So, have you heard the one about the worker ant? Yeah, this loveable, well-meaning, but occasionally clumsy ant gets his whole colony into trouble with a ferocious neighboring group of insects, goes off in search of help to rescue his world from the clutches of domination; learns the lessons of individualism, creativity, and initiative along the way--makes new friends, wins the heart of the ant princess, and saves the day. All, mind you, in just slightly over 90 minutes.

If you think you've seen it all before, that's because you very well may have: in this fall's early foray into the world of the microscopic, Antz. Now Disney and Pixar, the brilliant pair that brought us Toy Story in 1995, have added their contribution: A Bug's Life. This charming, but occasionally frantic animated picture, is so delightfully cute it'll make you want to cuddle babies, pet small dogs, help old ladies across the street, and pull out that old copy of Sound of Music, which by the way, is good for all, especially for Julie Andrews who (and here's our one dose of reality) may never sing again.

A Bug's Life is the kind of picture that puts a smile on your face and inspires the resurfacing of all the child-like qualities you once thought you'd lost. It spins the tale of Flik, the ingenious, good-natured ant (voiced lovingly by David Foley) whose clumsiness destroys the food supply of his colony. This is a problem, not because our cuddly purple ants will starve, but because the neighboring Grasshoppers, led oh-so-dictatorially by Hopper (Kevin Spacey, in the best role of the film) require the food as a bargaining chip by which they keep the ant colony safe from other bugs. The only mean, nasty looking things in this otherwise Disneytized world, the grasshoppers are about as scary as this G-rated creation will get.

After the disaster, our Ant friends decide to start re-picking the food, but Flik is motivated to seek out alternatives. He's tired of the old adage "the ants pick the food, the grasshoppers take the food," and goes off to the city to find bigger bugs to help his colony fight off Hopper and the gang. Of course, in good morality-tale fashion, no one in his colony, particularly not princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, playing Elaine as an ant) believes in him. So, in an attempt to prove his worth, Flik returns with a gang of bugs who he thinks are warrior bugs, but who in reality are circus bugs thinking they're being offered a new gig to entertain an ant colony. The circus bugs, voiced by a team of talented performers, are absolutely hilarious. Working in tandem, they provide the most delightful comedy to hit the animated screen since Robin Williams played a big blue Genie. (Come on, you remember that one.)

The computer animation is superb, though more airy and surreal than that of Antz. Most of the action takes place above ground and during daylight. The images are bright, the color palette reminiscent of a child's water-color set--which is fitting for the overall tone of the film. Some of the shots are so amazing (particulary of the flowers and plants in the brush) that you begin to forget that this is animation.

But aside from the technical beauty of the film, the real fun of A Bug's Life comes in the in the singular moments that depict insect life: the city where Flik finds his warriors, awash with urban ills, including mosquitos getting drunk on bloody marys; the circus, run by P.T Flea; the secret clubhouse of little girls ants tucked away inside a plant stem; Phyllis Diller as the queen ant with her dog...um aphid, Aphea. These genuinely clever, inspired scenes are what entertainment in film is all about. Add to them characters like Spacey's Hopper (who's facial expression mirrors that of Spacey's so well, it's eerie), and David Hyde Pierce's walking stick bug, and you have an outstanding production.

The only problem this picture faces is its pace. The first fifteen minutes go by so quickly, you barely have time to acquaint yourself with the characters, when its already time to move on to the next frame. Everything is lightning fast, from the fight scenes to the harrowing escapes from the clutches of a bird, and even the dialogue. In contrast to Antz, where Woody Allen's now-methodic neurotic monologue tended to keep the film dragging, this picture goes by in an instant. You've barely come to remember the names of all the circus bugs, when already the Ants are lauding the praises of their warriors and the film is ending. The characters are archetypical anyway, so their particular contribution is not necessarily as valuable as the overall feel of the film.

At its heart, A Bug's Life, and in fact all pictures that depict societies, whether those of animals or aliens, are really just mirrors of the human condition. A Bug's Life is a story of a young person whose desire to break the mold of the old way of life spawns a new direction for his community; the fact that this community is made of purple ants is irrelevant. Kids will love A Bug's Life because, heck, it's about cuddly bugs who talk. Adults will love it because it's genuinely funny. It takes a bit of imagination and heart to enjoy this film, something children have in ample supply, and which, I'm happy to say, A Bug's Life can inspire in it's over-age-10 audience as well.