Being a part of the majority of every child’s childhood
Being a part of the majority of every child’s childhood, the entertainment that animated films bring to younger lives imprint and leave marks on a child’s memory. With the adult humour, sarcasm, and mockery that the majority of these so called ‘children movies’ contain make them suitable and loved towards that of the elder generations of today’s society. Yet, the two comparable and compatible films of 1998 which seemed to be popular towards young children and young adults, both consist of and show the lives of insects and arthropods. However, throughout both films it can be seen that they are equally similar in several forms to which are near to be identical to the context and perspectives of both animated films. Yet, it was to some coincidence that the two highly alike films were to be released to the world just a matter of weeks apart from one another, with Antz releasing before A Bug’s Life on the 2nd of October in the year of 1998, and A Bug’s Life releasing not long afterwards on the 25th of November 1998. Causing controversy years down the track, Antz and A Bug’s Life, likewise to any other film made, there are themes which are based around the story lines of the movies to structure and shape the entirety of the film. So, within both Antz and A Bug’s Life there are many themes which can be seen that form the movies, these may include freedom, socialism, conflict, conformism and authority, communism, and individualism.
Over the course of viewing the equally similar context films it can be considered that one of the many themes which sculpture the films and are distributed throughout both movies is that of individualism. Individualism can be found through the sources of the main characters through both Antz and A Bug’s Life. Furthermore, the movie of Antz tends to be about the life of an ant by the name of Z, or can also be known by the name of Z-4195, who seems to be just another ant within a colony of millions. At the beginning Z talks to a psychologist about feeling insignificant and was within a need for attention as a youngster but being within a totalitarian community of millions which strictly follows rules and regulations it made it hard for Z to capture the attention he needed in his younger years. It can be concluded that because Z was not getting enough attention and consideration as a young ant could be a possible factor to why Z talks too much and thinks about what could be, rather than what is.
However, it can clearly be seen throughout the film of Antz that all of the workers and soldiers that are within Z’s colony abide by the rules of the totalitarian community and follow the orders which they are given from their leaders. Unlike the rest of the colony who only believe in the stringent and stern lifestyle of the colony and nothing else, Z believes within the individual lifestyle and what it has to offer. But being given a lifetime role as a larva, determining whether or not the larvae will become a worker or soldier, does not give anyone within the colony freedom or a choice in what career they would like to pursue. As all of the ants which live within the colony follow what their order which they are given and to do as what they are coerced to do, and not what they would like to do as an individual. Z, the main character of the young adult based film, tends to show an immense amount of individualism throughout the entirety of the seemingly realistic film. The lifestyle of Z-4195 is filled with the aroma of individualism, with the preferences of being free, self-sufficient, and independent, Z would rather be a free individual other than relying on society to determine his likings and what should and should not happen within his life and the colony of millions.
Because of Z being the type of somebody who favours the autonomous lifestyle, who thinks outside of the box when it comes to personal desires, who thinks that everyone can be more than just a little ant in a community of millions who moves earth all day. Z believes that there is more to the ant life than moving rubble and marching to the beat of the army drum all day, Z refuses to let society shape him or his lifestyle as an individual, however, when the animated film of Antz came to an ending it could be established that Z realised that he needed to find a balance between his individualistic lifestyle and his conformist society. All in all, Z accepts the fact that he needs to still work to earn his place within the colony, even if it does involve moving earth, yet other ants have also come to the acceptance that everyone needs their own life, their own individual life to live freely, but to yet still accomplish the working lifestyle.
Similarly, within A Bug’s Life, the main character by the name of Flick, holds a strong intelligence unlike any other ant within his colony. Inventing, creating and producing advanced complex objects in the attempt to make light and easy work for his colony to gather more food faster, but for not only themselves but their nemeses, the grasshoppers. Flick uses his individuality and intelligence to strive when making the effort to generate a better society, with the immense use of persuasion in the challenge to get the rest of the colony to simply consider his longing inventions Flick still tends to be the annoying time waster. With the yearly challenge to collect both enough food for themselves and the vicious grasshopper gang who manipulate by making the ants of Ant Island think that the circle of life works as if ‘The sun grows the food, the ants pick the food, the grasshoppers eat the food’ (jonsutz.com) is what Hopper programs into the ant colony’s heads. The savagely sadistic grasshopper gang tend to control the ant community to accumulate enough food to last the grasshoppers for the rainy season and more. Yet, the grasshopper groupies which are led by an angry, manipulative, greedy grasshopper by the name of ‘Hopper’, and when Hopper does not get what he’s after he becomes resentful. Such as when the troublesome but kind hearted Flick tries to add his gatherings to the food supply for the grasshoppers but destroys the supply just seconds before the grasshoppers arrive.
Looked down upon for using his individualism to an extent of confronting the hierarchy of the ant society, the Queen and Princess Atta, Flick sets out to the city in the search of ‘warrior bugs’ in order to try and save his ant colony and his much loved home from the long lived enemies, Hopper and his puppets. Setting out into the big wide world, Flick leaves Ant Island on his lonesome to show that he can work hard, use his independency, and individualism, unlike the rest of the colony. Shaping and sculpting the child targeted film, A Bug’s Life shows their major theme of individualism through the source of their much loved main character Flick. By proving that he can make a change Flick arrives back to Ant Island with a group of ‘circus bugs’ which everyone else believes them for being the ‘warrior bugs’ that will help with defeating the grasshoppers once and for all, to stop this un-natural repetitive food gathering for grasshoppers.
