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Big-screen antics

It's bad enough that ants are busily constructing hills in our yards and infiltrating kitchens across Atlanta. But on Friday, at least the third ant-infested animated film in the past eight years, "The Ant Bully," skitters into our movie theaters, too.

Here's a quick guide to this cinematically (and inexplicably) popular pest:

Warner Bros. Pictures Read reviews of "The Ant Bully."

"THE ANT BULLY" (2006)

The story: Ignored by his family, beaten by the neighborhood bully, Lucas (Zach Tyler Eisen) takes out his frustrations by demolishing anthills in his front yard. Until wizard ant Zoc (Nicolas Cage) creates a potion that shrinks "Lucas the Destroyer" down to ant size and he has to prove himself to the colony.

Celebrity voices: Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Ricardo Montalban, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti.

Dialogue: "Don't worry, I'm afraid we'll be moving along in due course." — Glow Worm to Lucas while they're floating in a fat frog's digestive juices.

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"A BUG'S LIFE" (1998)

The story: Misfit ant Flik (Dave Foley), in a fight to save his colony from evil grasshoppers, recruits a group of circus bugs.

Celebrity voices: Kevin Spacey, Phyllis Diller, David Hyde Pierce, Denis Leary, Madeline Kahn, Brad Garrett.

Dialogue: "You see Hopper, nature has a certain order. The ants pick the food, the ants keep the food, and the grasshoppers leave!" — Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)

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"ANTZ" (1998)

The story: Worker ant Z (Woody Allen) attempts to square his individuality with the communal work ethic, while falling in love with Princess Bala (Sharon Stone). Then, he must save the colony from evil General Mandible (Gene Hackman).

Celebrity voices: Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Jane Curtin, Danny Glover, Jennifer Lopez, Christopher Walken.

Dialogue: "I had a very anxious childhood. ... You know, when you're the middle child in a family of 5 million, you don't get any attention." — Z