Fun fact: My modelling teacher was actually a major manager on this film. This film bankrupted their studio, because Warner Bros. refused to start paying them for a new project until this one turned a profit. They ended up going under before the film even aired. So, hey. If it makes you feel better. Imagine the exterminator as a greedy WB executive. The punishment comes out as ENTIRELY just then.
Wow, that's awesome! That your teacher was a major manager, I mean. It friggin' sucks that they went through what they went through. My college teacher worked on the Goofy Movie. So it's nice to relate.
@@LeftytheGansterGremlin He made out okay. He went into freelancing after that and made double his studio salary for half the work, apparently. It's still a sadly common story in Hollywood animation and FX though. The same thing happened to the VFX studio that fixed the Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
@@DairunCates Really? That's sad. And to think the reason that movie was endearing is because of the redesign alone. I'm happy for your teacher though. But if I can ask, did did you learn? I'm kinda curious what you do with your skills if that's okay.
@@LeftytheGansterGremlin It's complicated for me. Modelling wasn't my main talent in my degree. Animation was a Minor inside the Major and my focus was more around game design. I was, however, VERY good at lighting. I spent a lot of time learning that specific talent from him and got to a professional level. This helped a bit after I moved on to become an adjunct professor of digital art. I didn't do modelling work, but I taught after effects for a while, and that can help there. Also, just a good balanced art education is good for teaching. Unfortunately, my college closed down, my father got cancer, and I fell out of the job market taking care of him and my depression. It's hard to get a job with an employment gap. Currently I'm pursuing options as a writer (something I have a lifelong passion and talent for). I'm working both on novels and Tabletop RPG supplements right now. So, didn't come up as much as you'd expect. I don't regret learning from him though. All art education is kinda interconnected. You can transfer skills from one field into learning skills in another field better. This is especially true in writing. Literally any education helps improve your writing as the enhanced perspective allows you to fill in more details. Learning animation also gave me an eye for detail and a feel for narrative pacing. I use THAT all the time. Final note, I suppose. All that experience did also get me into an art community that's given me the ability to still mentor younger artists and got me some valuable connections. It all works out in a funny way like that.
@Nathan Taffijn They did, but WB didn't pay them for the NEXT project and delayed the release. I think they also couldn't get any projects from any other studios until WB cut them from their contracts. This is sadly a common thing. There's enough small VFX and animation studios that people have to undercut costs like crazy to win bids, and you're not getting into theaters without a big company sponsor.
There's a lot of candies where the different colors are all a single flavor...Jelly Beans are not one of them. LOL, there's no mistaking a licorice jelly bean for the other flavors even on the cheap crappy brands of jelly bean
She's the queen, she should know keeping Lucas alive would be a tactical move: being a good ruler--human or not---requires that you understand how battles and wars work. She also warns that if Lucas _doesn't_ follow their ways, she (in a calm yet intimidating tone), says he'd be *_"regretful."_*
@@marcoasturias8520 And? They're fully sapient in the movie, ergo the Queen Ant is a ruler. Also OP's post is from 2 years ago mang. If you're going to necropost at least have a legitimate point.
Honestly I always felt bad for the exterminator guy as a kid. The punishment he got was all kinds of messed up when from his perspective he didn't do anything wrong.
If I Remember correctly, there was a removed concept or something about the exterminator torturing a fly by ripping its wings and legs off and putting it into his coffee or something
@@TheSpy149 okay, he was a creep, and he obviously had an outstanding vendetta against bugs, and maybe he wouldn't have even taken the redemption, had it been offered. But the thing that feels so wrong to those stating that they feel bad is that no opportunities to even be able to have a redemptive experience were even offered.
There's actually a pretty great story behind why "A Bug's Life" and "Antz" came out at around the same time. This one came out, like, 8 years later. I don't know the 4th.
Yo, a story about human beings managing to shrink an indiscriminate cosmic destroyer into a human size and teaching it about human ethics would be a cool story though. It’s like Illyria from Angel.
POV you randomly found this video and are incredibly confused as to why animated characters are discussing the morality of a animated movie you probably saw once as a kid.
I never really thought about it before but because of this video it's the only thing that makes sense. Great video. Why didn't I think of it before? Manipulate a human child to be your very own weapon of mass destruction. Now I want a sequel where some other insects try and attack the ant colony, I want an ant war drama.
This is a nice dive into the movie, but I do believe you missed two things: 1. The exterminator is shown to get SADISTIC pleasure from killing insects(like I’m pretty sure there’s a deleted scenes of the exterminator in his office torturing a fly by ripping off it’s wings and putting them in his coffee) so that’s most likely why he was punished, while Lucus was just doing it to vent out his frustrations, the exterminator saw pleasure in it. 2. For the ants motivation, I alway saw it as the ants literally bringing Lucus down to their size and showing him how tough it is to be an ant, bring down his ego, and they show him compassion as to convince him that they aren’t emotionless beings. But other then that I really do like the video and hope to see more of these theory-est videos!
But the ants didn't know that. In fact none of the cast involved seem to know that correct? From the perspective of the insects they would be doing overkill. If you kill someone because you're upset or you enjoy it doesn't make it any better or worse. There is a difference between Self Defense and Murder but frustration and sadism are murder. Murder is where you intentionally kill another. Self Defense is where you kill another to protect yourself. One requires knowledge to be applicable and while maybe that Exterminator eats puppies and kittens in front of children... his punishment doesn't fit what the cast knows about him. They are torturing a person from their perspective. Man Slaughter is when you accidentally kill another... adding another twist to the chain. The exterminator was unknowingly killing aware creatures... and those aware creatures did NOT educate him like the child. They have shown they are capable of being mature... but they did not choose that option. Both the child and exterminator were equally flawed willing to kill others for personal gain. One was educated and changed while the other was punished without being given a chance. That is messed up even worse when you consider that the message of this has become... "Adults can't change, only children can. Punish adults harshly even if their mistake is due to a lack of knowledge." Not to mention point 2 you made no longer stands, remember the ants didn't educate the exterminator. This means they have an different motive or poor story telling. Given situations involve saving their colony... Everything breaks. The ants are manipulative as that is the only way to explain the events that pan out successfully by character perspectives.
@@Buglin_Burger7878 ok you make a couple of fair points. I guess it is true that I was looking at it in a more omniscient view instead of the characters view. Pretty much invalidating my first point. But I don’t think that makes my second point invalid. The ants knew were Lucus lived, they were basically neighbors, but the exterminator really for the most part came out of nowhere, and it’s not like they can follow him home to use the shrinking serum on him because at that point he was out to kill them with the gas. True Lucus probably killed a couple hundreds, thousands with flooding the hill, but for the most part he was just screwing with them, not going out of his way to wipe out their entire existence, and even then it was just the ants. The exterminator on the other hand was looking to wipe them all out and any other insect that gets in his way. Besides the shrinking serum would probably not have work as well, as seen in the movie were he really just shrinks down to more of a child and could still technically destroy them with the gas if the wasps didn’t chase him off. The only reason it worked on Lucus so well was because Lucus was a child and was pretty small already. (But of course the administration of the serum could play a factor, being with Lucus it was put in his ear while with the exterminator it was given on his rectum.) And no, they couldn’t have made more. True they new about the exterminator(or really just exterminators in general), but just before he arrived, they were under the impression that Lucus had called him off.
1 As for the first point, I wasn't sure to add that since it's on the deleted scenes and I didn't want to stretch too far from what the movie presents. 2 As per the second one that's a very good way to put it, my only problem is that they never gave the ant queen a real explanation on why she does it, vague enough so we can assume she means well and also vague enough so people like me might theorize otherwise.
People are seriously scared of bugs, yet they don't realize it's actually way more terrifying to BE a bug. Like, you know a lot of tropes in horror? Zombies, mind control parasites, chestbursters? That's all completely normal in the world of bugs.
Clearly you've never had Jelly Bellies. That's the brand showcased in the movie and you'd never mistake a pear, watermelon, cinnamon, or popcorn Jelly Belly for the other flavors. Also, even in crappy cheap jelly beans, the black ones taste _very_ different.
Well, yes and no. Fun Fact about me: When I was a kid my mother used to buy cheap knock-off candy all the time (she couldn't afford much), so I grew up thinking all jellybeans tasted like corn syrup. Of course, I found out the "truth", if you wanna call it that, many years later.
@@BuriedEntertainment Definitely a lot of candies come in only one flavor however colorful they may be, especially the cheap ones. Also the cereal Froot Loops, famously. Often these are just "generically sugary and vaguely fruity", which is at least more accurate than calling any fruit flavored candy the flavor of the actual fruit. (I say this as someone who _loves_ the widely hated artificial banana flavor)
@@bdp4 fun fact. I don't like bananas but I love the artificial banana flavor, indeed tastes like an extinct banana or something, much better (my opinion)
@Nathan Taffijn _All_ candy is that way, _none_ of it tastes like the real fruit. That's not the point, Nathan: Red jelly beans are fake cherry flavor, pink jelly beans are fake strawberry flavor, black jelly beans are fake licorice flavor, yellow jelly beans are fake lemon flavor. Jelly Bellies in particular have better fake flavors for the individual beans than most other jelly beans. They even go the extra mile by putting a slightly grainy texture in the pear flavor to make it feel more like eating a pear and having the watermelon flavor have a deep red interior and dark green exterior.
i like that all of the jellybeans fall off his hand when he finishes counting the types of candy he carries, making his palm be completely open. nice attention to detail. i saw that.
I'd like to point out that the Exterminator character wasn't in the book. The book was just about him learning to respect the ants and be a better person.
I offer this lowly comment to _the Algorithm_ as a sacrifice, in the name of Zeus, that man may experience the joy of the content produced by this channel, and the hard work of the maker behind it. Praise!
@@BuriedEntertainment you have spread the joy that is you commenting or hearting your fans comments to the masses, and that brings me joy as I too have felt this joy of this, and I appreciate how you spread this joy instead of just turning a blind eye to your videos comment sections like some youtubers like to do with their fan bases.
It seems like a parody or satire of Thus Spoke Zarathustra. There's this weird Man vs God and Man vs Man undertone that cements the idea that nobody can be a Superman because nature and humanity will never come to terms at all. The ants didn't befriend the Ant Bully because they wanted peace but rather wanted a weapon. And right at the end of the movie, we really don't see the protagonist come to peaceful terms with his antagonists. Very odd yet fascinating
this review having a backstory is so charming, also the main voice gives me the vibe of an old-timey explorer which i think fits exploring the messaging of media and all that good stuff. its just real neat! also sounds nice and the art is legit great
I just remembered that shrink the exterminator down WAS the plan, but when it failed because of his headphones, they inject him the potion and it goes wrong and they claim victory, so if they actually shrank him down, he could've suffered a worse fate because he was like a demon to them.
Ants are actually very good for the garden. They make quick work of carcasses, moving them down into the ground to function as fertilizer. No need to eradicate ants from a garden, that's the best place for them.
A fun analysis, granted I never sat down with any bug related animated movies as a kid growing up, something about them just bugged me I guess. And aside from the review the presentation is thoughtful and interesting with the characters and personality put forth! Quickly becoming one of my favorite animation discussion channels.
I completely agree with you on the Exterminator. Another thing I thought was weird though was that he clearly sees ants working together with other insects and thinks nothing of it. There were ants riding on flying insects, and he's just like "Yep another day on the job." Seeing that might somewhat convey the idea to a human that ants can communicate with other species to protect their overall wellbeing, but more than anything else, it's just strange that he doesn't really react to it at all if we're to take real life logic into this movie. I love the idea that the ants manipulated Lucas. That's awesome!
Well it wouldn't immediately convey intelligence. Phoresy is a thing, where smaller animals latch onto larger animals for a ride. You often see it in mutualistic mites, and pseudoscorpions, spiders like to do it with megafauna as well. Much more common with arachnids honestly, but sloth moths and oil beetles are good insect examples. Maybe he thought he saw some new species of ant who used this ability, but because he cares more about killing than research, he just continued with his job.
"So there's this movie called the Ant Bully that's got some questionable moral lessons..." "What does that have to do with your childhood?" "We get there when we get there!" In all seriousness, great video. It's really well put together and the art looks great.
The way I saw this movie, the theme to me never really was focused solely on redemption. It was always more a message of the power of numbers and how a weaker force in greater number can help take down colossal threats.
I wouldn't call Lucas having the other kids band together to stand up to their bully messy morality, it's victims standing up to their abuser. If the bully isn't fed that piece of humble pie early on they'd likely grow up to abuse their spouse or kid. People who act like children all need gentle redirection seem like they've completely forgotten what it was like to be a kid or a least have never experienced bullying, or frequent bullying. Kids are cruel. Like extremely cruel. Morally kids have a lot in common with insects because their brains haven't developed enough to have empathy, or at least not to the level an adult has due to life experience. As for how the ants befriended him, it's still more humane than what our real world governments would do to an alien child, especially if they had as much blood on their hands as Lucas.
Children can not legally sign contracts. Even if it's for anything like yard work. What the man did was illegal and he was praying on a venerable kid. He is a bad guy but the ending was very... weird to me.
@@cameoshadowness7757 Legally speaking, yes, you do. The contract the exterminator offers is literally a purchase contract for services which otherwise can't be proven. Since he's still a child, his parents could invalidate the contract at any given point, even after the services happened, since the price might be too high etc. But as long as they don't step in or even agree with the child, everything's okay.
From what I understand, this depends on where you are at. I believe in some places, children can sign contracts, but they can leave contracts much easier.
@@RyosukeTakahashiRX7 buying a snack at a store is not the same thing at all. Children can not sign contracts like that. That isn't a legally bounded contract. A child cannot sign for such a thing because he is not only under age but also legally doesn't own the property or rights to it. The contract can not hold.
I always saw it as a stand up and unite with others, that scene where they were talking about the city and the people in it and how its kind of nature how we can influence each other with good deeds etc.
If I had to guess, Valentino had a rough upbringing and used kid’s movies as escapism, but sometimes like with the Ant Bully it came at the wrong time. Like maybe he was being bullied at the time and rather than feel comforted by the movie, he just felt even more confused.
Actually no, the guy making a kid sign a contract is actively illegal. Like, lawsuit, potential jail time. And the stuff he’s spraying, without his parent’s permission, could be toxic and dangerous. So I’d say he counts as “evil”.
The good quality jelly beans taste different. You guys can't tell me that you can't tell the difference between the buttered popcorn ones and the fruit flavored ones. Good video though.
Your entire bit about choice to change and how it can make or break a story is actually a good point that is missed a great deal in modern day media. A good example would be the modern remake of She-Ra versus the original series. In the modern series Adora the main character is literally trapped in her circumstances. Forced by the expectations of those around her, the nature of her powers and every authority figure she can turn to to be She-Ra the Defender of the World. She is outright told in a later episode that she has no choice. This is in stark contrast to the original Adora who always had a choice in the matter. Her introductory episode showed her as a very powerful and skilled warrior even without the magical sword, with it she was nigh unstoppable. She was then given the option of returning to Eternia, the home from which she was stolen from as a baby. She was on her introduction offered a life of luxury and comfort away from a war that she was drafted into as a newborn. To be given everything she wanted in the form of a loving family, more delicious food than she could ever eat, support, understanding and kindness and no one would say a bad word about it. She's just broken through a lifetime of brainwashing to make a stand against evil, there's already a rebellion against the tyrant and she's literally never known her home and family. Yet she turns back and joins the rebellion as both Adora and She-Ra. This difference between the two Adora's one an unwilling slave in the new version against the selfless hero of the old accentuates the differences between the power of She-Ra in the versions as well. In the new version it is a curse, a duty forced upon someone whether they are prepared or fit for the role or not. Where in the original story it's a gift from Greyskull to help a champion in need. The sword in the new version is a symbol of office, something that does not belong to Adora and is merely loaned to her. In the original it belongs to her. Others can carry it, but only she can use it it was meant for her and made for her. Hopefully this has provided some food for thought. Edit to clean up the mess that quickly typing creates.
I've watched this movie extensively throughout my childhood, I really had nightmares of being shrunk down to size and used as a tool in the ants schemes. Loved your video ❤️
Oh my heavens, this is glorious. The script writing here is an absolute masterpiece and the personality you bring to reviewing movies is just astonishingly good. Also that’s a very unique face for the channel.
Buried Entertainment's avatar (sorry, I don't know his name, I'm new here) when his therapist asks what The Ant Bully has to do with his childhood trauma: "We get there when we get there!"
You know, a weird thing to me is that there’s another way the exterminator could get his comeuppance: The adults in the neighborhood find out that he tricked his way into getting a kid pay for his services, and shame/embarrass him for it. It’s appropriate because: 1. It’s likely what would happen, realistically speaking. It’s pretty scummy to trick a child into paying for something they neither understand nor ever could pay back. The exterminator isn’t hurt, abused, or anything; he’s instead socially shamed for taking advantage of a vulnerable individual and as a result would have to find a way to reform his image and regain the community’s goodwill. 2. It isn’t excessive by any measure. He can regain all that goodwill with enough time and thus learn his lesson, move to set up shop elsewhere (granted that’s if such a move is in his budget), or find another local area to do business in. He’s not permanently crippled like he is by the end of the movie.
I love the little story going on during the review. This from someone who normally dislikes these kinda skits. Also, to cause incredibly minor controversy, all jelly bean flavors are good except for buttered popcorn, black licorice, and cinnamon.
You know the way the exterminator was dealt with was morally messed up plus it actually dooms the colony when you think about it. Stan in his deformed state is actual physical proof that something weird happened and that would draw a whole lot of attention to the ant colony. The ants would either get captured and studied or simply be considered a threat and destroyed.
@CMuyal Well I mean Stan is living proof that something weird did happen to him. Even if anyone didn't believe what he said the yard and the ant hill would still be investigated.
Some interesting tidbits I learned from the film's wikipedia page: -Lucas is played by Zack Tyler Eisen, who you might know better as Aang from Avatar. This was his only other voice credit aside from the games based on this movie and A:TLA. -The movie was helmed by DNA Productions, which is most well known for making Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. This was only their second film ever made, as they were shut down shortly before the movie released. -Oddly enough, this movie apparently takes place in the suburban side of Las Vegas, of all cities -The film was produced by Tom Hanks, yet he doesn't even provide a cameo -Zack Shada provides the voice for one of the kids, and is also known for being the original voice of Finn in the Adventure Time pilot before being replaced by his brother Jeremy for the series proper.
*This is such a generally interesting world you've created!* your character that seems to be in some sort of psyche ward/happy home, and the character's to go with, I honestly want to see where this story of your's will go! If you see this comment, I hope your staying *hydrated* , *happy* and *comfy* , remember to not over work your self and know you have loving and supporting fans :))
I never liked that movie because... i felt that the "villain" wasn't evil He was HIRED by the protagonist to do exactly that It's as if someone hire some mercenaries to intervene somewhere and then the contractor by some reason change its mind and start calling them evil and attack them... i mean they didn't choose to be there, they were HIRED to be there and do those "evil" things by who? By the "good guy" who's now protecting the other side :) *any relation with any real wasn't intended* *but hell yeah, we had hundreds of those cases*
I use to think a lot about this movie when I was young, I always imagine if I was shrunken down and be with the ants. I have a big crush on Hova, but as time goes on I begun to move on. Until after I seen this movie again, and after watching your video I began to understand how underrated this is. Fail redemption, using the human to the ants advantage & forgotten the many ant lives were lost after Lucas destroy they’re home. Most of the animation was good but that scene with the lice in the Exterminator’s hair was creepy. Know I wish Zoc would have been the villain and not the exterminator.
I'm not sure what exactly made me subscribe, the character designs, the top-teir voice acting, the well-thought out points and arguments or "It's always good to carry candy in case someone gets sad." Honestly it's all amazing 11/10.
According to this movies logic, we should forgive the reapers from mass effect, but enslave people doing their jobs and not realizing they hurt people in the process. Good god, that’s pretty screwed up for a kids movie.
I keep remembering that this movie definitely existed, and then promptly forget it exists, only to be reminded again. Great quality work as always! I love the framing of the discussion as a ramble in a psychiatrist's office. Also very cultured with Island of Giant Insects.
Amazing video like always! This did definitely make me rethink this movie as I watched it a few times throughout my childhood and always just thought something seemed strange about it. I hope you can continue making great videos like this and am very excited about the next one. : )
I wonder if he seemed any crazier than he is already when he said stuff like "Look how they conveyed size on this scene" even though the doctor can't really see anything
I love how this reviewing channel has lore. Gives the Animated RUclipsr Mascot a bit more personality than *aggressively crosses arms and judges you*
The lore definitely adds more to this channel. Hopefully more people subscribe to him in the future.
That is unfortunately a common trope with RUclips reviewers.
*T H E Y A R E W A T C H I N G Y O U*
Yes, it makes it so much more entertaining, I love it
@Explorek They were probably referring to mascots only crossing arms and silently judging you, not mascots having lore.
Fun fact: My modelling teacher was actually a major manager on this film. This film bankrupted their studio, because Warner Bros. refused to start paying them for a new project until this one turned a profit. They ended up going under before the film even aired.
So, hey. If it makes you feel better. Imagine the exterminator as a greedy WB executive. The punishment comes out as ENTIRELY just then.
Wow, that's awesome! That your teacher was a major manager, I mean. It friggin' sucks that they went through what they went through. My college teacher worked on the Goofy Movie. So it's nice to relate.
@@LeftytheGansterGremlin He made out okay. He went into freelancing after that and made double his studio salary for half the work, apparently.
It's still a sadly common story in Hollywood animation and FX though. The same thing happened to the VFX studio that fixed the Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
@@DairunCates Really? That's sad. And to think the reason that movie was endearing is because of the redesign alone. I'm happy for your teacher though.
But if I can ask, did did you learn? I'm kinda curious what you do with your skills if that's okay.
@@LeftytheGansterGremlin It's complicated for me. Modelling wasn't my main talent in my degree. Animation was a Minor inside the Major and my focus was more around game design. I was, however, VERY good at lighting. I spent a lot of time learning that specific talent from him and got to a professional level.
This helped a bit after I moved on to become an adjunct professor of digital art. I didn't do modelling work, but I taught after effects for a while, and that can help there. Also, just a good balanced art education is good for teaching.
Unfortunately, my college closed down, my father got cancer, and I fell out of the job market taking care of him and my depression. It's hard to get a job with an employment gap.
Currently I'm pursuing options as a writer (something I have a lifelong passion and talent for). I'm working both on novels and Tabletop RPG supplements right now.
So, didn't come up as much as you'd expect.
I don't regret learning from him though. All art education is kinda interconnected. You can transfer skills from one field into learning skills in another field better. This is especially true in writing. Literally any education helps improve your writing as the enhanced perspective allows you to fill in more details.
Learning animation also gave me an eye for detail and a feel for narrative pacing. I use THAT all the time.
Final note, I suppose. All that experience did also get me into an art community that's given me the ability to still mentor younger artists and got me some valuable connections. It all works out in a funny way like that.
@Nathan Taffijn They did, but WB didn't pay them for the NEXT project and delayed the release. I think they also couldn't get any projects from any other studios until WB cut them from their contracts. This is sadly a common thing. There's enough small VFX and animation studios that people have to undercut costs like crazy to win bids, and you're not getting into theaters without a big company sponsor.
"have you ever eaten jellybeans? They all taste the same!" Why was that so fucking funny to me
There's a lot of candies where the different colors are all a single flavor...Jelly Beans are not one of them. LOL, there's no mistaking a licorice jelly bean for the other flavors even on the cheap crappy brands of jelly bean
@Grover There's no mistaking the taste of a black jelly bean for any other color, even if you hate jelly beans in general.
@@RoninCatholic exactly
Skittles all taste the same jelly beans dont
@@tiffany-up2ii so do Froot Loops.
She's the queen, she should know keeping Lucas alive would be a tactical move: being a good ruler--human or not---requires that you understand how battles and wars work. She also warns that if Lucas _doesn't_ follow their ways, she (in a calm yet intimidating tone), says he'd be *_"regretful."_*
Child murder, just the thing a good guy would do.
That thing is an ant
@@marcoasturias8520 And? They're fully sapient in the movie, ergo the Queen Ant is a ruler. Also OP's post is from 2 years ago mang. If you're going to necropost at least have a legitimate point.
@@marcoasturias8520 A sentient ant queen.
@@marcoasturias8520 Mans cant conceptualize that ants are at least smart enough to use tactics.
Honestly I always felt bad for the exterminator guy as a kid. The punishment he got was all kinds of messed up when from his perspective he didn't do anything wrong.
probably REAL fun to animate, though!
Well the only bad think he did was tricking the kid and maybe taking money for it.
I don't think he did anything bad enough for what happen to him.
If I Remember correctly, there was a removed concept or something about the exterminator torturing a fly by ripping its wings and legs off and putting it into his coffee or something
@@TheSpy149 Okay.
@@TheSpy149 okay, he was a creep, and he obviously had an outstanding vendetta against bugs, and maybe he wouldn't have even taken the redemption, had it been offered. But the thing that feels so wrong to those stating that they feel bad is that no opportunities to even be able to have a redemptive experience were even offered.
There's like 4 different kids movies abouts ants from the 90s-2000s, I don't know what was going on back then
Same thing happened with penguins in the late 2000s, I don't get it
There's actually a pretty great story behind why "A Bug's Life" and "Antz" came out at around the same time.
This one came out, like, 8 years later. I don't know the 4th.
and couple years ago there's yeti and bigfoot boom
Probably drugs
@Anti Everything Aurther and the invisibles. Those were more like brawnies from my recollection.
Yo, a story about human beings managing to shrink an indiscriminate cosmic destroyer into a human size and teaching it about human ethics would be a cool story though. It’s like Illyria from Angel.
But what if it just carries on as usual because sixth-dimensional beings have no concept of size?
Imagine having a human sized cthulhu on your side and using it to fight off other alien civilizations...
Pretty sure that happened to Galactus once
POV you randomly found this video and are incredibly confused as to why animated characters are discussing the morality of a animated movie you probably saw once as a kid.
I like this guy though
I'm more confused as to whether that's his therapist or if he's in an asylum.
Watched more than twice but the point still stands.
@@A_Toaster ".. I'll take you to your-" implies he has a room or cell in the building. So probably the latter.
Yea that’s me rn
I love the unique style of this video and the pretty much all the jokes landed. A great experience all around 10/10.
-Yelp.
-IGN.
"It has a little something for everyone!"
Facts, this video really deserves more attention
The
I never really thought about it before but because of this video it's the only thing that makes sense. Great video.
Why didn't I think of it before? Manipulate a human child to be your very own weapon of mass destruction. Now I want a sequel where some other insects try and attack the ant colony, I want an ant war drama.
A movie about humans and ants fighting together sounds cool
I just realized that ant bully is just Gillivers travels all over again.
Ant war drama? There's a youtuber called antscanada. He's documenting a real ant war in his backyard. It's really intense.
Yo, that actually sound kinda dope. I'd watch that.
@@violet.senderhauf2187 *Gulliver, like the seagull from animal crossing.
"So what brings you to therapy?"
"Some animal fella explained the plot of the Ant Bully to me."
I love the detail of all the jellybeans falling out of his hand as he's counting.
Yeah, that was cute.
Which means that if the psychologist wanted some so badly she could have just taken them from the floor!
But camerahead,
That goes like completely against the five second rule!
This is a nice dive into the movie, but I do believe you missed two things: 1. The exterminator is shown to get SADISTIC pleasure from killing insects(like I’m pretty sure there’s a deleted scenes of the exterminator in his office torturing a fly by ripping off it’s wings and putting them in his coffee) so that’s most likely why he was punished, while Lucus was just doing it to vent out his frustrations, the exterminator saw pleasure in it.
2. For the ants motivation, I alway saw it as the ants literally bringing Lucus down to their size and showing him how tough it is to be an ant, bring down his ego, and they show him compassion as to convince him that they aren’t emotionless beings.
But other then that I really do like the video and hope to see more of these theory-est videos!
But the ants didn't know that. In fact none of the cast involved seem to know that correct? From the perspective of the insects they would be doing overkill. If you kill someone because you're upset or you enjoy it doesn't make it any better or worse.
There is a difference between Self Defense and Murder but frustration and sadism are murder.
Murder is where you intentionally kill another.
Self Defense is where you kill another to protect yourself.
One requires knowledge to be applicable and while maybe that Exterminator eats puppies and kittens in front of children... his punishment doesn't fit what the cast knows about him. They are torturing a person from their perspective.
Man Slaughter is when you accidentally kill another... adding another twist to the chain.
The exterminator was unknowingly killing aware creatures... and those aware creatures did NOT educate him like the child. They have shown they are capable of being mature... but they did not choose that option.
Both the child and exterminator were equally flawed willing to kill others for personal gain. One was educated and changed while the other was punished without being given a chance. That is messed up even worse when you consider that the message of this has become...
"Adults can't change, only children can. Punish adults harshly even if their mistake is due to a lack of knowledge."
Not to mention point 2 you made no longer stands, remember the ants didn't educate the exterminator. This means they have an different motive or poor story telling. Given situations involve saving their colony...
Everything breaks.
The ants are manipulative as that is the only way to explain the events that pan out successfully by character perspectives.
@@Buglin_Burger7878 ok you make a couple of fair points. I guess it is true that I was looking at it in a more omniscient view instead of the characters view. Pretty much invalidating my first point.
But I don’t think that makes my second point invalid. The ants knew were Lucus lived, they were basically neighbors, but the exterminator really for the most part came out of nowhere, and it’s not like they can follow him home to use the shrinking serum on him because at that point he was out to kill them with the gas.
True Lucus probably killed a couple hundreds, thousands with flooding the hill, but for the most part he was just screwing with them, not going out of his way to wipe out their entire existence, and even then it was just the ants. The exterminator on the other hand was looking to wipe them all out and any other insect that gets in his way.
Besides the shrinking serum would probably not have work as well, as seen in the movie were he really just shrinks down to more of a child and could still technically destroy them with the gas if the wasps didn’t chase him off. The only reason it worked on Lucus so well was because Lucus was a child and was pretty small already. (But of course the administration of the serum could play a factor, being with Lucus it was put in his ear while with the exterminator it was given on his rectum.)
And no, they couldn’t have made more. True they new about the exterminator(or really just exterminators in general), but just before he arrived, they were under the impression that Lucus had called him off.
1 As for the first point, I wasn't sure to add that since it's on the deleted scenes and I didn't want to stretch too far from what the movie presents.
2 As per the second one that's a very good way to put it, my only problem is that they never gave the ant queen a real explanation on why she does it, vague enough so we can assume she means well and also vague enough so people like me might theorize otherwise.
The ants do point out that they are inhuman :D,
@@Rebell-mi4zu what your saying is these ants are to dangerous to be left alive?
People are seriously scared of bugs, yet they don't realize it's actually way more terrifying to BE a bug.
Like, you know a lot of tropes in horror? Zombies, mind control parasites, chestbursters? That's all completely normal in the world of bugs.
:( They have my sympathy, but get THE ____ OUTTA MY PICNIC
Clearly you've never had Jelly Bellies. That's the brand showcased in the movie and you'd never mistake a pear, watermelon, cinnamon, or popcorn Jelly Belly for the other flavors. Also, even in crappy cheap jelly beans, the black ones taste _very_ different.
Well, yes and no.
Fun Fact about me: When I was a kid my mother used to buy cheap knock-off candy all the time (she couldn't afford much), so I grew up thinking all jellybeans tasted like corn syrup.
Of course, I found out the "truth", if you wanna call it that, many years later.
@@BuriedEntertainment Definitely a lot of candies come in only one flavor however colorful they may be, especially the cheap ones. Also the cereal Froot Loops, famously. Often these are just "generically sugary and vaguely fruity", which is at least more accurate than calling any fruit flavored candy the flavor of the actual fruit. (I say this as someone who _loves_ the widely hated artificial banana flavor)
@@RoninCatholic 1. Banana flavor is great.
2. It tastes like an extinct or at least endangered banana that used to be the norm.
@@bdp4 fun fact. I don't like bananas but I love the artificial banana flavor, indeed tastes like an extinct banana or something, much better (my opinion)
@Nathan Taffijn _All_ candy is that way, _none_ of it tastes like the real fruit. That's not the point, Nathan: Red jelly beans are fake cherry flavor, pink jelly beans are fake strawberry flavor, black jelly beans are fake licorice flavor, yellow jelly beans are fake lemon flavor. Jelly Bellies in particular have better fake flavors for the individual beans than most other jelly beans. They even go the extra mile by putting a slightly grainy texture in the pear flavor to make it feel more like eating a pear and having the watermelon flavor have a deep red interior and dark green exterior.
i like that all of the jellybeans fall off his hand when he finishes counting the types of candy he carries, making his palm be completely open. nice attention to detail. i saw that.
I'd like to point out that the Exterminator character wasn't in the book. The book was just about him learning to respect the ants and be a better person.
TIL there was a book
They wanted a final boss
Yh it's a movie and they always need a villain because why not that's why Disney loves "plot twist villains" so much
You unlocked a childhood memory I forgot I had
Same
I offer this lowly comment to _the Algorithm_ as a sacrifice, in the name of Zeus, that man may experience the joy of the content produced by this channel, and the hard work of the maker behind it.
Praise!
Amen brother
@@BuriedEntertainment
:D
@@BuriedEntertainment you have spread the joy that is you commenting or hearting your fans comments to the masses, and that brings me joy as I too have felt this joy of this, and I appreciate how you spread this joy instead of just turning a blind eye to your videos comment sections like some youtubers like to do with their fan bases.
Your prayers have lead me here. Blessings to you brave crusader.
@@ATMOSK1234
Blessings be! Praise!
It seems like a parody or satire of Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
There's this weird Man vs God and Man vs Man undertone that cements the idea that nobody can be a Superman because nature and humanity will never come to terms at all.
The ants didn't befriend the Ant Bully because they wanted peace but rather wanted a weapon.
And right at the end of the movie, we really don't see the protagonist come to peaceful terms with his antagonists. Very odd yet fascinating
this review having a backstory is so charming, also the main voice gives me the vibe of an old-timey explorer which i think fits exploring the messaging of media and all that good stuff. its just real neat! also sounds nice and the art is legit great
What kind of jelly beans have you been eating? They so do not all taste the same.
The cheap kind. Or his taste buds are out of whack.
Like Alexis said, the cheap kind
Most store brand ones dont have difrent tastes
I like the style of this one. Definitely worth the wait 👍.
Yes.
I could have lived without seeing a poor caterpillar being eaten from the inside out.
I"m starting to love the backstory lore of your character
I just remembered that shrink the exterminator down WAS the plan, but when it failed because of his headphones, they inject him the potion and it goes wrong and they claim victory, so if they actually shrank him down, he could've suffered a worse fate because he was like a demon to them.
Or maybe they would’ve helped him too
How do I always somehow forget this channel? I have discovered this like 7 times.
Ants are actually very good for the garden. They make quick work of carcasses, moving them down into the ground to function as fertilizer. No need to eradicate ants from a garden, that's the best place for them.
I like the posters in the background, “Smile or Else” “Just Hang...”
"Open your mind" doesn't sound to bad, and then you see the picture they picked to go with it.
A fun analysis, granted I never sat down with any bug related animated movies as a kid growing up, something about them just bugged me I guess.
And aside from the review the presentation is thoughtful and interesting with the characters and personality put forth! Quickly becoming one of my favorite animation discussion channels.
something about them BUGGED you
I see what you did there lol
“Bugged” lol good one!
Try A Bug’s Life
(I get the bugged me joke lol)
And the Rabbit Hole keep getting deeper and deeper...
All I could think about while watching this was that absolutely no therapist would ever talk like that during a session.
I completely agree with you on the Exterminator. Another thing I thought was weird though was that he clearly sees ants working together with other insects and thinks nothing of it. There were ants riding on flying insects, and he's just like "Yep another day on the job." Seeing that might somewhat convey the idea to a human that ants can communicate with other species to protect their overall wellbeing, but more than anything else, it's just strange that he doesn't really react to it at all if we're to take real life logic into this movie.
I love the idea that the ants manipulated Lucas. That's awesome!
Well it wouldn't immediately convey intelligence. Phoresy is a thing, where smaller animals latch onto larger animals for a ride. You often see it in mutualistic mites, and pseudoscorpions, spiders like to do it with megafauna as well. Much more common with arachnids honestly, but sloth moths and oil beetles are good insect examples. Maybe he thought he saw some new species of ant who used this ability, but because he cares more about killing than research, he just continued with his job.
"So there's this movie called the Ant Bully that's got some questionable moral lessons..."
"What does that have to do with your childhood?"
"We get there when we get there!"
In all seriousness, great video. It's really well put together and the art looks great.
What a good way to end off a day. Watching some quality RUclips video
I'll say! Had one of tne shittiest days at work today. This was a real treat.
The way I saw this movie, the theme to me never really was focused solely on redemption. It was always more a message of the power of numbers and how a weaker force in greater number can help take down colossal threats.
I think A Bugs Life did it better, ironically it was Hopper AKA the main antagonist and gang leader who demonstrated this first.
I wouldn't call Lucas having the other kids band together to stand up to their bully messy morality, it's victims standing up to their abuser. If the bully isn't fed that piece of humble pie early on they'd likely grow up to abuse their spouse or kid. People who act like children all need gentle redirection seem like they've completely forgotten what it was like to be a kid or a least have never experienced bullying, or frequent bullying. Kids are cruel. Like extremely cruel. Morally kids have a lot in common with insects because their brains haven't developed enough to have empathy, or at least not to the level an adult has due to life experience. As for how the ants befriended him, it's still more humane than what our real world governments would do to an alien child, especially if they had as much blood on their hands as Lucas.
Children can not legally sign contracts. Even if it's for anything like yard work. What the man did was illegal and he was praying on a venerable kid. He is a bad guy but the ending was very... weird to me.
You know when you buy something like candy from a store? That's a legally signed purchase contract.
@@RyosukeTakahashiRX7 that is completely different. You don't sign contracts to buy that.
@@cameoshadowness7757 Legally speaking, yes, you do. The contract the exterminator offers is literally a purchase contract for services which otherwise can't be proven. Since he's still a child, his parents could invalidate the contract at any given point, even after the services happened, since the price might be too high etc. But as long as they don't step in or even agree with the child, everything's okay.
From what I understand, this depends on where you are at. I believe in some places, children can sign contracts, but they can leave contracts much easier.
@@RyosukeTakahashiRX7 buying a snack at a store is not the same thing at all. Children can not sign contracts like that. That isn't a legally bounded contract. A child cannot sign for such a thing because he is not only under age but also legally doesn't own the property or rights to it. The contract can not hold.
I don't have anything to say, just commenting for the algorithm.
I agree. He deserves more views.
Same
well it worked this is my first video from this guy and I feel like I have to binge his content now
Ant Bully: the movie where Aang becomes Ant Man and meets Ash Williams and Nic Cage ants as well fight off against Paul Giamatti
I always saw it as a stand up and unite with others, that scene where they were talking about the city and the people in it and how its kind of nature how we can influence each other with good deeds etc.
Schizo rat discusses with his therapist about the morality of a kids movie. Love it.
Personally i thought it was very understandable why they changed their tune. Ants operate under a hive mind under the queen. What she says goes
If I had to guess, Valentino had a rough upbringing and used kid’s movies as escapism, but sometimes like with the Ant Bully it came at the wrong time. Like maybe he was being bullied at the time and rather than feel comforted by the movie, he just felt even more confused.
This style takes me back to early Lord Bung, oddly nostalgic, hyped for more of this
That doctor looks like she is just about done with everyone’s shit at this point.
I hope she returns. She s sassy and I love it.
@@LeftytheGansterGremlin same.
Actually no, the guy making a kid sign a contract is actively illegal. Like, lawsuit, potential jail time. And the stuff he’s spraying, without his parent’s permission, could be toxic and dangerous. So I’d say he counts as “evil”.
The good quality jelly beans taste different. You guys can't tell me that you can't tell the difference between the buttered popcorn ones and the fruit flavored ones.
Good video though.
@Nathan Taffijn it doesn't matter if they're "real" or not, they still taste different
if the therapist wanted jelly beans she should have asked lol
Your entire bit about choice to change and how it can make or break a story is actually a good point that is missed a great deal in modern day media. A good example would be the modern remake of She-Ra versus the original series. In the modern series Adora the main character is literally trapped in her circumstances. Forced by the expectations of those around her, the nature of her powers and every authority figure she can turn to to be She-Ra the Defender of the World. She is outright told in a later episode that she has no choice.
This is in stark contrast to the original Adora who always had a choice in the matter. Her introductory episode showed her as a very powerful and skilled warrior even without the magical sword, with it she was nigh unstoppable. She was then given the option of returning to Eternia, the home from which she was stolen from as a baby. She was on her introduction offered a life of luxury and comfort away from a war that she was drafted into as a newborn. To be given everything she wanted in the form of a loving family, more delicious food than she could ever eat, support, understanding and kindness and no one would say a bad word about it. She's just broken through a lifetime of brainwashing to make a stand against evil, there's already a rebellion against the tyrant and she's literally never known her home and family. Yet she turns back and joins the rebellion as both Adora and She-Ra.
This difference between the two Adora's one an unwilling slave in the new version against the selfless hero of the old accentuates the differences between the power of She-Ra in the versions as well. In the new version it is a curse, a duty forced upon someone whether they are prepared or fit for the role or not. Where in the original story it's a gift from Greyskull to help a champion in need. The sword in the new version is a symbol of office, something that does not belong to Adora and is merely loaned to her. In the original it belongs to her. Others can carry it, but only she can use it it was meant for her and made for her.
Hopefully this has provided some food for thought.
Edit to clean up the mess that quickly typing creates.
It's always sad to see a character get messed up for life in some way. Villain or not.
i forced my friends to watch this movie and it almost broke our friendship of 6 years
I've watched this movie extensively throughout my childhood, I really had nightmares of being shrunk down to size and used as a tool in the ants schemes. Loved your video ❤️
The framing of this movie review as an animated therapy session is really cool, and I would love to see more like this!
Oh my heavens, this is glorious.
The script writing here is an absolute masterpiece and the personality you bring to reviewing movies is just astonishingly good.
Also that’s a very unique face for the channel.
Please continue with the therapy setting, where every review is in the therapy office. It's so good and so unique
This channel is so underrated.
Buried Entertainment's avatar (sorry, I don't know his name, I'm new here) when his therapist asks what The Ant Bully has to do with his childhood trauma: "We get there when we get there!"
This actually explains really well why this movie was so good and at the same time so... abrupt by the end
The animatic therapy scene is a real nice touch
Holy crap thanks for reawakening the memory in me that this movie existed!
God damn how the hell does every vid get SO good
Two videos in and I already fell in love with this channel. :D
You know, a weird thing to me is that there’s another way the exterminator could get his comeuppance: The adults in the neighborhood find out that he tricked his way into getting a kid pay for his services, and shame/embarrass him for it. It’s appropriate because:
1. It’s likely what would happen, realistically speaking. It’s pretty scummy to trick a child into paying for something they neither understand nor ever could pay back. The exterminator isn’t hurt, abused, or anything; he’s instead socially shamed for taking advantage of a vulnerable individual and as a result would have to find a way to reform his image and regain the community’s goodwill.
2. It isn’t excessive by any measure. He can regain all that goodwill with enough time and thus learn his lesson, move to set up shop elsewhere (granted that’s if such a move is in his budget), or find another local area to do business in. He’s not permanently crippled like he is by the end of the movie.
Lucas the real ant man
I love the little story going on during the review. This from someone who normally dislikes these kinda skits.
Also, to cause incredibly minor controversy, all jelly bean flavors are good except for buttered popcorn, black licorice, and cinnamon.
Dude your voice is fucking soothing to hear, I can literally listen to you talking about the video on repeat and still be fascinated
Great video! A similar situation to the Storks video; it's great to see a deep dive into a less talked about animated film
This unlocked hidden memories I have tried to keep hidden away for so long.
You know the way the exterminator was dealt with was morally messed up plus it actually dooms the colony when you think about it.
Stan in his deformed state is actual physical proof that something weird happened and that would draw a whole lot of attention to the ant colony. The ants would either get captured and studied or simply be considered a threat and destroyed.
To be fair, who is going to believe him?
Although I agree the ending is just really messed up
@CMuyal Well I mean Stan is living proof that something weird did happen to him. Even if anyone didn't believe what he said the yard and the ant hill would still be investigated.
This movie traumatized me as a kid
Some interesting tidbits I learned from the film's wikipedia page:
-Lucas is played by Zack Tyler Eisen, who you might know better as Aang from Avatar. This was his only other voice credit aside from the games based on this movie and A:TLA.
-The movie was helmed by DNA Productions, which is most well known for making Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. This was only their second film ever made, as they were shut down shortly before the movie released.
-Oddly enough, this movie apparently takes place in the suburban side of Las Vegas, of all cities
-The film was produced by Tom Hanks, yet he doesn't even provide a cameo
-Zack Shada provides the voice for one of the kids, and is also known for being the original voice of Finn in the Adventure Time pilot before being replaced by his brother Jeremy for the series proper.
This channel is so amazingly unique, I love it
*This is such a generally interesting world you've created!*
your character that seems to be in some sort of psyche ward/happy home, and the character's to go with,
I honestly want to see where this story of your's will go!
If you see this comment, I hope your staying *hydrated* , *happy* and *comfy* , remember to not over work your self and know you have loving and supporting fans
:))
Man I love your channel. This is pure art, not just a review.
*blushes* .......thank you
@@BuriedEntertainment You're welcome. Keep up the work!
This man sounds like he's about to tell me about the fish I just found.
If this Valentino guy becomes the next Tumblr sexyman, I wouldn't be shocked.
your therapist it's awful please never work with her again
I never liked that movie because... i felt that the "villain" wasn't evil
He was HIRED by the protagonist to do exactly that
It's as if someone hire some mercenaries to intervene somewhere and then the contractor by some reason change its mind and start calling them evil and attack them... i mean they didn't choose to be there, they were HIRED to be there and do those "evil" things by who? By the "good guy" who's now protecting the other side :)
*any relation with any real wasn't intended* *but hell yeah, we had hundreds of those cases*
That reminds me of the premise of Mercenaries 2.
Maybe in the future people will consider the killing of insects evil, but for our time period the exterminator isn't that evil.
@@colbycoolby1592
Really? Never heard about this game until now.
I love your channel! Wish you could upload more often but can understand the effort that goes into these. Keep up the amazing work!
Yay the crazy guy is back! Very interesting video man.
I use to think a lot about this movie when I was young, I always imagine if I was shrunken down and be with the ants. I have a big crush on Hova, but as time goes on I begun to move on. Until after I seen this movie again, and after watching your video I began to understand how underrated this is. Fail redemption, using the human to the ants advantage & forgotten the many ant lives were lost after Lucas destroy they’re home. Most of the animation was good but that scene with the lice in the
Exterminator’s hair was creepy. Know I wish Zoc would have been the villain and not the exterminator.
Just love the intro ......
And the accent is really spot on.
Man, it’s been some time since the last vid! Glad to see you back with some lore and an interesting review on Ant Bully. Love the art.
Never knew a humanoid bat in therapy would make me reflect so much on life while talking about a 2006 movie about ants.
I'm not sure what exactly made me subscribe, the character designs, the top-teir voice acting, the well-thought out points and arguments or "It's always good to carry candy in case someone gets sad."
Honestly it's all amazing 11/10.
Even as a kid I noticed the messy moral
Nice Attention to detail at 9:00 where the jelly beans fall to the ground when he held all of his fingers.
Reminder that this movie is why we didn't get Jimmy Neutron season 4
The animation was great.
There's clear lines of delineation of how a child has a window of opportunity to change, which has been latched shut for adults.
According to this movies logic, we should forgive the reapers from mass effect, but enslave people doing their jobs and not realizing they hurt people in the process.
Good god, that’s pretty screwed up for a kids movie.
I firmly believe that everyone can change. However 2 points, not all change is good and just because they CAN change, doesn't mean they will.
I keep remembering that this movie definitely existed, and then promptly forget it exists, only to be reminded again. Great quality work as always! I love the framing of the discussion as a ramble in a psychiatrist's office.
Also very cultured with Island of Giant Insects.
stop lampshading yourself i don't need the lampoon when I'm already invested in what you have to say in a genuine way
There sure are a lot of characters in this underground vault.
Amazing video like always! This did definitely make me rethink this movie as I watched it a few times throughout my childhood and always just thought something seemed strange about it. I hope you can continue making great videos like this and am very excited about the next one. : )
nobody:
my brain seeing this video in my recommendeds: *The Bussy Morality of Ant Melly (2006)*
Wonderful video! Thank you for making this
I wonder if he seemed any crazier than he is already when he said stuff like "Look how they conveyed size on this scene" even though the doctor can't really see anything