We take a strange detour in our Cage filmography journey by checking out his voice work in the forgotten 2006 animated flick “The Ant Bully”.
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IN THIS CORNER: KELLY MINTZER
The Lowdown
The Ant Bully is handily one of the strangest movies I’ve ever seen, and my well is deep.
I will grant you that my experience with children’s movies is not extensive; even as a child, I didn’t watch many of them. Still, this one strikes me as particularly strange; between the ant wizard, the ant religion, the very unlikable lead character, and the grandmother fixated on aliens, there’s a hell of a lot of weird going on here.
There’s the seed of an interesting idea here, one you don’t necessarily see that often in kids’ films.
The Ant Bully introduces our hero, Lucas, who is being bullied by kids who look exactly like bullies always look in kids’ movies (there’s an entire thesis to be written about always presenting bullies as chubby, awkward kids, signed a former chubby, awkward kid). Lucas, freed from his wedgie, immediately goes on to terrorize the ants in the backyard. Protagonists aren’t usually quite as vicious as young Lucas is, and the movie’s attempt to say “hurt people hurt people” is to be commended.
In addition to commiserating with the victim of bullying, the film takes the much more unusual stance of addressing the bullies relatively nonjudgmentally and saying, “We see you, we get you, but look what you’re doing.” It’s an admirable approach.
Of course, it’s also stone-cold bonkers.
I know the essence of the movie is learning to find the ways we’re the same despite our differences, overcoming adversity, and all that happy horseshit. But man, the path they take to get there is WEIRD.
The Cage Factor:
Folks, we have our first Rat in a Cage. I did not care for this movie, which was no fault of Nicolas Cage’s, but I cannot imagine any scenario, save watching every Nicolas Cage movie for science, where I would watch this movie voluntarily.
Cage gives a perfectly serviceable voice performance (though the real star is Bruce Campbell, who can’t help but chew the scenery, even as an animated ant). I admit I am not the target audience for this particular flick. But I do have a six-year-old niece, and I asked myself if I would show her this movie, and the answer is a big, beefy NO.
AND IN THIS CORNER: STEPHANIE MALONE
The Lowdown
With a star-studded cast, including Nicolas Cage, Julia Roberts, Bruce Campbell, Meryl Streep, and Paul Giamatti, 2006’s The Ant Bully (from John A. Davis, known for his work on Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius) had all the elements to be a hit.
However, compared to other animated films released around the same period, the adaptation of the children’s book by John Nickle lacks innovation and emotional depth.
The voice cast is a strong point, with talented actors bringing life to their characters. Nicolas Cage voices Zoc, an eccentric Ant Wizard who is the catalyst for the film’s premise, concocting a potion to shrink “Lucas the Tormentor” down to ant size — teaching him a lesson for terrorizing creatures smaller than himself.
For a mid-2000s animated film, The Ant Bully boasts decent animation quality, but it does not push the boundaries of what was possible at the time. Films like Ratatouille (2007) and Happy Feet (2006) showcased more innovative animation techniques and memorable visual styles.
Ultimately, The Ant Bully is an average animated film that may entertain younger viewers with its bright visuals, charming voice performances, and straightforward messages about empathy and community.
However, for older audiences and animation enthusiasts, it feels sorely lacking and utterly forgettable.
The Cage Factor:
Nicolas Cage’s performance as Zoc showcases his ability to adapt his distinctive voice to animated characters. However, it’s not as memorable or dynamic as his work in other animated projects, where he had more freedom to explore a broader range of emotions and comedic timing.
Typically, when I’m singing the praises of Nicolas Cage, I emphasize how much he elevates everything he is in and how he delivers a performance so uniquely Cage that it’s impossible to imagine another actor in the role. But even the legend himself can’t make The Ant Bully a worthwhile endeavor.
For once, he’s not even the best part of the film; that honor goes to Bruce Campbell, who almost saves the day with his boundless charm and wit. Almost.
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