Recommended films

Director

Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson

Cast

Woody Allen (Z), Sylvester Stallone (Weaver), Sharon Stone (Bala), Gene Hackman (Mandible), Christopher Walken (Cutter), Dan Aykroyd, Danny Glover

Screenplay

Todd Alcott and Chris Weitz

Format

Computer generated animation

Language

English

Running time

88 minutes

Classification

PG

Distributor

Dreamworks

Genre

Fantasy adventure

Setting

An ant colony

Main characters

Z, Princess Bala, General Mandible, Weaver, Cutter

Narrative focus

Z's attempts to break free of the routine of colony life

Synopsis

Ant Z wants a life away from the colony and the routine of following orders without questioning. He wants to be an individual. Through a chance encounter he meets the princess of the colony and falls in love with her. In an effort to impress her, he joins a military parade and soon finds himself in a battle between ants and termites. Z is the only survivor and is given a hero's welcome. Z, his confidence newly invigorated, decided to head for a better life beyond the colony with Princess Bala at his side. However, Mandible is threatened by Z's behaviour because he wants to marry into the royal family and take over the colony. Z and the princess find themselves out in the world and Z begins his journey to find Insectopia, a fabled place where insects can live freely. Back in the colony Mandible begins his plan to seize power and eradicate the weakest members. Ultimately he is foiled by a communal ant effort to ensure the safety of the population. Z confronts Mandible and brings his plans to an end; the survival of the colony is ensured.

Background

This was the first animated feature film from, Dreamworks, then new Hollywood studio, and among the first computer-animated films to be made. In keeping with Hollywood's use of the star persona as a device for generating meaning, Antz appeals to our familiarity with the screen personas of Woody Allen, known for his neurotic, urban outlook on life, Sharon Stone, as a sex symbol, Sylvester Stallone, as a tough guy and Gene Hackman as a bad guy. While these characters may be, for the most part, unrecognised by young viewers, for older viewers their personas add an additional layer of amusement to the characters.

Commentary

As an example of the new computer-animation genre, the film is strong on story and uses computer-animation's great strengths (replicating numbers of characters and simulating live action camera moves) to convey the size of the ant colony and to emphasise the sense of uniformity that its protagonist reacts against. The film's thematic achievement is in allowing the fantasy adventure scenario an opportunity to acknowledge universal issues of personal identity, self-value, community and the dynamic between the strong and the weak. Antz can also be explored as a political/social commentary. In the opening sequences, which establish life in the colony, many of the shots are wide shots emphasising the vast number of ants at work and the uniformity of their lives. Barbados's death and his dying words to Z on the battlefield, when he tells Z not to live a life following orders, emphasises the theme of the individual in society.

Also recommended

A Bug's Life (US, 1998, John Lasseter/Andrew Stanton) deals with an outside threat to an ant colony, but again emphasises the relationship between the individual and the community. Animal Farm (UK, 1955, Halas and Batchelor) is an animated feature that adapts George Orwell's novel and its critique of government.

Teaching suggestions (Key Stage 3, age 11-14)

Citizenship focus

• The electoral system and importance of voting – democratic processes
• Legal and human rights that underpin society

Subject links:

Art and design: Explore how this particular form of animation has been used to deal with an otherwise 'heavy' subject. Compare it with Animal Farm.

Freeze frame

Watch the final scene of the film and pause it on the image of the ant 'ladder'.

• How do the individual ants become one?
• What is the significance of this collective action?
• What are the dangers for Z as a popular hero?
• What could happen if Z's power went to his head?
• What does the slow zoom reveal to the audience?

Sound and image

Listen to the opening sequence of the film with the image blocked out:

• Where would this scene be happening if it were a realistic live-action film?
• What kind of person would the speaker be?
• What would the character of Z look like?
• Why do you think the filmmakers cast Woody Allen for the voice of Z?
• Who speaks at the end of the scene?
• What do you think of this approach to the 'system' and the individual's place within it?

Generic translation

Watch the scene where General Mandible gives his 'Sacrifice' speech to the soldiers:

• What are the real motives behind the war against the termites?
• What are the General's true feelings about the colony and loss of loyal soldiers lives?

Ask students to imagine:

• You are a journalist who has got a 'scoop' - the 'leaked' conversations between General Mandible and Colonel Cutter ordering the murder of Z and the sealing of the tunnel
• Write up the story as newspaper report

Attracting audiences

Ask students to redesign the video cover to appeal to adult audience. They will need to highlight the political and social implications of the film's message and come up with a tag line that draws attention to the social satire rather than the 'fantasy' plot and characters.

Discussion

These questions can be used as starting points from which you can begin to draw out the more general issues to do with social organisations and democracy:

• What are the different groups of ants that exist in the ant colony?
• How are all the ant citizens divided up into groups at birth?
• What are the different kinds of jobs the ants are allowed to do?
• What privileges do some ants have that others are denied?
• Which group of ants has the most power?
• How is political power shown to corrupt?
• What does Insectopia represent for the ants?
• What does Insectopia represent to us?
• How does General Mandible exploit the soldier ants?
• How does he exploit the worker ants?
• How does he manipulate the Queen?
• Why does Z decide to challenge the system?
• How is individual action shown to bring about responsible collective action?
• Why did the animators base the story on an ant colony rather than on another animal group?
• How is the final image of the New York skyline significant to the film's 'message'?

More generally:

• What is a 'free press' and why is it important?
• Research examples of news reports in print or on television that have influenced public opinion and/or brought about change in government policy.
• How might privacy laws affect the 'power' of the press and what is the regulation body that deals with this?

Practical production work

• Watch a wildlife documentary about animals that live in groups, with the sound down. Discuss whether the animals are working/acting collectively?
• Watch it again with the sound up. What difference do the voiceover and/or music make?
• Write a script which uses animals as a metaphor for how people behave and treat each other. Focus on an issue such as how human rights are denied to some groups in society.