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Antz is a computer-animated film produced by DreamWorks, released in 1998. It features the voices of well-known actors such as Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, Anne Bancroft, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken and Danny Glover as various members of an ant society. Some of the main characters share facial similarities with the actors who voice them. *
Plot
The setting for the story is an ant colony in Central Park in New York City. The protagonist (voiced by Woody Allen) is an ant named Z-4195, or Z for short. Z is a neurotic and individualistic soul living in a society that values strength and conformity. Z dreams of a better place where he can truly be himself, and upon hearing a drunk talking about Insectopia, he becomes convinced the place exists. During the same night Z meets Princess Bala in the bar and they dance together. Z has no idea who she is and falls madly in love with her. When he discovers her true identity, he begs and pleads his best friend Weaver, a soldier ant, to trade places with him for just one day, so that he can meet the princess again. Weaver agrees, unaware that the military ruler of the colony, General Mandible is planning on sending The Queen's army to war against the vicious termites.
Z believes he is going for a mere royal inspection, but General Mandible orders all the troops to war. Z ends up fighting with the termites in a night battle. Z is the only survivor of the terrible battle and makes his way back to the colony. Upon his return, Z is hailed as a war hero, and General Mandible congratulates him on his valiant efforts. When Z is presented to The Queen and Princess Bala, he accidentally reveals his love for Bala. General Mandible is furious and orders Z's arrest, Z then steps back and falls down the rubbish chute, grabbing Bala as he does so. They are both stranded in the desert, and Z begins his journey to Insectopia, along with Princess Bala. Word has spread throughout the colony and the workers refuse to work. Instead they take up a protest march, demanding individualism and choice. General Mandible stands upon a balcony and portrays Z as a villain who does not care for the workers. Upon making this speech, Mandible notices Weaver amongst the worker crowd and orders him bought to his office. General Mandible has Weaver beaten to a pulp and asks him where Z would flee to. Weaver refuses to speak up and so Mandible begins to torture Azteca, even though she is an innocent worker. Weaver can take no more, and replies "Insectopia". Mandible sends out his most loyal and trusted officer Colonel Cutter to locate Princess Bala and kill Z.
Meanwhile Z and Bala have found Insectopia, and Bala starts to reciprocate Z's feelings. Just as the couple get cosy in the insect paradise, Cutter intrudes and recaptures Bala. Z escapes Cutter, but turns back towards the colony to rescue Bala. Bala, upon returning is not taken to her mother, but taken to General Mandible. There he starts to rave about washing away the filth of the colony and starting a new pure colony. Mandible orders Bala to be locked up while he puts his plan into action. Z returns, rescues Bala from captivity, and uncovers the general's plans to eliminate the Queen and the workers by flooding the colony using the workers mega tunnel, leaving his pure race of ants to rule the colony. Z and Bala rush to save the colony but they are too late. The colony has been flooded and Mandible has fled with his troops. Z calls upon the workers to make a ladder so they can break through the colony roof and avoid drowning. As the ladder is formed, Weaver holds it up by himself, ordering Z and his new girlfriend Azteca to reach the top and break through. Z achieves this, and the workers break through to Mandible's speech. Z begs for help and Mandible grabs a spear, determined to finish off the ant that has caused him so much grief. Cutter steps forward and knocks Mandible aside. Cutter, tired of his friend's cruelty, helps Z up to safety. Mandible is furious and charges at Cutter to attack him, but Z pushes the colonel aside and it is he who Mandible knocks over. Z and Mandible both fall into the colony, Mandible hits a thick root whilst falling and dies, while Z lands in the water, while Cutter and the soldiers help the workers up to safety. Then Cutter dives down into the watery colony to save Z. Cutter grabs Z and flies up to safety.
Z is hailed a hero and marries Bala, the colony is rebuilt and Cutter is promoted from colonel to general. The colony is transformed from a hard military state that values conformity to a democratic state that values individualism.
Reception
Its cinematic release was somewhat overshadowed by Pixar's A Bug's Life, which was also a computer animated film based on the adventures of a misfit ant who falls for the princess of the colony. Antz is not as child-centric as A Bug's Life. It deals with slightly more complex themes, including conformity and war, and its imagery is less colorful and more realistic; for example, the ants' coloration is orange-brown rather than bright blue and the ants in Antz have six extremities (four legs and two arms) rather than four. The film shows the transition of the colony from an autocracy to a communism. General Mandible's plan to "wash away the filth of the colony" is reminiscent of Adolf Hitler's "Final Solution". There are also parallels to Marxism, as well as to Lois Lowry's famed book, The Giver. The film grossed 90 million domestically. *
References
IMDb
External links
1998 films | Computer-animated films | Anthropomorphic films | Fictional ants | DreamWorks animated films | DreamWorks films
Antz | Hormigaz | FourmiZ | עבודת נמלים (סרט) | Antz
"Antz"