Memorable quotes for
Antz (1998) More at IMDbPro »

Z: Wow, every worker in the colony is here. Hey, wait a minute. That guy owes me money.

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Ladybug: This tastes just like crap.
Beetle: Really? Let me try some. Hey, it is crap. Not bad.

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Bala: Pardon me. I guess you don't recognize me. I've been traveling, and I'm all... schlumpy. I'm Princess Bala.
Chip: Oh.
[aside to Muffy]
Chip: It's worse than I thought. They're Euro-trash.

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Z: I'm supposed to do everything for the colony. What about my needs?

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Princess Bala: Look, What's-Your-Name, climb that tree and tell me where I am.

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Z: I've got to believe there's something out there better than this. Otherwise I'll just curl up into a larval position and weep.

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Weaver: You da ant.

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Z: I think everything must go back to the fact that I had a very anxious childhood. My mother *never* had time for me. You know, when you're - when you're the middle child in a family of five million, you don't get any attention. I mean, how is that possible?

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Azteca: What happened to Z?
Weaver: He's... taking a personal day, so I'm filling in.
Azteca: [admiring] You fill in any more and you'll explode.

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Barbatus: Don't make my mistake, kid. Don't follow orders your whole life. Think for yourself.

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Bala: Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
Z: Well, maybe, then again, maybe not, and then again... yowch.
Bala: [recognizing his line from the night before] That's it. You're the guy from the bar.
Z: Shhh.
Queen: Bar? What bar?
Bala: I... danced with this guy at the bar the other night. He was just a worker, then.
Queen: What were you doing at a bar?
General Mandible: Precisely what I want to know.
Bala: No. This isn't about me. I mean, Look at this worker. Look what he's done.
Z: I think - I think you're thinking of someone else. After all, I am a soldier.
Bala: Exactly. You *were* a worker, but now you're a war hero.
Queen: He's a worker?
General Mandible: A worker danced with my fiance?
Z: F-fiance? Hey, w-wait a minute. Th-this is not how it looks. I-I can explain this... hey, SHE was the one making all the moves.

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Bala: Don't you get it? I was slumming it. I chose you because you were the most pathetic little bug in the joint.
Z: You know, I was going to let you become a part of my most erotic fantasies, but now you can just write it off.

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Bala: I've been kidnapped by the village idiot.
Z: Who's the bigger idiot? The idiot, or the idiot who gets kidnapped by the idiot?

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Bala: Oh, good. Here they come to rescue me... and to kill you.

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Z: Will you calm down? You're not going to let a little near-death experience ruin your mood, are you?

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Bala: Labor? What you YOU know about labor? How would YOU feel if you were expected to give birth every 10 seconds for the rest of your life?

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Z: Let me ask you something - what made you come to the bar that night?
Bala: I guess I was looking for a little trouble.
Z: Well, trouble's my middle name. Actually, my middle name is Marion, but I don't want you spreading that around.

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Bala: Z's dead. You don't have to worry about him.
Colonel Cutter: Dead? Well... he was an ant with ideas. Too bad for him.

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Z: Let's be real about this. Bala and I... Bala is a princess, and I'm a soil relocation engineer.

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Foreman: Look, I got orders, and those orders say dig.
Z: What if someone ordered you to jump off a bridge? You-you...
[Foreman looks thoughtful]
Z: Oh, brother. I'm asking the wrong guy here.

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General Mandible: Seal up the doors. Cutter, did you hear me?
Colonel Cutter: Sir, I've been thinking. Do we need to go through with this? Look at what these workers have done. They've got the right stuff. Isn't there any other way?
General Mandible: Cutter, you're a fine officer. You have discipline, courage, ability... but you seem to have a weakness for the lower orders that I find disturbing. Now, are you with me?

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Z: There you have it: your average boy-meets-girl, boy-likes-girl, boy-changes-the-underlying-social-order story.

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Bala: Z, I've gotta help my Mom.
Z: Don't worry, I know almost exactly what I'm doing.

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Colonel Cutter: Time stands still for no ant.

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Weaver: Don't you want your aphid beer?
Z: Call me crazy, but I have a thing about drinking from the anus of another creature.

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[Z, alone, watches ants dancing in unison in a nightclub]
Z: What a bunch of losers. Mindless zombies capitulating to an oppressive system.
Princess Bala: Hi. Wanna dance?
Z: ABSOLUTELY.

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Z: Why'd I have to be born a worker? You soldiers get all the glory. Plus, you get to go out in the world. You know, you meet interesting insects; you get to kill them.
Weaver: Yeah, but you get to spend all day with those beautiful worker girls.
Z: Weaver, they're CAREER girls. They're obsessed with digging.

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[Z is trying to convince Weaver to switch jobs with him]
Weaver: Would I meet some worker girls?
Z: Are you kidding? They always go after the new guy. It's like a SPORT for them.

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[Mandible is giving a speech]
General Mandible: Sacrifice. To some, it is just a word. To others, it is a code.
Z: [whispering to Barbatus] You know, I'm really bad at word games.

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[being shipped off to battle]
Z: You know, I think there's been a terrible mistake. Truth is, I just came for the speech.

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[marching to battle]
Z: So, these... these termites, they're... they're, they're... these guys aren't going to put up much of a fight, right? I mean, we're talking about pushovers, right?
Barbatus: Not really, kid. They're five times our size and spit acid from their foreheads.

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Z: I was not cut out to be a worker, I'll tell you right now. I feel physically inadequate. I,I... My whole life, I've never... I've NEVER been able to lift more than ten times my body weight.

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Z: Handling dirt is... ugh... is *not* my idea of a rewarding career.

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Z: The whole system makes me feel so... insignificant.
Psychologist: Excellent. You've made a real breakthrough.
Z: I have?
Psychologist: Yes, Z. You ARE insignificant.

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Z: Okay, I've gotta give myself a positive attitude. A good attitude even though I'm utterly insignificant. I'm, I'm insignificant... but with attitude.

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Azteca: Come on, Z. Help us build a bigger, stronger colony, and for crying out loud, try to be happy about it.
Z: Sure, why not?
[nervous chuckle]
Z: Why should I be unhappy being a piece of construction equipment?

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Z: This is just a lawsuit waiting to happen.

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Z: Yes, yes, I understand. I dropped the ball.

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Colonel Cutter: Attack a termite colony? That's suicide.
General Mandible: Exactly.

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Weaver: What are you bitching about? in case you haven't noticed, we ants are running the show. We're the Lords of the Earth.
Z: Hey, don't talk to me about earth, okay, because I just spent all day hauling it around.

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Z: [mocking the scout] Nothing like a little post-traumatic stress disorder to make your day complete.

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Chip: Oh, please, Muffy. Not another crusade.

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Chip: You have such a big heart. That's why you're my little cuddly-widdles.
Muffy: Oh, my big, strong pheronome factory.
[They eskimo kiss]
Z: [nauseated] Oh, brother. Suddenly, I just lost my appetite.

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General Mandible: [on hearing that one solider surivived the battle with the termites] Damn...
[covering his true feelings]
General Mandible: ...good. Damn good.

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Z: Who the HELL is that?

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Z: And, y'know, I finally feel like I've found my place. And you know what? It's right back where I started. But the difference is, this time I chose it.

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Azteca: All we are saying is give Z a chance.

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Z: [panicked] Hey, wait a minute. Let's not get... we're being too hasty here. These guys sound like bruisers. Just how were you figuring on beating them.
Barbatus: Superior numbers, kid. Overwhelm their defenses, and kill their queen.
Z: [panicked] I, um, whurr, whuh, hey, fellas, that's... you're being a little extreme, I feel. Why don't, why don't, why don't we just try to influence their political process with campaign contributions?

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Colonel Cutter: I have my orders.
Bala: Don't you ever think for yourself, Cutter?
[Cutter pauses briefly as he considers this]
Colonel Cutter: Well, that was impressive. Ah, where's Z?

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General Mandible: You're an ant after my own heart, an ant who looks death in the face and laughs.
Z: Actually, I generally just make belittling comments and snicker behind death's back.

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General Mandible: [Z has broken through to the surface where Mandible and his soldiers wait for them to be drowned] Let go! Don't you understand? It's for the good of the colony!
Z: What are you saying? We are the colony!
[Mandible is about to strike Z when Cutter knocks his aside]
General Mandible: Cutter, what are you doing?
Colonel Cutter: Something I should have done a long time ago.
[extends his hand to the worker ants]
Colonel Cutter: *This* is for the good of the colony, General.
General Mandible: You useless, ungrateful maggot! *I* am the colony!

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Barbatus: [Nothing is left of him but his head] Be honest, kid. Am I hurt bad?

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Z: We rebuilt the colony; better than before, because now we have a very large indoor swimming pool.

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Z: I guess you prefer old Blood and Guts, huh? His idea of a romantic date is two seats at a public execution. Boy, you sure chose the right husband.
Bala: For your information, the general and I are deeply, deeply in... in... engaged.

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Princess Bala: I sure hope you know what you're doing.
Z: Yeah, me too.

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Z: Think about it, Bala. Do you really want to be Mrs. Raving Lunatic?

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Queen: Everyone has their place, Bala. You, the soldiers, the workers... Oh, it's not all that bad being princess, is it? Would you prefer to be carting around dirt all day?
Bala: Oh, Mother, don't be so dramatic.

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Azteca: [Azteca strikes him with dirt just as he's about to dig, trying to be "insignificant, but with attitude] Oh, sorry, Z. I didn't see you there.
Z: That's great, Azteca. It's working already. I'm so meaningless I'm invisible.
Azteca: [laughs] Now you're getting it. It's not about you. It's about us - the team - *this*.
[gestures at the whole of the conlony]
Z: Um... a giant hole in the ground?

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Weaver: Would I meet some worker girls?
Z: Are you kidding? They always go after the new guy! It's like a sport for them. And believe me, they will definitely go for an... adorable little insect like you.

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Grebs: You wouldn't understand unless you've been there. You can be your own ant there. No one telling you what to do. No wars. No colony. I never should have left.

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Colonel Cutter: She's about yay tall, fairly easy
[pause]
Colonel Cutter: on the eyes.

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Weaver: Do you have any idea how much trouble you can get in for talking about for even talkin' about impersonation' a soldier? You can get in trouble just for listening to someone talkin' about impersonatin' a soldier.
[Everyone who was listening in pretends to fall back asleep]

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General Mandible: [dismissing himself and Z] I think it's time to debrief the soldier.
Z: Please, General! Not on a first date!

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