Antz

Z-4195 is just a worker ant- one in a billion- and his odds of landing the beautiful Princess Bala are about the same. Undaunted by the totalitarian colony's unyielding caste system, the rather neurotic Z enlists the aid of his best friend, a soldier ant, to win the affection of the Princess. When a remarkable twist of fate turns Z from a common drone into an unlikely hero, he unwittingly puts a bug in the plans of the ambitious General Mandible to literally liquidate the colony and remake it in his own image. Z soon finds himself leading a revolution that becomes a celebration of individuality in the face of overwhelming conformity. Once the most insignificant of workers, Z may just prove to be the biggest hero of them all. No picnic will ever be the same.

Z-4195, Princess Bala, Colonel Cutter, Chip, The Queen, Muffy, Barbatus, General Mandible, Azteca, Grebs, Psychologist, Foreman, Weaver

In 1988, Disney- including Animation head Jeffrey Katzenberg- was pitched a movie called Army Ants. The film was to deal with pacifist worker ant teaching lessons of independent thinking to his militaristic colony.

Almost a decade later, and now at DreamWorks, Katzenberg picks up Pacific Data Images to help them compete with Disney's Pixart... and they resurrect this story to go head-to-head with Pixars' A Bug's Life.