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| Category | Animation | Theatrical Trailer(s) | None |
| Rating |  |
Other Trailer(s) | None |
| Year Released | 1998 | Commentary Tracks | None |
| Running Time | 91:02 minutes | Other Extras | Featurette-Geri's Game (4 mins)
Outtakes Alternate Outtakes |
| RSDL/Flipper | No,No |
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| Start Up | Movie | ||
| Region | 2,4 | Director | John Lasseter |
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Distributor |
Warner Home Video |
Starring | |
| Case | Amaray | ||
| RRP | $34.95 | Music | Randy Newman |
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| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame | MPEG | None |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | Dolby Digital | 5.1 |
| 16x9 Enhancement | Yes | Soundtrack Languages | English (Dolby Digital 5.1, 384 Kb/s) |
| Theatrical Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 |
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| Macrovision | ? | Smoking | No |
| Subtitles | English
English for the Hearing Impaired |
Annoying Product Placement | No |
| Action In or After Credits | Yes, oh yes indeed | ||
Erstwhile hero Flik (Dave Foley) is a worker ant (who dreams of greatness) in a colony subjugated by a band of ravenous grasshoppers led by Hopper (Kevin Spacey), who annually descend upon the colony to partake of a food offering. After a particularly problematic annual visit, as a result of Flik destroying the annual food offering, the Queen's daughter, Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), agrees to send Flik off in search of warrior bugs to rid the colony of the grasshoppers - at least that is what Flik thinks; she really just wants to get rid of the meddlesome inventiveness of Flik. As a result of his mission, Flik hires a flea circus troupe of bugs believing them to be mighty warrior bugs, and when they arrive back at the ant colony they are greeted as saviours. What follows is the confrontation between the ant colony and the grasshoppers, as the ants come to realize that the natural order of things is not what they have been led to believe, and the warrior bugs are definitely not what they thought.
Okay, the story is not a literary classic, but thanks to the wizardry of Pixar's animation, there is so much to enjoy here. The story has a lot of humour, including a number of sly digs at previous Disney animated classics. This is digital animation that is unlike anything seen before, even leaving the eye-popping animation of Toy Story for dead. Indeed, it is almost scary as to how good the animation is getting in both its definition and its subtlety.
The transfer is presented on one side of the disc at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, which is 16x9 enhanced, and on the other a full frame presentation of the movie that is unlike any other full frame version, as this is a true full frame composite from the digital source.
The transfer sets new standards in clarity and sharpness that simply has to be seen to be believed. Shadow detail is naturally stunning and if there is anything wrong with this transfer then I definitely have not been able to find it - despite repeated viewings.
The colours are beautifully rendered, although still somewhat muted in my view. This is an impression I had of the Region 1 release and I still believe that the colours should be more vibrant. However, what we have is exactly what Pixar intended obviously. Colour oversaturation? Colour bleed? Do not even think about it.
Name any artefact you like, and it is completely absent from this transfer. This is as pristine as you can possibly get, since it is digital from go to whoa.
There is only one soundtrack on the DVD, a glorious English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack.
Dialogue was always absolutely clear and easy to understand.
Audio sync problems? Yeah, right.
The score by Randy Newman, who also did Toy Story, is good and it really contributes well to the film, especially with the recurring use of the main theme throughout the film. He seems to be developing quite a consistent style in his film work, which may become a problem if he also does Toy Story 2 (and the almost inevitable A Bug's Life 2??).
This is a gloriously detailed soundtrack with some wonderful use of the surround channels, especially echo effects through the rear channels. Some of the subtlety in the soundtrack was a joy to listen to, and I felt this to be a better soundtrack than the Region 1 version. You are very nicely inserted into the soundscape.
The bass channel was pretty well used throughout the film, mainly where flight action and fight action was involved.
The overall video quality is simply unrivalled.
The overall audio quality is stunning.
The extras small in number but superb in quality.
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| Plot |  |
| Overall | |
© Ian Morris
3rd October 1999
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| DVD | Pioneer DV-515; S-video output |
| Display | Sony Trinitron Wega 84cm |
| Audio Decoder | Built in |
| Amplification | Yamaha RXV-795 |
| Speakers | Energy Speakers: centre EXLC; left and right EXLR; and subwoofer ES-12XL |