Antz Vs. A Bug’s Life: 5 Reasons Antz Is King (& 5 Reasons A Bug’s Life Takes The Crown)

One of the biggest battles in the history of animated films is the one between Antz and A Bug’s Life. Coming out less then six months apart, the two movies had incredibly similar characters and plots as both Pixar and Dreamworks went down the same route.

Both films are incredibly impressive but the obvious similarities have led to huge comparisons throughout time. While both movies have their legions of fans, there can only be one king, and in this list, we will try to determine once and for all which is the better movie.

10 Antz: More For Adults

Due to the fact they are both animated films that are heavily geared towards children these movies were always going to be a hit with younger audiences. That is the target for both of the movies and they do that well, but these films are also for adults to enjoy.

Out of the two, Antz certainly does a better job of that. The story itself is a little darker and has a few more adult themes throughout which make it easier for more people to enjoy.

9 A Bug’s Life: Stronger Story

Even though A Bug’s Life is often overlooked in comparison to Pixar’s unbelievable library of movies, that doesn’t take away from how strong this story is in general. While Antz doesn’t have a poor story by any stretch, it just doesn’t connect as well as A Bug’s Life.

The story of A Bug’s Life is really easy to connect with and is both sympathetic and engaging. With one strong main plot and some interesting side stories going along as well, the overall story is very good.

8 Antz: Funnier

Even though Pixar is well-known for creating humor throughout it’s films that connect with adults and children alike, in this battle they were outdone. Antz is a hilarious movie and it isn’t over the top with its humor and is quite smart with how it drops in the comedy.

The jokes in this film are more towards an adults taste and that is why it connected so well at the time and remains a hit to this day. With more dry humor, it’s comedic tones just work perfectly.

7 A Bug’s Life: Wider Variety Of Characters

While Antz might be funnier and also play home to some brilliant ant characters, when it comes to the wider cast, A Bug’s Life is much better. The circus characters bring so much to this Pixar classic in terms of both comedy and emotions.

However, they also bring a much needed change of pace throughout the movie which really helps keep it fresh. They all bring totally different personalities to the film and that really helps the film have a new energy.

6 Antz: Stronger Voice Acting

DreamWorks pulled out all the stops with the cast for this one with the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Gene Hackman, and Christopher Walken all adding their voices to the film. While hiring big A-listers doesn’t always work for animation, in this case, it certainly did.

5 A Bug’s Life: A Greater Villain

While overall Antz might have a stronger cast of actors with huge megastars providing the voices throughout, A Bug’s Life does bring out a splendid performance from Kevin Spacey. His work voicing the movie’s villain, Hopper, is absolutely sublime and one of the reasons that the film is so strong.

Hopper is absolutely terrifying and it’s all down to the excellent way that the character is played. While he is obviously dominant in his size and power in comparison to the ants, he doesn’t shout and scream and that makes him even scarier.

4 Antz: Challenging Pixar

While Pixar might have been a fresh young company when these movies were released, the fact that Antz was able to challenge and go head to head with A Bug’s Life is proof of just how good the film is. Most people instantly think of Pixar films over others, but in this debate, Antz really does battle against the rest.

The fact that audiences still talk about Antz in comparison is proof of just how good the film is, as very few movies actually compete against anything that Pixar does, especially so many years later.

3 A Bug’s Life: Greater Animation

Both of these movies were created as the animated world took a major step forward, and while neither holds up in comparison to what came after both movies were used for their respective studios to try new things. However, out of the two it was A Bug’s Life which was more adventurous and it paid off.

All of the scenes involving water were incredibly tricky to do and were something that nobody had ever expected to see. The film is absolutely stunning to watch and is far more vibrant and colorful, which works perfectly.

2 Antz: Makes An Audience Think

Both movies tackle overarching issues of not judging books by their cover or the belief that even the smallest and quietest people can achieve huge goals. But out of the two films, it is Antz that does a greater job at making people think about the different topics the film covers.

While moral and life lessons aren’t always something that people are actively looking for, any movie that can make audiences think is always smartly written which is impressive.

1 A Bug’s Life: Box Office Results

While people will often compare and contrast different elements within the movie itself the fact is that movies are ultimately judged by how much money they gross. Even if the film itself is panned by critics but makes money, the production company will deem it a success.

When it comes to this particular battle, A Bug’s Life dominated in the box office, grossing more than $360 million in comparison to the $170 million that Antz brought in. The fact that the Pixar movie managed to have a higher gross is a big reason for why it is the king of this insect battle.

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