The Ant Bully 2006

Critics score:
63 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Peter Debruge, Miami Herald: ... The Ant Bully is just a great ride, but all that moralizing diminishes the fun of feeling ant-sized yourself and being immersed in Lucas's incredible adventures. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: The Ant Bully isn't a kid classic, but it's an enjoyable diversion until the next ant movie comes along. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: The Ant Bully won't ruin anybody's childhood. Neither is it likely to make anybody's day. Read more

Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle: The brilliance of The Ant Bully is in the crafty way it delves into the minds of ants as they plot to save themselves from extermination... Davis creates a marvelously labyrinthine society for them, right below the surface of a bland suburb. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: The Ant Bully is never less than colorful and high-energy. But it's hard to shake the feeling that we've all gone up this hill before. Read more

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Ant Bully is the first of the summer's many animated features that doesn't somehow feel familiar. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: In spite of its predictability, it's a nifty story in the abstract, and Davis certainly makes the most of the opportunity to examine the world from an ant's-eye view ... Read more

Bill Muller, Arizona Republic: The Ant Bully, in trying to match Antz or A Bug's Life, just digs itself into a big hole. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: The movie has a great time playing with ideas of scope and perspective, shifting between microscopic and macroscopic. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: There's a sweet simplicity and humility to this film. Amid all the animation hype, it's just a very good movie. It's no big deal; and thus, it is. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: An effortlessly clever animated confection directed by Jimmy Neutron creator John A. Davis. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: If the Ant Bully story is generic, it is never plodding. It zips along quite nicely, aided by the especially well-constructed action sequences. Read more

Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail: The Ant Bully, which was three years in the making, seems fussed over and, occasionally, a little dull. Read more

Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News: The Ant Bully is fun to look at, and Lucas' recognition of the strength in numbers leads to solid character growth. Read more

Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly: Wittily manipulating scale to generate the requisite fright factor, the movie is stuffed with visual delights both lyrical and visceral. Read more

Stephen Williams, Newsday: Luc's transformation from ant destructor to ant protector illustrates a lesson told many times before, but rarely with such down-to-earth charm. Read more

Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger: While the picture has the star power of Nicolas Cage and Julia Roberts voicing insects in love, they're not nearly as interesting a couple as Woody Allen and Sharon Stone in Antz. Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: The Ant Bully does not talk down to kids or feign to talk up to their parents with pop references, though adults may be amused (or maybe not) by the Christian parallel in the ants' religion. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The Ant Bully is a sore disappointment to anyone hoping for a turnaround to the recent downward quality spiral of animated films. In fact, this movie may represent a new nadir for 3D animation. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun-Times: In a year when already we've been treated to a wonderful collection of animated films The Ant Bully is a delightful addition. It teaches us a lesson about acceptance without it cramming it down our throats. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Bright visuals, snappy dialogue and a smart plot make The Ant Bully a welcome summer treat. Read more

Anna Smith, Time Out: Kiddie-friendly toilet humour, a whiff of suspense and familiar voice actors make it passably entertaining, but there's little warmth or emotional satisfaction to be had from its cynical characters. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Though the story is predictable, the message is benign, and the visuals, particularly in IMAX 3-D, are stylized and surreal. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: The Ant Bully is lovely to look at but a headache to listen to. Read more

Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice: The Ant Bully's just a little movie about a little guy who turns into a little bug for a little while, and learns some big things in the process -- and sometimes, a little can go a very long way. Read more

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post: The movie is an epic adventure with a rigorously moral point of view. Read more