Back at the turn of the century when I purchased my first HDTV, one of the DVD’s I used to show off the set was the Collector’s Edition of A Bug’s Life, which, unlike the regular DVD edition, had an anamorphic transfer that featured striking detail and depth. It also helped that I loved the film. Since the advent of high def media, I have not had the opportunity to pull out that disc to check it out to see how well it holds up on a bigger screen. I have now with the release of A Bug’s Life on Blu-ray. I had high expectations here given the picture quality of the other Pixar Blu-ray titles. How does A Bug’s Life compare? Well, the old DVD is headed to Amazon for sale as this Blu-ray release puts it to shame.

Film

I already have noted that A Bug’s Life is one of my favorite Pixar titles. That is saying a lot given that all the Pixar films are fantastic. I am sure that you are all familiar with the basic story. The film centers around an ant colony that is bullied by a group of grasshoppers into providing them with a bounty of food each year to prevent the group from terrorizing them. In the real world, it is known as extortion. The ant colony collects and provides the food for the grasshoppers at the same time each year before collecting the food for the colony.

However, one of the colonies’ ants, Flick, who is something of a clumsy inventor, accidently causes the food set aside on a pad for the grasshoppers to eat, fall off a cliff into a river just as the grasshoppers arrive to collect their ill gotten gain. Flick advises the colony counsel that they should look for a group of warrior bugs to help fight the grasshoppers. The counsel agrees and Flick leaves the colony with Princess Atta, the daughter of the Queen, to find the warrior bugs. They come across a group of wandering actor bugs who Flick believes are warrior bugs as a result of him watching their act. Flick recruits them to return to the colony to banish the grasshoppers once and for all.

A Bug’s Life is a charming film about bravery in the face of insurmountable odds. It is a film that the entire family can enjoy, as it appeals to kids of all ages. The film features the voices of Kevin Spacey, Julia-Louise Dreyfus, Hayden Panettiere, Phyllis Diller, Denis Leary, Bonnie Hunt, Brad Garrett, David Hyde Pierce, John Ratzenberger, Dave Foley, Christina Millan and Ashley Tisdale. If you haven’t seen this film before, check it out on Blu-ray. If you have or have the DVD, see it again on Blu-ray as the Blu-ray experience is almost like seeing the film for the first time. Very highly recommended.

Video

Quite frankly, this is a stunning looking transfer of the film. I can’t imagine this film looking any better than it does on this release. The film features bright and bold colors with deep blacks. Detail and the rendering of fine textures are off the charts, making the prior looking DVDs look like VHS. I was able to see fine details and facial textures that I had no idea existed before seeing this release. Clarity, depth and three dimensionality are top notch as well. An example of that is the beginning of the film when the ants are gathering seeds from the high grass.

The level of depth and space between the blades of grass is amazing and very lifelike. What also strikes you after viewing the film is how far Pixar computer animation has come since this release which hit theaters in 1998. The facial features in particular look almost primitive in comparison to the more recent Pixar films. If you are looking for a Blu-ray release that has striking and bold colors, incredible detail,clarity and depth and is reference in all respects, this is the release for you. A Bug’s Life is yet another in a string of fantastic Blu-ray releases from the folks at Pixar. Amazing stuff.

Audio

The audio on this release is every bit as good as the video. The audio features a DTS HD Master Audio track in a 5.1 channel configuration that is simply stunning. What strikes you immediately about the audio here is the fidelity of the musical score. The score sounds downright lush with excellent bass and dynamics. The dialogue track as well is beautifully recorded and rendered and well placed in the sound field. All of the characteristics that I look for in judging audio, namely transparency, imaging and dynamics, are all of reference quality here. The surrounds are active throughout the film and used rather aggressively, creating a totally immersive sound field. The overall sound is smooth, full and open with excellent bass and sounds great at reference levels. This is one track you can really crank up and give your system a workout, without even a hint of listener fatigue. Very well done.

Special Features

The extras here are plentiful and of high quality. In addition to the Blu-Ray version of the film, the release also contains a digital copy which is compatible with Macs and PCs. The release contains all of the extras included on the original DVD release including the Academy Award winning Best Animated Short Film- Geri’s Game, The Walt Disney SIlly Symphony; “Grasshopper and the Ants” from 1934, Director Commentary, Story and Editorial, Storyboard to Film Comparison, Outtakes, the featurette Behind the Scenes of A Bug’s Life and Character interviews. if you loved them on the DVD, you can enjoy them here as well.

Also included are several new extras created specifically for this Blu-ray release. They include a new introduction by John Lasseter, A Bug’s Life - The First Draft which features all new, never seen before animated sequences from the original story treatment, a filmmakers roundtable with John Lasseter, Daria Anderson,] and Andrew Stanton, who take a journey back 10 years to the original theatrical release of the film to discuss what advances Pixar has made in technology, story telling and the overall filmmaking process. If you check out only one extra on this release, this is the one to see. The release is also BD-Live enabled featuring access to Movie Chat, Movie Mail, Movie Challenge, Movie Rewards and Avatars.

Final Thoughts

Pixar films are noted for their quality in terms of animation as well as storytelling. Their Blu-ray releases are also known for their incredible video and audio presentations. Add A Bug’s Life to the list of outstanding Blu-ray releases from the folks at Pixar. Highly recommended. In fact, this is a MUST HAVE IMHO.