If "The Ant Bully" had been released 50 years ago, it would be read, not at all incorrectly, as communist propaganda. In the computer-animated story, a colony of ants captures a young American boy and re-educates him. The ants, who are, of course, red, disdain individualism while singing the praises of working together for the common good. | Nothing like indoctrinating the little kiddies while they're young |
Good thing for Warner Bros. that the most prominent McCarthy these days is Jenny. In the post-Cold War world, the U.S. government is more likely to be taken over by a swarm of talking ants than communists. | Not if Hollywood has anything to say about it. |
In 2006, the film's sweet, simplified moralizing can skirt by without being hampered by its political overtones. | Hide the message in the cute little ants |
That's good news for parents, because "The Ant Bully" breaks this summer's streak of dull animated flicks, with "Over the Hedge," "Cars" and "Monster House" in a parade of disappointment.
The Ant Bully: Rise of the Prolitari-Ant. Easily one of the most bizarre kids films IÂ’ve seen in a long time, The Ant Bully is your typical, by the numbers CG kids film thinly disguising a delightful work of subversive fiction. ItÂ’s one of those films, that as it unfolds, causes you to look around the theatre at the other adults and ask: IÂ’m not the only one seeing what IÂ’m seeing am I?
You know those Bibles they make for kids? The ones with the simple stories and colorful artwork that leaves out all of the complex and adult themes that youÂ’d have to commit hours of time to explaining away? Well, if someone sat down to make a similar version of the Communist Manifesto, it would look a hell of a lot like The Ant Bully. ItÂ’s a warm ultra-liberal hug of a kids film, preaching the joys of socialism and hard work, all the while telling a story of what the world might be like in a liberal post-9/11 world.
Yes, yes. I know. Ants are natures Communists. And I can imagine that it might be hard to tell a story about them without such an overt theme. Except that, well, they did it in ‘Ants’. But this isn’t just an “our culture, their culture” thing. Because as overt as it appears earlier in the film, the point gets hammered home towards the end. As Lucas and Zoc sit atop a rock and stare at the human city, Zoc asks ‘Is that your hive?’ ‘Yeah, I guess it’s like a hive.’ When Zoc asks about how it works, Lucas replies ‘I guess it’s every man for himself.’ This leads to a Zoc monologue about how that just doesn’t make any sense. Everyone has their place and don’t the humans realize that if they all work together and share in the fruits of their labor that they all can benefit?
Yeah. See. I ain’t making this shit up. Zoc falls just short of saying “Everyone open your little red books and follow along on page 57.” This is gonna play really well in China. And North Korea? Kim Jong Il is gonna flip for this. Of course, that demented little dwarf will no doubt see himself as the wise and benevolent Ant Queen. I can just picture him now, running around his palace with a pair of nylon wings singing “I am the great Communist Ant Queen! Come little ants, come!” | Just watching the previews of this flick creeped me out, now I know why. Excuse me while I go stomp some ants |
|