Bugs attempt to leave, but are pursued by a nearby bird; while fleeing, they rescue Dot, Atta's younger sister from the bird, gaining the ants' respect in the process.
At Flik's request, they continue the ruse of being "warriors", so the troupe can continue to enjoy the hospitality of the ants. Hearing that Hopper fears birds inspires Flik to create a false bird to scare away the grasshoppers.
Meanwhile, Hopper reminds his gang how greatly the ants outnumber them and suspects that they will eventually rebel against them.
Now it's up to the ants and the circus bugs to get their plan completed in time, and defend their home.

The story is pretty well written for the most part, has a pretty good sense of humor, as well as some highly engaging suspense and adventure, on top of having an interesting setting, and can also be pretty charming. There are also a few times where it can get pretty dark and scary. My one gripe with the story is that it is easily predictable as it does boil down to the tired and overdone "Liar Revealed" trope.
The film has a pretty solid sense of humor, and leads to several very funny moments like Molt being a blabbermouth, the Circus Bugs' reaction to the Blueberry Scouts' reenactment, the banter between the characters, the visual gags, and the slapstick.
The film has some pretty adventurous and engaging action scenes like the bar brawl which results in the can rolling over, the encounter with the bird, and the final battle against Hopper and his clan, which the latter is also pretty intense and suspenseful.
And speaking of the suspense, there's a decent amount of that too like the grasshoppers searching for Dot, the Flaming Death scene, again, the bird encounter, the second half of the climax, and the first appearance of Thumper, which actually scared me a bit as a kid.
Despite being noticeably aged, the animation is really well done and pretty appealing as the characters all have pretty decent designs and solid movements, the backdrops and settings are all well detailed and crafted, and there are some amazing effects like the fire, the rain, and the lighting. The animation also gives the film a pretty large scale.
The characters
Flik is a decently likable protagonist as even though he is prone to screwing things up, he does mean well, and is willing to do anything to help the colony, despite everyone else's doubts.
Atta is a pretty likable character as even though she's a princess, she's very nervous about taking over after her mother, and wants to make sure she's a worthy enough leader. She's also pretty nice and snarky, but does have her limits.
Dot is a pretty decent kid character as she wants to do anything she can to help Flik and the others in their plan to rid themselves of the Grasshoppers. She's also pretty nice to Flik, and also has some snarkiness to her.
The Queen is also pretty likable as she is a sweet and kind leader, and wants to make sure that Atta is comfortable with taking over for her when the time comes. She can also be pretty snarky at times.
The Circus Bugs are all incredibly likable, are incredibly funny and helpful, and have solid chemistry between each other like the hot-headed Francis, the gluttonous Heimlich, the tall and slender Slim, the mystical Manny, the alluring Gypsy, the timid Rosie, the unhinged Tuck and Roll, the sensitive Dim, and their desperate ringmaster P.T. Flea.
Hopper is an awesome and intimidating villain as he's very short-tempered, and even though he puts on a calm facade, he will stop at nothing to make sure he gets what he wants. Even if it means killing others.
Molt can be pretty funny as even though he is very talkative and more upbeat than Hopper, he thankfully doesn't get annoying. Thumper on the other hand, is pretty unsettling and does get under my skin due to how creepy he is due to his feral nature and jittery movements.
The other ants are okay, but pretty much only serve as background characters with not a lot to them like Soil, Flora, Thorny, and Cornelius.
The voice acting is very well done and leads to several solid performances like David Foley as Flik, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Atta, a very young Hayden Panettiere as Dot, Denis Leary as Francis, David Hyde Pierce as Slim, Bonnie Hunt as Rosie, Joe Ranft as Heimlich, Kevin Spacey as Hopper, and many more.
The music by Randy Newman is pretty well done as his score is very upbeat and adventurous, and the song featured during the end credits, "It's the Time Of Your Life" is a decently written and performed song.

Overall, while it may not be as amazing as "Toy Story", this is still a pretty solid film that's worth checking out.

Cast:
Dave Foley as Flik
Kevin Spacey as Hopper
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Princess Atta
Hayden Panettiere as Dot
Denis Leary as Francis
Joe Ranft as Heimlich
David Hyde Pierce as Slim
Jonathan Harris as Manny
Madeline Kahn as Gypsy
Bonnie Hunt as Rosie
Michael McShane as Tuck and Roll
John Ratzenberger as P.T. Flea
Brad Garrett as Dim
Richard Kind as Molt
Phyllis Diller as The Queen
Roddy McDowall as Mr. Soil
Edie McClurg as Dr. Flora
Alex Rocco as Thorny
David Ossman as Cornelius
David Lander as Thumper
Rodger Bumpass as Harry Mosquito
Ashley Tisdale as the leader of the Blueberry Scouts
Jan Rabson and Carlos Alazraqui as Axle and Loco
Bob Bergen as Aphie
Jack Angel as Thud

Crew:
Directed by John Lasseter
Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery, and Bob Shaw
Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Joe Ranft
Produced by Darla K. Anderson and Kevin Reher
Music by Randy Newman

Misc.
Production companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date: November 20, 1998
Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Description
"Circus bugs! How could you be circus bugs?!"

Lets continue our Disney/Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary celebration with the story of an ant who brings with him a group of larger bugs to assist him and his colony against a gang of grasshoppers; A Bug's Life.

Ant Island is a colony of ants led by the retiring Queen and her daughter, Princess Atta. Every season, they are forced to give food to a gang of marauding grasshoppers led by Hopper.
One day, when Flik, an individualist and inventor, inadvertently knocks the offering into a stream with his latest invention, a grain harvesting device, Hopper demands twice as much food as compensation.
When Flik suggests in earnest that they seek help from other stronger bugs, the other ants see it as an opportunity to remove him and send him off.
At the "bug city", which is a heap of trash under a trailer, Flik mistakes a troupe of Circus Bugs (who were recently dismissed by their greedy ringmaster, P.T. Flea) for the warrior bugs he seeks. The bugs, in turn, mistake Flik for a talent agent, and accept his offer to travel with him back to Ant Island.
During a welcome ceremony upon their arrival, the Circus Bugs and Flik both discover their mutual misunderstandings. The Circus Bugs attempt to leave, but are pursued by a nearby bird; while fleeing, they rescue Dot, Atta's younger sister from the bird, gaining the ants' respect in the process.
At Flik's request, they continue the ruse of being "warriors", so the troupe can continue to enjoy the hospitality of the ants. Hearing that Hopper fears birds inspires Flik to create a false bird to scare away the grasshoppers.
Meanwhile, Hopper reminds his gang how greatly the ants outnumber them and suspects that they will eventually rebel against them.
Now it's up to the ants and the circus bugs to get their plan completed in time, and defend their home.

The story is pretty well written for the most part, has a pretty good sense of humor, as well as some highly engaging suspense and adventure, on top of having an interesting setting, and can also be pretty charming. There are also a few times where it can get pretty dark and scary. My one gripe with the story is that it is easily predictable as it does boil down to the tired and overdone "Liar Revealed" trope.
The film has a pretty solid sense of humor, and leads to several very funny moments like Molt being a blabbermouth, the Circus Bugs' reaction to the Blueberry Scouts' reenactment, the banter between the characters, the visual gags, and the slapstick.
The film has some pretty adventurous and engaging action scenes like the bar brawl which results in the can rolling over, the encounter with the bird, and the final battle against Hopper and his clan, which the latter is also pretty intense and suspenseful.
And speaking of the suspense, there's a decent amount of that too like the grasshoppers searching for Dot, the Flaming Death scene, again, the bird encounter, the second half of the climax, and the first appearance of Thumper, which actually scared me a bit as a kid.
Despite being noticeably aged, the animation is really well done and pretty appealing as the characters all have pretty decent designs and solid movements, the backdrops and settings are all well detailed and crafted, and there are some amazing effects like the fire, the rain, and the lighting. The animation also gives the film a pretty large scale.
The characters
Flik is a decently likable protagonist as even though he is prone to screwing things up, he does mean well, and is willing to do anything to help the colony, despite everyone else's doubts.
Atta is a pretty likable character as even though she's a princess, she's very nervous about taking over after her mother, and wants to make sure she's a worthy enough leader. She's also pretty nice and snarky, but does have her limits.
Dot is a pretty decent kid character as she wants to do anything she can to help Flik and the others in their plan to rid themselves of the Grasshoppers. She's also pretty nice to Flik, and also has some snarkiness to her.
The Queen is also pretty likable as she is a sweet and kind leader, and wants to make sure that Atta is comfortable with taking over for her when the time comes. She can also be pretty snarky at times.
The Circus Bugs are all incredibly likable, are incredibly funny and helpful, and have solid chemistry between each other like the hot-headed Francis, the gluttonous Heimlich, the tall and slender Slim, the mystical Manny, the alluring Gypsy, the timid Rosie, the unhinged Tuck and Roll, the sensitive Dim, and their desperate ringmaster P.T. Flea.
Hopper is an awesome and intimidating villain as he's very short-tempered, and even though he puts on a calm facade, he will stop at nothing to make sure he gets what he wants. Even if it means killing others.
Molt can be pretty funny as even though he is very talkative and more upbeat than Hopper, he thankfully doesn't get annoying. Thumper on the other hand, is pretty unsettling and does get under my skin due to how creepy he is due to his feral nature and jittery movements.
The other ants are okay, but pretty much only serve as background characters with not a lot to them like Soil, Flora, Thorny, and Cornelius.
The voice acting is very well done and leads to several solid performances like David Foley as Flik, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Atta, a very young Hayden Panettiere as Dot, Denis Leary as Francis, David Hyde Pierce as Slim, Bonnie Hunt as Rosie, Joe Ranft as Heimlich, Kevin Spacey as Hopper, and many more.
The music by Randy Newman is pretty well done as his score is very upbeat and adventurous, and the song featured during the end credits, "It's the Time Of Your Life" is a decently written and performed song.

Overall, while it may not be as amazing as "Toy Story", this is still a pretty solid film that's worth checking out.

Cast:
Dave Foley as Flik
Kevin Spacey as Hopper
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Princess Atta
Hayden Panettiere as Dot
Denis Leary as Francis
Joe Ranft as Heimlich
David Hyde Pierce as Slim
Jonathan Harris as Manny
Madeline Kahn as Gypsy
Bonnie Hunt as Rosie
Michael McShane as Tuck and Roll
John Ratzenberger as P.T. Flea
Brad Garrett as Dim
Richard Kind as Molt
Phyllis Diller as The Queen
Roddy McDowall as Mr. Soil
Edie McClurg as Dr. Flora
Alex Rocco as Thorny
David Ossman as Cornelius
David Lander as Thumper
Rodger Bumpass as Harry Mosquito
Ashley Tisdale as the leader of the Blueberry Scouts
Jan Rabson and Carlos Alazraqui as Axle and Loco
Bob Bergen as Aphie
Jack Angel as Thud

Crew:
Directed by John Lasseter
Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery, and Bob Shaw
Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Joe Ranft
Produced by Darla K. Anderson and Kevin Reher
Music by Randy Newman

Misc.
Production companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date: November 20, 1998
Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes