Antz (1998)
Animation, Adventure, Comedy.
Antz begins with worker ant Z discussing his feelings of insignificance with a shrink (voice of Paul Mazursky) before heading off to his tunnel-digging job, work supervised by General Mandible (Gene Hackman) and Colonel Cutter (Christopher Walken). Mandible has big dreams of conquest, and he convinces the Queen (Anne Bancroft) an attack is necessary to prevent a termite invasion. Her daughter is Princess Bala (Sharon Stone), who’s not overly enchanted by her engagement to Mandible. The Princess goes slumming, visiting the bar where Z hangs out with his friend Weaver (Sylvester Stallone).
To the tune of “Guantanamera,” Bala dances with Z in a scene with allusions to the dance in Pulp Fiction (1994). Entranced by the encounter, Z convinces Weaver to swap places, so a military parade will allow him to see Bala in the reviewing stand. Befriended by soldier ant Barbatus (Danny Glover) during the parade, Z nervously realizes he’s actually marching into battle. Attacked by termites, the troops experience horrors highly reminiscent of the Starship Troopers (1997) bug battles. The dying Barbatus tells Z, “Don’t follow orders all your life.” As the only survivor of the slaughter, Z returns home a war hero. Threatened by Mandible, Bala and Z are thrown together in a journey into the outside world, and they travel toward the legendary Insectopia. Major city newspaper critics were almost unanimous in their praise of Antz.
Directors: Eric Darnell, Tim Johnson
Writers: Todd Alcott, Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
Stars: Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Sylvester Stallone, Danny Glover, Jennifer Lopez, Christopher Walken
►Cast:
| Woody Allen | ► | Z (voice) |
| Dan Aykroyd | ► | Chip (voice) |
| Anne Bancroft | ► | Queen (voice) |
| Jane Curtin | ► | Muffy (voice) |
| Danny Glover | ► | Barbatus (voice) |
| Gene Hackman | ► | Mandible (voice) |
| Jennifer Lopez | ► | Azteca (voice) |
| John Mahoney | ► | Drunk Scout (voice) |
| Paul Mazursky | ► | Psychologist (voice) |
| Grant Shaud | ► | Foreman (voice) |
| Sylvester Stallone | ► | Weaver (voice) |
| Sharon Stone | ► | Bala (voice) |
| Christopher Walken | ► | Cutter (voice) |
| Jim Cummings | ► | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Jerry Sroka | ► | Additional Voices (voice) |
| April Winchell | ► | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Jack Angel | ► | The One Worker |
| Eric Darnell | ► | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Bill Farmer | ► | The One Worker |
| Pat Fry | ► | Worker Ants / Termites |
| Mickie McGowan | ► | Various Ants |
| Patrick Pinney | ► | The One Worker |
| Phil Proctor | ► | Various Ants |
| Marty Sixkiller | ► | Army Vocalist (voice) |