In this animated feature, Lucas (Zach Tyler Eisen) is the new kid on the block and he has not made any friends among the group of preteens in the neighborhood, headed up by the big bully in charge who pushes him around and strips him of his self-esteem. He takes his frustrations out on the colony of industrious ants that build a mound in his front yard, kicking up a dust storm and flooding the anthill with a water gun. More often than not, bullies create bullies and it’s downhill from there.

Down into the hill for Lucas, actually. Wizard Ant Zoc (voiced by Nicolas Cage) develops a formula that shrinks humans¾ the destroyers¾ down to ant size. Now Lucas is a prisoner in their colony. While some want to eat him, it’s decided by the Queen Ant (Meryl Streep) that Lucas will be released, once he can function as an ant both physically and mentally.

Zoc is jealous of Lucas because he fears that the caring Nurse Ant Hova (Julia Roberts), that Zoc has bug eyes for, is romantically attracted to the stranger from above.

We do get a perspective that is different from how we normally see things. Streets are called "great flat rocks" and cars are "cocoons." A brain the size of a peanut is a compliment. Tears are things that leak from your face. We learn that there is also value to knowing our history (what a concept!). There are some creative situations where teamwork comes into play. A particularly interesting perspective occurs when a frog captures various creatures for food. We are taken inside his stomach so we can eavesdrop on their reaction and the discussion that occurs while they are waiting to be digested. It’s sort of like being trapped in a ship turned upside down where the small air pocket will soon be filled with water.

An approaching dark cloud for the ant colony (literally a cloud of pesticide poison) is that Lucas was bullied by the local exterminator (Paul Giamatti) into signing a contract (never mind he’s a minor) that his father did not sign before he and Lucas’s mother left for vacation.

With Lucas’s newfound realization that teamwork counts, he and his cadre of ant buddies cooperate to save the day. And once Lucas is restored to "life size," he brings his lessons learned of tolerance and fair play back to the real world of his neighborhood and new friends.

The film is similar to "Monster House" in that it’s a kid movie that may not be appropriate for little ones 8 and younger because of its scary components. It also does not derive its humor from double entendre- speak about current pop culture. There’s the requisite teenage girl, here a sister rather than a babysitter, that’s rock star crazy. A live-in Grandma (Lily Tomlin) gives the parents a reason to go on vacation so they don’t interfere with the main part of the story. Their purpose is to serve as bookends to get things going and then putting a wrap on the story.

What makes this a refreshingly enjoyable movie is that it allows a kid to feel like a kid, and for the adults in the audience, it feels like an impossible trip back to before puberty. This family friendly movie has a mature edge that focuses in that gray area when parents have to start knocking before they enter their child’s room.