October 1–8, 1998

movie shorts

Antz

For everybody who is interested in animation, especially in animated features, and especially in the progress of CGI. In other words, it's not for everybody. The quality of the animation is very good, giving the ants a grainy texture and fairly realistic (humanoid) movement. But I don't see kids flocking to it: There's no "cute sidekick," no big-chorus production numbers, and the allusions (1984, Metropolis, Logan's Run, Hair) are more than fleeting in-jokes—they're the backbone of the whole story. Then again, as far as adult appeal, the characters are, well, cartoons (Woody Allen's even more so than his live-action persona), and the plot is an antheap of age-old dystopian clichés, with a startling new theme: Think for yourself! Not exactly as profound as, say, The Wedding Singer. And as for that lucrative teenage boy quotient, the action scenes are few and far between, and the overall color scheme is dark brown. But for those suckers who, like me, are fascinated by the ongoing evolution of animated films, ANTZ is a must.

—Vance Lehmkuhl