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These Ant-Man animated shorts have the feel of an old-school comic

These Ant-Man animated shorts have the feel of an old-school comic

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Ant-Man is easily one of the weirdest Marvel superheroes, thanks to his ability to grow, shrink, and, of course, communicate telepathically with ants. Those gifts usually lead to wacky hijinks. Disney XD is set to air six shorts starring the superhero this weekend, and the ones we’ve seen capture the character’s quirkiness perfectly.

Each short, animated by French filmmakers Ugo Bienvenu and Kevin Manach, stars Scott Lang (the Ant-Man from the 2015 film) trying to get himself out of some ridiculous jam. Voiced by Josh Keaton (Spectacular Spider-Man), Scott has to face down Yellowjacket while trying to get baking soda for his daughter’s science fair experiment, or partner with the Wasp to take on an alien invasion.

In one short, he brings down the villainous Egghead (his actual name!) while his suit is shorting out.

The shorts have a Silver Age, Jack Kirby-esque feel to them, thanks to the sharp animation style and Lang’s constant quips. Lang is a natural swashbuckler here; the character seems way more comfortable in the suit than he did in the Ant-Man film.

Three more Ant-Man shorts from Bienvenu and Manach will air over the weekend. These aren’t the only great Marvel shorts to come from France. Last year, Marvel Animation started moving projects to the country to take advantage of the French national film commission’s tax rebates for international studios. Filmmaker Arnaud Delord was handed a Rocket and Groot short series, and his work has been nothing short of hilarious: