A Bug's Life • The Next Reel

"From way up here, you all look like little ants!" Time heals all wounds, but the rift between Jeffrey Katzenberg and Disney may not apply. When Katzenberg, former chairman of Disney’s film division, left Disney after a bitter feud with CEO Michael Eisner, he formed DreamWorks with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen and soon began plotting his battle in animation with his former employer. So while Disney began working with Pixar on A Bug’s Life, he started working on Antz. And the great cinema battle of 1998 began. And while time may never heal the rift between Katzenberg and Disney, it certainly has shown us that Pixar knows how to make strong films and with their second film, they proved that they had staying power, regardless of what DreamWorks put out.  Join us – Andy Nelson and Pete Wright – as we continue our Seven Samurai Family series with John Lasseter’s and Andrew Stanton’s 1998 A Bug’s Life. We talk about the battle between Antz and A Bug’s Life, debating the strengths of them both and which personally is our preference. We look at the amazing storytelling that Pixar’s team does here, crafting a fantastic film that shares its DNA with all its forefathers in this family, even if they never bring it up. We discuss the brilliant cast – notably Dave Foley and Kevin Spacey – and why they work so well in their roles. We talk about the hard work of bringing a world like this to life, even if it may look a bit more rough now that computer animated films have progressed to such amazing levels. And we have to talk about Randy Newman again and how he pops up in here, scoring the film its one Academy Award nomination.  It’s a great film and a fun family addition to our series. Definitely check it out then tune in! Film Sundries Watch this film: iTunes • AmazonScript TranscriptOriginal theatrical trailerOriginal poster artworkArt of the TitlePete and Andy talk about Seven SamuraiFlikchartLetterboxdThe Pixar Theory Trailers of the WeekAndy's Trailer: Moana — "I’m always excited for another animated Disney film and Moana looks like it has the makings of a new classic. Strong female protagonist? Check. Mythical demi-god hilariously played by Dwayne Johnson? Check. Crazy chicken? Check. Scary volcano antagonist? Check. Music by Lin-Manuel Miranda? Check. A team of directors like no other? Check. Yeah, I’m pretty much all-in on this one."Pete's Trailer: Miss Sloane — "Having just talked about the importance of Snowden as a topic film, that Jessica Chastain is playing both a lobbyist _and_attempting to take on the gun lobby herself in this film is a two-fer in my book."Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:Become a member for just $5/month or $55/yearJoin our Discord community of movie loversThe Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and MovementsThe Film BoardMovies We LikeThe Next Reel Film PodcastSitting in the DarkConnect With Us:Main Site: WebMovie Platforms: Letterboxd | FlickchartSocial Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | PinterestYour Hosts: Andy | PeteShop & Stream:Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & moreWatch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussedOriginals: Source material from our episodesSpecial offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible