The Ant Bully
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: July 28, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
11
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
Family entertainment at its best. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
An effortlessly clever animated confection. Read full review
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
It may be too intense at times for wee ones, but kids of 5 and up testing the limits of their independence in the big world should relate to Lucas, dig the crazy insect world and embrace the imagination behind the colorful adventure. Read full review
80
Washington PostStephen Hunter
The movie is an epic adventure with a rigorously moral point of view. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
While "Cars" may have the most elaborate CGI effects of the season, and "Monster House?" the most original character (the house), The Ant Bully can lay claim to the most entertaining story and most rewarding ending. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The movie has a great time playing with ideas of scope and perspective, shifting between microscopic and macroscopic. Read full review
70
Village VoiceRobert Wilonsky
It's a kids' movie for kids, and Davis approaches it as though he and his cast are merely storytellers trying to reach kids rather than show-offs trying to impress their parents. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Wittily manipulating scale to generate the requisite fright factor, the movie is stuffed with visual delights both lyrical (a squadron of ants hang-gliding on flower petals) and visceral (a battalion of bottle-blue wasps on the wing). Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Based on John Nickle's children's book, this computer-animated comedy starts slowly but builds into a rousing adventure capped with just the right measure of sweetness. Read full review
67
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
A derivative little tale with enough good intentions to recommend it, but not enough substance to embrace it. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Ant Bully, while not wildly fresh or inventive, is entertaining and energetic. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
Writer/director John A. Davis (Jimmy Neutron) is a wizard at transforming the most mundane setting -- the front yard, for crying out loud -- into another world. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Take "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," throw some "Antz" on it, and you have The Ant Bully. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The screenplay is blessedly free of mediocre songs and light on flashy pop-culture in-jokes. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
In spite of its predictability, it's a nifty story in the abstract, and Davis certainly makes the most of the opportunity to examine the world from an ant's-eye view. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
Feels anonymously generic and charmlessly mechanical. Read full review
50
VarietyJustin Chang
Lovely to look at but a headache to listen to. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Why bother with wit, intelligence, and emotion when children will be equally entertained by pretty images, colorful action, and the obligatory poop joke? Read full review
50
The New York TimesDana Stevens
In the end, though, The Ant Bully is adequate rather than enchanting. Unsure of its ability to charm, it compensates with noise, sentiment and low humor, the usual synthetic stew served to children, Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
This generic exercise in computer-generated animation may provide passable entertainment for very young children, but adults will be less than enchanted by its preachiness, talkiness and Communist Party-line political views. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
There's nothing outstandingly good or bad about the film. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen Cole
Three years in the making, seems fussed over and, occasionally, a little dull. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
It all adds up to a peculiar whole; fun I suppose, but not what you'd call a picnic. Read full review
40
EmpireOlly Richards
As kiddie entertainment it works well, with simple humour and lots of action. But there's not a lot to appeal to any accompanying adults. Read full review
40
Film ThreatMichael Ferraro
The Ant Bully, though short and well voiced, is nowhere near as important or influential as it tries to make itself seem and it feels more unnecessary than anything else. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
It lacks a sharp look and satisfyingly fleshed-out story and compensates with one numbing round of insect- or human-based peril after another. Read full review
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