Review of The Ant Bully (2006) by Rebecca H — 15 Sep 2009

Cashing in on the ant story about a decade after everyone else did it, The Ant Bully at least has a decent moral, even if the animation is overly familiar - seriously, if computer animation is this restrictive, go back to proper animation.

Lucas is picked on by taller kids, so in turn picks on ants. Unfortunately for him, Zoc, the wizard ant (voiced by an amusing Nicolas Cage), has made a potion that will turn Lucas as small as an ant. Now he has to learn their ways, and avoid getting exterminated.

Quite funny, this is also very well designed and thought out from an ant POV, which is a pleasing amount of effort considering what schlock generally passes as good enough for children's films these days. On the down side, the balance of Lucas versus Zoc in who is the main character gives the film a feeling of unbalance and the plot and pace is far too fast. Still, recommended for children.