Opened: October 2, 1998

Directed by: Eric Darnell & Tim Johnson

Starring: Woody Allen, Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone, Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Lopez, Christopher Walken, Danny Glover, Anne Bancroft, Dan Aykroyd, Grant Shaud, John Mahoney, Jane Curtin, Paul Mazursky, Jerry Sroka, Jim Cummings & April Winchell

As the first animated movie from DreamWorks, Antz boasts an all-star cast, but the animation is hard to watch with a storyline that follows too close to Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, which was released just a month later.

Z (Woody Allen) is an anxious worker ant who dreams of a life outside his colony. He falls in love with Princess Bala (Sharon Stone). The two uncover General Mandible’s (Gene Hackman) plot against the colony and must work together to stop him.

Being the first effort from DreamWorks, the story is surprisingly adult themed. There are several instances of swearing and the plot is much more dangerous than its Pixar competition. Similarly, the ants all look very similar with a consistently dull color scheme versus the bright colors of A Bug’s Life.

Final say: DreamWorks luckily grew after this film. ★★☆☆☆