This movie has bright animation and superb action sequences. The action sequences held my son's attention and kept him interested for the entire movie, which is hard to come by. There are lots of lessons within the movie. The boy, Lucas, who is picked on by his peers, then in turn picks on someone smaller than himself (the ants). Once Lucas becomes an ant he feels empathy for the creatures he once bullied. He also realizes that working as a team is more productive. Lucas begins to feel important and part of society. There are some parts which might frighten some young children. Lucas is in peril when he is shrunk because he is now lower on the food chain. But, he is also in peril as a human because he is small and the target of a bully. It allows great conversation on the topic of bullying.

Terrible.

There is no mention anywhere else in the review or parent comments of the scene where the exterminator character verablly abuses the child character, Lucas. In the scene, Lucas' parents are not home, and the exterminator tries to coerce Lucas (who must be about 7 or 8) into signing a contract to fumigate their front yard. Lucas says no, explains that his parents didn't tell him anything about it, and tells the man that he shouldn't sign it. The adult exterminator then mocks Lucas in a demeaning sing-songy voice saying, "You can't make a decision for yourself! You're just a little baby! I bet your mommy has to wipe your bottom!" And then he turns around and uses his hands to spread his butt cheeks. Lucas is visibly upset and signs the contract to prove that he is "grown up." The coercion and verbal abuse by the adult in this film is atrocious. My son (4 years) was confused and upset by this scene, which I used as a teaching moment to explain that not all adults are safe for children. The continuous stream of name calling and use of the word "stupid" and "jerk" contributes to my dislike of this movie. The professional review does not mention this. I could not find any other parent reviews that comment on this scene. Please consider this carefully before allowing your precious child to watch this movie. I could have gone without exposing my child to the cruelty in "The Ant Bully" if I had known about this scene. Now you can make a more informed decision for your family. Thank you. Emily S. Hillsboro, OR

My eight year old son saw this movie and was hooked right from the start! He doesn't usually sit thru an entire movie so I was actually quite surprised he did for this one. The bully theme is right on and timely. Just an all-'round great movie for young children with a solid storyline and message.

James and the Giant Peach, except this young boy gets the bully message, instead of escapism from abusive relatives. I cried!-because it dragged on. I laughed-and sighed with relief since it was only a rental! The whole 'magic potion' theme is a bit tired. My kids, ages 10 and twelve, gave it one viewing but weren't thrilled with the rehashed A Bug's Life animation that this movie has. Had much higher expectations, but another talking insect movie a la Antz, et al, in not a major breakthrough!