History WesternAnimation / Antz

** Certain elements are very reflective of Aldous Huxley's ''Literature/BraveNewWorld'' and ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'' by Creator/AynRand.

** Also "Think for yourself instead of frequently following orders."

->'''Z:''' […] I'm supposed to do everything for the colony, and, and what about my needs? What about me? I mean, I gotta believe there's someplace out there that's better than this! Otherwise, I'll just curl up in a larval position and weep! The whole system makes me feel... insignificant!\\

->'''Z:''' All my life, I've lived and worked in the big city, which now that I think of it, is kind of a problem since I always feel uncomfortable around crowds. I mean it, I-I have this fear of enclosed spaces. I-I-I, everything makes me feel trapped all the time. You know, I always tell myself, there's gotta be something better out there, but maybe I think too much. I-I-I think everything must go back to the fact that I had a very anxious childhood. You know, my, my mother never had time for me. You know, when you're - when you're the middle child in a family of five million, you don't get any attention. I mean, how's it possible? And I've always had these, these abandonment issues, which plagued me. My father was basically a drone like I've said, and, you know, the guy flew away when I was just a larva. And my job, don't get me started on, 'cause it really annoys me. I was not cut out to be a worker, I'll tell you right now. I-I-I feel physically inadequate. I, I, my whole life I've never, I've never been able to lift more than ten times my own body weight, and, and when you get down to it, handling dirt is, you know, ewwww, is not my idea of a rewarding career. It's this whole gung-ho super-organism thing that, that, that I - you know, I can't get, I try but I can't get it. I mean, you know what is it, I'm supposed to do everything for the colony, and, and what about my needs? What about me? I mean, I gotta believe there's someplace out there that's better than this! Otherwise, I'll just curl up in a larval position and weep! The whole system makes me feel... insignificant!\\

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** Granted, it's geared towards adults and teens, but nevertheless, aside from swearing, there is also a scene where Z mentions that he wants to place Princess Bala in his wildest erotic fantasies. Ironically, they edited out sexual (the original line being "erotic sexual fantasies") to keep the PG rating despite "erotic" being an even dirtier use of the word. Also, Chip the wasp is clearly drunk at one point. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuPj2baypYk This video proves it all]].
** The scene where Azteca is briefly tortured off-screen comes across as disturbingly rapey. WordOfGod says they're actually grabbing her antennae.
** There are a few instances of cursing in the film, such as multiple uses of the word "damn" and Weaver saying "What are you bitching about?" to Z at the bar.
** "I have a thing about drinking from the anus of another creature." -- Z at that same bar.

->'''Z:''' The whole system makes me feel... insignificant.\\

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Creator/DreamWorksAnimation would define itself as a creator of children's movies with plenty for adults to enjoy. This is definitely not a children's movie.

--->'''Z:''' Great, nothing like a little manual labor on the most romantic night of my life!

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: At the beginning of the movie, Z says that he was not cut out to be a worker. 20 minutes later, he gets his chance to be a soldier,[[WarIsHell and it's not pretty]].

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: At the beginning of the movie, Z says that he would've preferred to be a soldier. 20 minutes later, he gets his chance--[[WarIsHell and it's not pretty]].

** The television ad had Z saying "drinking from the ''caboose'' of another insect," not "anus."

%%* {{Adorkable}}: Z.

* OfficialCouple: Z and Bala, Weaver and Azteca, Chip and Muffy.

* AllCGICartoon: Following suit with {{Pixar}}'s ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1''.

'''Therapist:''' Excellent! You made a great breakthrough!\\

The protagonist is a worker ant named Z 4195--simply known as "Z" (voiced by Creator/WoodyAllen). He is somewhat neurotic and maladjusted to life in an ant colony, where each individual is treated as an insignificant part of a greater society. One day, he hears a drunk veteran soldier ant rant about some place called Insectopia, where food is plentiful, there are no rules, and everyone lives in peace. Z and his soldier friend Weaver (Creator/SylvesterStallone) snicker at the old ant behind his back and think the idea of an "Insectopia" is hilarious.

!!''Antz'' contains examples of the following tropes:

** A plastic-wrapped sandwich is "surrounded by SomeKindOfForceField", and an unseen sadistic human with a magnifying glass becomes a Flying Saucer with DeathRay (complete with ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' sound effects) in a clear take-off of the "It's beautiful" scene in ''Film/IndependenceDay''. Also the human at the picnic, who is practically a living mountain compared to the insects (all we ever see are his feet and legs). A boy’s sneaker is the size of a battleship (the scale according to WordOfGod). The directors stressed that the film didn't show how small the ants were, but how ''big'' their world was.

** A plastic-wrapped sandwich is "surrounded by SomeKindOfForceField", and an unseen sadistic human with a magnifying glass becomes a Flying Saucer with DeathRay (complete with ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' sound effects) in a clear take-off of the "It's beautiful" scene in ''Film/IndependenceDay''. Also the human at the picnic, who is practically a living mountain compared to the insects (all we ever see are her feet and legs). A kid's sneaker is the size of a battleship (the scale according to WordOfGod). The directors stressed that the film didn't show how small the ants were, but how ''big'' their world was.

* PunchClockVillain: Colonel Cutter. Probably a decent guy, if he wasn't taking orders from the BigBad. In an early script, Cutter was going to have a lady friend among the palace workers, who would double as Bala's best (and only) friend, and probably have replaced the two serving girls. But this would have taken attention away from the main romances, which were Z and Bala, and Weaver and Azteca.

-->'''Barbatus's head:''' I can't feel my legs.

* CarnivoreConfusion: The termites and praying mantis don't talk.

'''General Mandible:''' ''[frowns, then smiles and replies calmly with an AudibleGleam]'' I believe history will see things differently.

'''Therapist:''' Yes, Z! You ''are'' insignificant.

* PrecisionFStrike: While the f-bomb itself is never dropped, characters do swear in this movie; the first time caught many viewers off-guard.

** Heeeeeeeere's COMMUNISM!

* BrooklynRage: Z and Colonel Cutter both sport New York accents, given that their respective actors Creator/WoodyAllen and Creator/ChristopherWalken are real-life New Yorkers.