Yes, I think it’s definitely a stylistic choice. They try to emulate different animation styles for each animated show.
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February 24, 2023
A Bug’s Life (1998)
I hadn’t seen this one in probably 20+ years! It holds up pretty well. Thoughts:
- The score is really good. A lot of the music has been used in Disney parks so I’m familiar with some of the themes even though I haven’t watched it in forever.
- I was surprised to see that Hayden Panettierre played Dot! I didn’t realize she was a child actress. I know her from Heroes. Now I see she was in Dinosaur and Remember the Titans as well.
- The humor in this movie is top notch. I especially love Heimlich.
- My favorite part of the movie is when the kids are putting on the play and it ends with a little girl saying, “I die! Die! Die!”
- The grasshopper parts are quite scary. My little girls stopped watching cause they didn’t like being scared. The ending with Hopper’s fate is pretty gruesome.
- The moral of the story about how tyrants rely on the masses not realizing their own power is timeless and relevant.
- The animation was still developing at this point and it wasn’t seamless, but still quite good.
Overall it still isn’t my favorite Pixar movie by any stretch. But it was worth rewatching. 3 stars - solid, but not outstanding for a Pixar film.
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I updated this. No surprise here.
I just remembered we used to make fun of my dad because he would call it “It’s a Bug’s Life,” mixing up the title with “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
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I take it they’re not fans of ITTBAB at AK?
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I had to take Anne out of the theater for ITTBaB within the first couple of minutes. Jane doesn’t remember it but she watched it and I think she was fine. Jane is the one who will start crying if I mention the title “Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
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Yea I’m traumatized from ITTBAB as a child. I definitely cried, and haven’t gone back 
Also Hunchback is a sad movie! Good, and great music, but super sad. Or is she crying from fear? 
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I was just watching a rerun of The Office where Michael went on a long tangent about Antz and A Bug’s Life. It made me laugh.
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She was disturbed by Hunchback. A combination of Quasimodo’s appearance and the way he was abused by the crowd.
I love the movie because of the music, but it isn’t the most “fun.”
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That’s fair, he is kind of supposed to evoke that I think. I have the same feelings about it, I love the music and enjoy watching it, but have to be in the mood and can’t watch it super frequently like I might some others
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Bug’s Life is one of my least favorite of Pixar and not that interesting or compelling to me, but there may be a few redeeming qualities in there somewhere. 
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RIP Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train! 
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Seriously! I miss A Bug’s Land. My kids are almost grown out of that phase, but it was such a nice refuge from the bustle of the parks.
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That’s my favorite part, too!
I loved the story and it’s in my top five Pixar movies.
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I miss A Bug’s Land & the music there was awesome! I have who DD who misses it even more.
She adored A Bug’s Land, Tough to be a Bug was one of her favorite attractions & Heimlich’s & the bumper cars were right up there too (she was of course the target age for all the rides there). And while she still had her favorites safely nestled in DCA, she adored Spider-Man & was starting to get into Marvel/Avengers.
The second Marvel was announced to take its physical place she developed an immediate grudge, refuses to like it & puts up with the time the rest of us like to spend in Avengers Campus or watch Marvel series/movies.
And once the land closed, we couldn’t watch A Bug’s Life for at least 2-3 years. It made her too sad and would induce tears. And she would randomly think about it having closed with little to reminder & get emotional. I actually have a photo of her randomly one day bursting out into full-down tears in our backyard on a day at home, about A Bug’s Land.
After it was announced and before it closed, make sure we focused a LOT of time. We already spent a good chunk of time there but the last summer it was around we went at least 3 times and all of those trips just have endless pictures of all of us enjoying a Bug’s Land. And on the last night of our last visit before it closed, we decided to sit on a bench taking in the calming insect sounds at nighttime after the park had closed but they hadn’t yet swept the area. It was a good sendoff.
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That is cute and sad but also a little funny! I hope she grows to like Avengers Campus. Change is constant at Disney! I’m glad you got in that focused time before it closed. We did too, but I wish I had thought to just sit and listen. I can sort of imagine it in my mind’s eye though.
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@Jeff_AZ - you know about John Ratzenberger having a voice cameo in nearly all of the Pixar movies right? Your fam should try to listen for him and spot him in each film!
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I’ve been listening for him but I don’t know if the kids will be able to recognize him. He’s the pig in Toy Story and P.T. Flea in A Bug’s Life, right?
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Yes! And I’m watching Monsters inc right now - he’s the abominable snowman. He’s obvious in some more than others for sure.
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I always listen for him and would never in a million years have worked out who he was in Brave without googling it.
I think I’ve identified him in the rest though
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I haven’t fully watched all of the films. I’ve only half watched Brave (you know - when it’s on in the background). Google tells me he’s in Coco too and I don’t know where. I need to watch again to spot him. It’s a fun activity.
Google also says he’s not in Luca or Soul.
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