Review of A Bug's Life (1998) by The Critic ( — 01 Feb 2015

A very cute and beautifully animated film from the Pixar team. Bumbling hero Flik (Dave Foley) is immediately engaging and his journey of redemption and survival is at the core of the plot. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Phyllis Diller are perfectly cast as the regal leaders of his community and there's an assortment of colourful characters who add depth, heart and humour to the proceedings; overweight caterpillar Heimlich (Joe Ranft) and short-tempered male ladybug Francis (Denis Leary) are unsurprising crowd favourites.

However, there's no denying that it's Kevin Spacey who steals the show. As the wicked antagonist, he's the centre of some pretty dark and edgy scenes here, thus giving a greater complexity and maturity to this sort of storytelling than the previously dominant Disney Studios.

A resounding success that will have broad appeal.