A Bug's Life

Cute and clever, "A Bug's Life" is a relatively straight retelling of Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai," except of course that the characters are bugs! Idealistic young ant Flik is a sweet-natured dreamer and inventor. But his innovative thinking makes him an outcast when one of his inventions goes awry and destroys the food sacrifice that the colony makes annually to a gang of grasshopper hooligans led by the sinister Hopper. Disgraced, Flik is sent to look for "warrior bugs," mercenaries to fight them. What he finds--and hires--are a motley crew of circus bugs including a preening master-thespian mantis, a glamorous gypsy moth, a cranky ladybug, a dimwitted beetle, and sundry other dimwitted, craven troupers. The ant colony is inspired by the troupe and mobilizes, but when they discover that the "warriors" are just circus clowns they lose faith. In the end, of course, Flik and crew save the day and free the colony from the oppressive grasshoppers.… (more)