It's Tough to be a Bug: Find out what it feels like to be exterminated!
Written: Jan 14 '05 (Updated Jun 21 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Quality, entertaining movie, great effects, detailed theming
Cons: Scary even for some bigger kids
The Bottom Line: This is one of the best 3D movies I have seen but it could be scary for some kids.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: It's Tough To Be A Bug - California Adventure |
This is my favorite 3D movies in all of the theme parks I have been to. The effects are great but, even better, the theater has been designed with detailed theming and special effects tied into to the movie.
THE WAIT
This area doesn't really have a line. Instead you enter the theater area in A Bug's Land. The entrance looks pretty modest. It is usually easy to find because there are lots of parked strollers clogging the area. There is also a sign at the entrance telling how long before the next show. This is important because the movie lasts about 15 minutes and, if you just missed the last movie, you might want to spend some time above ground checking out the neat theming in A Bug's Land rather in the waiting area for the next movie to start.
Once you get past the main entrance, the theming gets exciting pretty quickly. You walk down ramps with railings that look like wood. The walls around you look like bare earth that has been excavated by insects. You walk down about one level until you have "burrowed" underground. At the entrance to the underground level, you get your "honorary bug" glasses. They are really cute with thick black frames and bushy black eyebrows.
At this point, you have cover over you, so if you vist Disney's California Adventure in rainy or cold weather, this is a great attraction to check out. Once inside, you wait in this holding area until the movie is about to start. This area is really cute and is designed to look like an underground bug home. The sides look like earth with lots of dug outs and occasional mushrooms. Even the lighting suits the them. In particular, my kids liked the gigantic dung ball at the far end of the waiting area. The area is also decorated with fake movie posters. There was one for "Barefoot in the Bark," another for "Anntie," and another for "A Cockroach Line." Each poster had interesting facts about the bug featured in the title. You could spend some time just walking around and reading the signs.
GETTING A GOOD SEAT
Really, most of the seats are good and the theater is slanted so you can see pretty well over the people in front of you. As you enter the waiting area, the door closest to you will open for the back of the theater. If you want to be near the front, head down to the far end of the waiting area near the gigantic fake dung ball. Also, the first people through the doors will be strongly encouraged to move to the far end of the aisles and will end up on the edge of the theater. So, you want to sit in the middle of a row, make sure you enter the theater in the middle of the crowd.
THE MOVIE (contains lots of spoilers)
This movie is a 3D movie with lots of other special effects built into the theater. The theater itself looks like a bug home, similar to the waiting area. The walls and ceiling look like burrowed earth.
The bench seats are fake wood. Flik, from A Bug's Life, drops out of the ceiling to welcome you to the movie. The concept of the movie is that the bugs are going to teach the audience about what it is like to be a bug. We meet a stinkbug that ends up spraying the audience and you get a stinky smell at the same time. We also meet a termite that sprays "acid" on the audience. At the same time, you are squirted with a mist of water. However, things go awry and some angry bugs decide to teach the humans what it feels like to be a bug being attacked by humans. First, you get "exterminated." The movie shows a giant can of bug spray that actually sprays on the audience. At the same time, a huge amount of fog fills the theater. This scared my kids because it was so foggy, they could hardly see me. Next, very real looking large fake spiders dropped out of the ceiling and were about 5-10 feet over our heads. Then, the hornets attacked. You actually get "stung" when something pokes you from behind your seat. Even I jumped at this one. Then, things calm down, and we see a few more 3D stunts and it is time to go.
The 3D effects were very cool. They had a few things come off the screen and seem to float in front of your face. The other effects were very cool and tied in very well with the movie. This is a great movie for adults but a little scarier than I bargained for when I first saw it. The kids were a little too scared to enjoy all the special effects.
AGE APPROPRIATENESS
One thing to know is that you can't bring strollers into the attraction. So, if baby is sleeping and you don't want to take her out, you need to find something else to do.
My five year old was scared at some of the effects and jumped into my lap about half way through. Even my eight year old got nervous during the part where the whole place fogged up and she couldn't see me. I jumped a mile when I was stung by the hornet. I would definitely say this show is too scary for most pre-schoolers and even some early elementary school kids might not like all of it. The good news is that there is another similar movie by the muppets in the same park that you can take younger kids to and still have a great experience.
RECOMMENDATION
I think that A Bug's Life is one of the best 3D movies I have seen for the way it integrates all the theater effects. Even the theater has tremendous detail in carrying out the theme. I highly recommend checking this one out however, it really will scare a lot of little kids. If you have young children in tow, consider taking them to Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D which is in the same park.
MY REVIEWS OF THE DISNEY THEME PARKS IN CALIFORNIA
Disneyland
Disney's California Adventure
MY REVIEW OF THEME PARK HOTELS IN CALIFORNIA
Disney’s Grand Californian
Marriott Suites Anaheim
Residence Inn Anaheim
MY REVIEW OF THEME PARK RESTAURANTS
Storyteller’s Cafe
Blue Bayou
Wine Country Trattoria
Goofy’s Kitchen
MY REVIEWS OF INDIVIDUAL RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS IN DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE
Soarin’ Over California
Grizzly River Run
The Sun Wheel
Orange Stinger
Mulholland Madness
Jumpin’ Jellyfish
Playhouse Disney Live on Stage
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Monster’s Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue
Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D
Princess Dot Puddle Park
Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train
Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies
Flik’s Flyers
Francis’ Ladybug Boogie
Misson Tortilla Factory Tour
Boudin Bakery Factory Tour
MY REVIEWS OF INDIVIDUAL RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS IN DISNEYLAND
Pirates of the Caribbean
Indiana Jones Adventure
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Snow White’s Scary Adventures
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
Peter Pan’s Flight
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Alice in Wonderland
Matterhorn Bobsleds
It’s a Small World
Tarzan’s Tree House
Aladdin’s Oasis
Splash Mountain
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Autotopia
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 3D
Astro Orbitor
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
MY REVIEWS OF OTHER THINGS TO SEE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Legoland
SeaWorld San Diego
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
The San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Wild Animal Park
Balboa Park
Cabrillo National Monument
San Diego’s Old Town
The Museum of Making Music
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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modernmarvel
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