What's new on video for kids

By JAN CRAIN RUDEEN
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
("The Ant Bully." Warner Home Video; 89 minutes; rated PG; $28.98, DVD (available Nov. 28); Grade: B-)

Inspired by John Nickle's popular children's book of the same title, "The Ant Bully" is a visually and verbally busy film. While my family and I felt the book _ which tells its story far more succinctly _ was superior to this overstuffed production, we enjoyed the vivid, computer animated ant's-eye view of the world.

New to the neighborhood, lonely, puny and singled out by a big bully, 10-year-old Lucas (voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen) vents his frustration by terrorizing the inhabitants of an anthill on his lawn. After Lucas floods the anthill with the garden hose, one of the ants, the wizard Zoc (Nicolas Cage), sneaks into the boy's room and administers a powerful potion into sleeping Lucas' ear. Lucas shrinks to ant size and is whisked away to the colony's queen. His punishment is to toil alongside the ants until he learns to appreciate these clever, industrious creatures.

While Zoc openly dislikes Lucas, Zoc's girlfriend, Hova (Julia Roberts), volunteers to be the miniature boy's guardian. The two have some funny exchanges as they discover the differences between humans and ants _ she's got an exo-skeleton while he's "inside-out" _ and through their friendship, Lucas develops empathy for the ants. He goes from being their nemesis to their protector.

Although Zoc is integral to the story, his hostility toward Lucas is off-putting. Most of Zoc's dialogue is flat, and it doesn't help that he's uninterestingly voiced by Cage. The oddly rendered queen of the colony (Meryl Streep) does little more than pronounce Lucas' sentence, and some New-Agey blather about the ants' creator simply slows things down. What's more, Lucas' grandma, Mommo (Lily Tomlin), is a throw-away role for comic relief. But her antics, such as repeatedly losing her dentures, and muddled musings about aliens aren't funny.

Flaws aside, some scenes work _ for example, when ant-size Lucas dials a life-size telephone. And other characters, such as the dreaded exterminator (Paul Giamatti), rule the screen in larger-than-life detail, providing Lucas with a chance to show his ingenuity _ and loyalty _ to his ant pals.

Re-releases and new DVDs for the holidays:

("How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Warner Home Video; 26 minutes; $19.98, 50th anniversary edition DVD; Grade: A)

Whoville and its denizens look great in this brilliantly re-mastered DVD of the beloved Dr. Seuss animated tale. A witty, rhyming classic all ages can enjoy.

("The Snowman and Father Christmas." Sony Pictures Home Entertainment; 25 and 27 minutes, respectively; $9.99 each, DVD; Grade: A)

Based on Raymond Briggs' children's picture books, these animated stories are enchanting. The Snowman starts with a live-action introduction, and then proceeds _ without dialogue _ in delicate animation that looks as though it were sketched with colored pencils. The music behind it is ethereal. In Father Christmas, which is similarly animated, Santa narrates his own story _ what he does the other 364 days of the year _ and takes us with him on vacation. Sweet and witty, these tales are sure to charm.

("A Sesame Street Christmas Carol." Sony Wonder; 45 minutes; $12.98, DVD; Grade: B+)

In Sesame Workshop's light-hearted version of the classic Dickens tale, Grouch is encouraged to discover joy in the holiday season.

("Me, Eloise and Eloise: Little Miss Christmas." Anchor Bay Entertainment; 45 and 66 minutes, respectively; $14.98 each, DVD Grade: C-)

Don't bother. These tales, the first two of an animated series, are more typical of forgettable Saturday morning fare than of the delightful book written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight. The DVDs, "Me, Eloise and Eloise: Little Miss Christmas," lack the witty dialogue and seemingly boundless imagination that give wings to the title character's life in print. Even the animation, which is done in the style of the book but looks cheap, is disappointing.