Review of Antz: Collector`s Series

Introduction

Times are hard for little ant ‘Z’. Head-over-heels in love with Princess Bala, his chances of being noticed are, to say the least, very small indeed. Drastic measures are needed, so Z decides to switch places with a soldier ant pal and attempt to impress her with heroic deeds. But poor old Z bites off a bit more than his little mandibles can chew. Soon we find ourselves engrossed in a thoroughly enjoyable tale of heroism and sheer determination as Z battles termites, searches for ‘Insectopia’ and eventually confronts the evil General Mandible who has plans to eradicate the ant colony…

Arriving around the same time in cinemas as Disney/Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life”, this DreamWorks (and PDI) production achieved critical acclaim for its unique ant’s eye-level view of the world. Lawyers from both studios must’ve been in a frenzy to see if there were grounds for litigation, such is the initial feeling of similarity one gets when confronted with these two movies. However, upon viewing it quickly becomes apparent that although the movie’s subject species are the same, the story lines, animation styles and production values are very different indeed.

But is there enough room in the insect movie marketplace for two ant-related epics? Let’s go below ground, to the dark maze-like habitat of Z’s colony and find out…

Video

A direct digital source-to-DVD transfer ensures that we get tip-top image quality. The 1.85:1 anamorphic picture is incredibly sharp and manages to convey a great deal of detail. Deep, accurate colours prevail throughout with the darker shots of the inside of the colony coming over with no bleeding or shadowing problems. Very impressive stuff and yet another reminder as to why DVD is the movie fans’ best buddy.

Audio

DD5.1 provides for a lively audio presentation with suitably impressive insect-related surround effects enveloping the viewer. The musical score is great, with both up-tempo and darker tracks matching the movie’s mood perfectly.

But what really makes this movie is the high quality of the vocal talent. Woody Allen is suitably cast as our hero Z, with Sylvester Stallone as his pal Weaver, Sharon Stone as Princess Bala and the despicable General Mandible portrayed with great feeling by Gene Hackman. Other fabulous performances by stars that include Danny Glover, Jennifer Lopez, Christopher Walken and Dan Aykroyd help turn this CG tale into superb family entertainment.

Features

DreamWorks has chosen to provide us with a good range of quality extras for this DVD.

The audio commentary is captivating, with directors Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson giving some very interesting background information on how the movie was created and filmed. Their input is of good quality with rarely a quiet moment. I thoroughly recommend listening to this to gain some appreciation of the work that went into the creation of this masterpiece.

Next up is a behind-the-scenes featurette that provides some useful insight into the creation process with some of the key animation staff, as well as the directors and producers, giving input. During the course of this feature, various technical issues are explained and demonstrated.

Also included are three short features on: ‘Basics of Computer Animation’, ‘Facial Animation’ and ‘Character Design’. There are interesting while they last, but are a bit too lightweight and don’t really answer many questions.

Lastly we have the obligatory theatrical trailer. A bit more exciting than most, it really does give a taste of what the movie is all about.

Conclusion

What a fun movie. The digital world that DreamWorks and PDI have created is totally believable and full of rich textures, accurate models and complex backdrops. It is amazing to think that even 5 years ago, this movie would’ve been impossible to produce such is the huge amount of processing power needed to render the movie’s scenes. Quite what the next 5 years has in store is anybody’s guess and boy, I for one cannot wait!

This disk is more than a match for “A Bug’s Life” and although the story and approach is different enough, comparisons between the two will be made. I am pleased to report that this movie is as deserving as its Disney rival to sit proudly in any DVD collection. With its decent set of extras, I can recommend this disk without question.