Antz
Movie, 1998, Originals
Antz is #1 of 51 in release order and #1 of 51 in chronological order in the DreamWorks Animation.
The story
A neurotic worker ant in love with a rebellious princess rises to unlikely stardom when he switches places with a soldier. Signing up to march in a parade, he ends up under the command of a bloodthirsty general. But he's actually been enlisted to fight against a termite army.
Antz recap
Z is a worker ant in a vast colony who feels like a meaningless cog. In a bar he dances with Princess Bala, who is bored with her engagement to General Mandible, and falls for her. To see her again he swaps places with his soldier friend Weaver and ends up marching in an attack on a termite nest, a battle Mandible has arranged to wipe out the soldiers loyal to the Queen. Z is the only survivor and returns as an accidental hero. When his fraud is exposed he flees, accidentally taking Bala with him, and the two search for Insectopia, a fabled paradise that turns out to be a rubbish bin at a human picnic. Meanwhile Mandible puts the workers to work on a huge tunnel he secretly plans to flood, drowning the Queen and the workers so he can found a new colony of his own.
Antz ending explained
Z returns, the tunnel floods, and he rallies the workers to build a living tower of ants up to the surface, saving most of the colony. Mandible attacks Z, but his aide Colonel Cutter turns against him and Mandible falls to his death. Z and Bala marry, and Z, now celebrated, goes back to digging in a colony where individuals finally count.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Antz
Antz is streaming on Netflix in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes 92%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before The Prince of Egypt.
- Chronological order: first, before The Prince of Egypt.
What to watch before Antz
Nothing. Antz is the first of the DreamWorks Animation essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Woody Allen as Z-4195 “Z” (voice)
- Sharon Stone as Princess Bala (voice)
- Dan Aykroyd as Chip (voice)
- Anne Bancroft as Queen (voice)
- Danny Glover as Barbatus (voice)
- Gene Hackman as General Mandible (voice)
- Jane Curtin as Muffy (voice)
- Sylvester Stallone as Weaver (voice)
- Jennifer Lopez as Azteca (voice)
- Christopher Walken as Colonel Cutter (voice)
- John Mahoney as Grebs (Drunk Scout) (voice)
- Paul Mazursky as Psychologist (voice)
Directed by Eric Darnell, Tim Johnson.