The Movie
Pixar's Toy Story changed everything in the world of animation, but how would the filmmakers next prove themselves as more than one-hit wonders? The pressure was on for John Lasseter & Co. to push the art form even further with their second feature film, while also delivering a crowd-pleasing movie. The result was A Bug's Life, a sweet, witty, sometimes dark tale of insect exploitation, cooperation and rebellion. This fresh riff on The Magnificent Seven presents an outcast ant who thinks he's hiring a team of fierce warriors to protect his colony, when in fact they are a second-rate troupe of out-of-work circus performers. The truth is slowly revealed as a gang of marauding grasshoppers is set to return for a double helping of tribute… or whoop-ass. It's the sort of story that could only be told in animation of course, and the beauty of the computer imagery only makes it that much more irresistible.
The Picture
We are reminded that A Bug's Life was the first movie to go to DVD direct from the digital source, as image purity has always been a high priority for this title. I'm happy to the report that this Blu-ray is a lush spectacle of dazzling colors, with precise detail that at times implies photo-realism. The textures on insects and assorted plant life, the light effects everywhere within the 2.35:1 frame, even the backgrounds are sharper then they have any right to be, pleasantly overloading my senses. The man-made depth of focus--on blades of grass, on pebbles, etc.--goes beyond anything in the real world, and the exaggerated hues of nature are a sumptuous feast for the eyes. This is absolutely one of the most beautiful discs I have ever seen.
The original creation of this track must have been brutal, with so many little participants worked into an expansive mix. The new DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 mix (the box and menus list it incorrectly as 5.1) is used skillfully to establish the scale, the tiny insects' place in a gigantic world, be it via a handful of seeds falling off a leaf that thunder down like a ton of bricks or the wonderfully active surrounds, alive with the flitting of different wings, countless footsteps and more, all exquisitely, busily layered. Frequent flybys and flyovers also show off the top-notch directionality, the expanse of applause in one scene seems to reach beyond the confines of the soundfield, and the attack of the gargantuan, adorable (and apparently ravenous) bird is just crazy enough.
The Extras
During his one-minute high-definition intro, director John Lasseter says that this Blu-ray contains everything from the DVD, which is not entirely true, although it does offer some great new HD features. The Oscar-winning Pixar short Geri's Game (previously released on the 2007 Pixar Short Films Collection: Vol. 1 Blu-ray) is included here, along with the 1934 Walt Disney Silly Symphony 'toon, Grasshopper and the Ants, in lovely new HD with a brief standard-definition introduction. The Filmmakers' Roundtable (21 minutes, HD) brings together Lasseter, co-director/co-writer Andrew Stanton, and producers Darla K.Anderson and Kevin Reher for some hysterical anecdotes, a must-watch. "A Bug's Life - The First Draft" (11 minutes, HD) is an animated presentation of the early story, notable too for the return of star Dave Foley, who lends his voice for the occasion.
Much of the existing DVD content has indeed been ported over, upgraded to HD when possible, which particularly benefits the incorporated clips from the finished film. "Pre-Production" (34 minutes total, SD/HD) reveals the planning stages, "Design" proffers a one-minute intro followed by an extensive art gallery, and "Production" explores casting, various tests and animation progression (26-and-a-half minutes total, SD/HD). Gary Rydstrom shares the secrets of his "Sound Design" (13 minutes), high-def but with only two-channel audio. The "Release" section contains trailers and such, plus two minutes of animated character interviews, unfortunately all in SD. "Outtakes" begins with the roughly four-minute "Story Behind the Outtakes" in SD and then the two complete sets of faux bloopers created by Pixar to run during the movie's end credits, now in HD, about five minutes combined. The audio commentary from Lasseter, Stanton and supervising film editor Lee Unkrich is preserved as well.
A terrific segment that will likely appeal to Big Picture Big Sound readers is the "Maximize Your Home Theater" calibration tutorial, interesting to watch, easy to do and further indication of Disney/Pixar's appreciation of the highest audio/video standards. Disc Two in this set is a DVD packing a Digital Copy of the film that will work with either iTunes or Windows Media Player.
Final Thoughts
Sandwiched between such celebrated brethren, A Bug's Life might too easily be overlooked as an early Pixar treasure, and this Blu-ray is the best possible reminder of its staggering artistry. Striking near-audio/video-perfection and finished with comprehensive supplements, it belongs in just about everyone's HD library.
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