Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants (2014)

Sorry, I´m going to state the obvious here. Comedies should be funny, horror movies should be scary, family movies should be a family experience. In that regard, this is a masterpiece. I watched this with my son and we both had a terrific time. Funny, original and gorgeous, the story-telling is brilliant and had him interested until the end. For a silent film to keep me, meh, but to keep a six year-old... that is some accomplishment. The mix of CGI and real life shots is a triumph and this will most probably still look amazing 20 years from now. It´s a feast to the senses.

Minuscule is about a baby ladybird who gets lost and befriends some ants. I went into this expecting it to be some happy little film with cute creatures, but it's so much more. There was so much peril in store for the ladybird and his friends, I began to wonder if there was even going to be a happy ending! I love the characters, even with the minor ones like the spider you still get a good feel of their personality.The wide mountain shots were absolutely stunning, and paired beautifully with the soundtrack. I love that although the creatures were animated, they still used real backgrounds. I also love the insect noises being like traffic, which I thought was very original. It also helps make a distinction between the red and black ants, as the black ants have a calming whistle whilst the red ants sound like angry dogs in my opinion.Parts of the film were a bit unrealistic. Obviously the big fight at the end was and I was okay with that because it was funny and it's an animated film so what else would you expect, but the beginning with the pregnant lady is a bit stupid. She starts going into labor (I assume this anyway, we only see some light gasps) and plays with her husbands leg to wake him, then they both gaze at the scenery before he knows what's up. If you have time to gaze at the scenery, you have time to pick up your picnic and not be litterbugs. I guess they had to set up the film somehow though. I also think it's crazy they had a whole box full of sugar, that's gonna be one hyper baby she gives birth to.Overall, Minuscule is a cute little film with some original touches and it's definitely worth watching.

I first heard of "Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants" just after it was shown in some film festival in late 2013. The article where I read about this spoke highly of the movie. As animated films always have this special place in my watch list , I added the movie to it without a second thought.Now , after I finished watching the movie I was speechless for at least a couple of minutes. This is not your regular animated movie in the sense "Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants" is shot in beautiful real French locations . The blend of CGI with real life locations/characters is so amazing that you almost start to empathize with the little lady bug & his adventure.No dialog only sound effects & background scores make the movie ideal for audience across the globe. This movie shows why cinema is a visual medium & how.Struggle , friendship , adventure , dreams ,challenges & hope : "Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants " has all it takes to make it a cult classic in the animated film genre.Little insects can have such big hearts after all! 10/10 .

For a movie that blends CGI with real world shots, this is a very well done venture. The landscape is very beautiful, the music is delightful and there is a serene quality to the movie that would sooth your senses in the long run. As another reviewer mentioned, there was no real point to putting up racing car sounds to flying bugs but this is brief. There is no dialogue at all so its just sit back and follow the way these bugs communicate though whistles and chirps. Its a nice tale of friendship and I have to commend the director for this innovative venture. The final war scene between the red and the black ants is hilarious so I would highly recommend watching till the end.