Antz

I thought there something of the carved about the animations here in this predictable but still quite mischievous story of "Zee" (or "Zed" for those of us who actually speak the King's English). He's a put-upon worker ant who is a bit fed up with his lot in life and who has also taken a bit of a shine to the princess "Bala". She's well out of his league - and has no problem telling him so, but when they find themselves lost outside of their pretty vast formicary, and then privy to some information about the nefarious plans of the scheming general "Mandible", it would appear that teamwork is now the order of the day. Can they get back to their home in time to tell the queen of the plot and save their thousands of fellow citizens? What do you think? No, jeopardy isn't high on anyone's list here but in many ways the use of ants on their daily grinds reminds us of so many comparable human existences and it also points out that just because she might look regal on her throne, the queen churning out an egg every twenty seconds isn't exactly siting on the beach either. Looks can be deceiving, too. There's plenty of action for the youngsters to enjoy with great big trainers from the human world threatening all with a good squishing, and there is an understated but clear message for the grown-ups about managing life's expectations combined with a sort of carpe diem: reach for the sky but keep your feet on the ground kind of thing. There's some comedy throughout and though I didn't quite understand the aerodynamics of the denouement, I did find this an effortless eighty minutes to watch and it sends a salutary message to litterers and chewing gum chewers the world over!