Entertainment

The Ant Bully

B+ Starring the voices of Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and Paul Giamatti. Directed by John A. Davis. PG. 89 mins., plus extras. $29.98

TRAVAILS WITH MY 'ANT': The box office nearly exterminated this sweet, locally animated film from Dallas' own John A. Davis (of Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius fame). But that's what's great about DVD – it gives a second chance to a worthy movie that got lost amid this year's unusually large flood of animated releases.

ANT-ICS: OK, we admit it's a bit on the earnest side, but there's a good message about a boy, Lucas, who responds to being bullied by bullying something smaller than himself – ants. When the ants magically shrink him to their size, he begins to see things from their point of view.

LOOK WHO'S TALKING: The cast is a who's who of Hollywood hot shots. Watch Academy Award winner Julia Roberts do her ant thing before she morphs into a spider (that would enjoy munching on this ant) in the upcoming Charlotte's Web.

BEST EXTRA: The animated shorts that riff off the movie are funny. But the best extra is "It Takes a Colony," in which an animated beetle interviews Mr. Davis about how the movie was made.

BOTTOM LINE: Try it, you'll like it.

Nancy Churnin