Pluskylang Great Film overall

SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

utgard14 Long before A Bug's Life or Antz there was Mr. Bug Goes to Town, a charming but flawed animated film from Dave and Max Fleischer. I'm a big fan of the Fleischers' work. Their Superman, Popeye, and Betty Boop cartoons are some of my favorites. Their first foray into full-length animation was 1939's Gulliver's Travels, which has its share of detractors but I like it a lot. I don't like Mr. Bug quite as much but it is worth a look. The story follows a community of bugs that live in a vacant lot. One bug in particular, Hoppity the grasshopper, is at the heart of most of the goings-on in this somewhat rambling story that eventually becomes about the bugs trying to save their home and Hoppity's girlfriend being forced to marry a villainous beetle.The animation is beautiful and charming but I found something off with this one. The voicework and music score are pedestrian and the general tone of the movie is a little flat. I'm not really sure if I can put my finger on it but the first forty-five minutes or so feels slow and aimless. It's lovely to look at throughout but the last half hour is the most exciting. Despite its flaws this is an enjoyable animated film that plays well to little kids, as well as adults who appreciate the craftsmanship that went into making quality animation back in the day. Unfortunately Mr. Bug was a financial disaster for the Fleischers and led to the brothers being ousted from their own studio, which was renamed Famous Studios by Paramount. Part of the reason for it flopping was undoubtedly its bad luck of being released two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. It's an interesting movie, especially for animation buffs, and I do believe it will entertain the right audience. See it for the lovely animation if nothing else.

ccthemovieman-1 What I liked best about this feature-length animated film from 1941 is the great feel it gives for the early 1940s. It's the songs, the clothing, automobiles, buildings lingo of the day, etc. You feel like you've stepped back into time.From reading some of the reviews here, I see this was a hard-luck film, being released a couple of days before the Pearl Harbor attack. Wow, no one would be interested in going to the movies for a feature-length cartoon during those eventful and shocking days, I'm sure. Too bad, because the folks missed some nice animation would have really impressed back then, almost 70 years ago. The colors are nice, drawings are good and story involving as we root for the bugs led by "Hoppity" and and his beautiful girl "Honey" to make it happily-ever-after and out of harm's way. It's also about all of them finding a grassy spot they can live and not worry about humans trampling them.There is a nasty villain, though - "C. Bagley Beetle" - and two of his henchmen. Those helpers ("Swat, The Fly" and "Smack, the Mosquito") are comedians, complete with their Brooklyn-ese accents! The story is a familiar one where a nasty old man wants to marry the sweet young thing and uses unscrupulous means to force her hand. The good guy, meanwhile, has the decked stacked against him but in the very end, of course, prevails.My favorite part - this will sound worse than what it was - was when good-guy "Hoppity" got temporarily electrocuted and he danced in black-and-white. That was fantastic animation! You know, it's a good thing I didn't see this as a very little kid; I would have been afraid to play outside and squash all those nice bug-people! You never know what (or who) is in that grass beneath your feet!

petersj-2 There was a time when not all animation was Disney or Pixar. Its so nice to see this wonderful film again and I actually got hold of a good, reasonable copy on DVD. Be careful as its out of the public domain and there are some really bad copies around.I got a very good copy by a company called Flashbacks and its quite good. In the old days I watched it on black and white on TV and its magic to see it in colour. Very much better than some would have you believe. The songs are delightful and the colour is great. Interestingly the characters are really well developed which is odd in animated movies. I loved Hoppity and the villain Mr Beatle is a real cad. Its incredibly imaginative. The way inanimate objects like cotton reels, old tins become part of the environment and have new functions is great. The anthropomorhic use of insects is amazing considering the much malinged creatures most people sadly think are repugnant. Hopefully we may never step on an insect again! THe insects enemy is man. In reality of course its the insects that will survive. No matter how hard we try to rid ourselves of ants here in Australia they keep coming back. The battle has been lost and we have to live with them. There are several scenes that stand out such as when Hoppity and Mr Bumble are caught in a watering can, the great flood and the journey to the top of the building are all wonderful. Its also rather anthropomorphic but in a way thats charming. The human characters look very like the ones in Gulliver and its incredibly effective. The wedding scene looks beautiful. Its a crime this movie has not been hailed as a classic. The only jarring note for me is the occasions in the film when the characters slip into verse. Speaking verse spoils the narration and it was no needed, The verse is awful and spoils an other wise good script. Its great and kids will love it. Its a joy to look at. There's a very clever ending too.

kriegers1900 Although never received well critically, this is a truly beautifully animated movie. This film, made at the outbreak of WW2 was one of the first 5 full length animated films ever made, and displays superb animation. Excellent too is the way human castoffs are used by the insects. Unfortunately the character of the principal villain is weak and two dimensional, and the story suffers as a result. The songs, however, are among the best I can recall in any animated film, and "Castle in the air" has to be one of my all time favorites. Unfortunately Max Fleisher was not as independent as Walt Disney, and as a result was never given an opportunity by Paramount to make another animated feature. However, the two that Fleisher was able to release will continue entertaining us for generations to come.