Pixar's 2nd feature, Bug's Life, finds them expanding their animation palette, expanding the boundaries of storytelling, and getting a little muddled in the process. This IS a very good movie, one that for the most part delights and enthralls, but something is lacking here. After reflecting on it a moment, I think the main element is forcing things in an unnatural way with not completely fleshed out characters. Pixar films have a way of taking great stories, telling them very effectively, and letting them unfold at a natural pace. And that's the problem (albeit a minor one) with Bug's Life. There are the multitude of jokes, but this time some work and some don't. Some of the characters, especially the circus crew, are not fleshed out well at all. Instead, they seem as superficial as cardboard caricatures who when they react to certain situation, leave us with no insights or surprises. And Flick himself is not the most engaging lead (maybe it was the high pitch of Foley's voice?). Couple that with jokes that aren't quite as funny and you get a movie where a lot of love was poured into the animation (which is fabulous) and good intent was poured into a potentially great story but where I felt something lacking. That being said, it still is Pixar, and it still dazzles! There is one scene at the locust hangout that might be a little too brutal for small kids, but it is for the most part age appropriate for all ages. A good, but not great Pixar film. They would correct this with a succession of absolutely brilliant films which would last from their next all the way through Up! Not bad from a single studio, eh?
Review of A Bug's Life
