I just rewatched A Bug's Life, because it has my 2nd favorite Pixar score after The Incredibles. I think it's Pixar's most under-rated movie.
In addition to the story and characters being so fantastic in their simplicity, the animation actually really held up too; something I've always felt Pixar is strong at is "shooting" their films as if they were live-action. I first noticed it in Ratatouille, but there are moments in their movies where you can completely forget that you're watching anthropomorphic animals, let alone a cartoon. Part of that is the engaging stories and characters, but a lot of it is the attention to detail in the lighting, framing, and focus; and these details are what really put Pixar a cut above the rest.
If you look at a lot of the jokes in A Bug's Life, they're very weird. Amazing and brilliant, but weird. Jokes about insects and acting. A lot of set up and pay off. The structure is almost textbook. I love it.
I also didn't realize how stacked the cast is. Look it up. I've always liked Hopper as a villain. Realizing he's voiced by Kevin Spacey made this viewing really fun, because I could almost see Spacey's face any time Hopper was on screen. I mean that in a good way. His voice acting is engaging enough to sell me on the character, along with the animated acting, which is incredibly expressive considering how early A Bug's Life was on Pixar's resume. I think the phenomenal creature design combined with Spacey's acting really made me like Hopper as a kid, and I still do today. I might even go as far as to call him my favorite Pixar villain.
And one more shout to to Randy Newman for the score. Hot damn did he write great music in the '80's and '90's. He still does, but, come on, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, and, of course, The Natural.
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