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Film review

A plucky comeback

Any insecurity at Disney after it flew the coop on hand-drawn cartooning must be relieved by Chicken Little, a promising feather in its technology cap.

By PHILIP BOOTH
Published November 3, 2005

	[Buena Vista Pictures]
	Chicken Little characters, from left, Abby Mallard, Runt and Chicken Little put a new twist on an old fable: When it comes to saving the world, it helps to be a little chicken.

It's probably natural that Disney's animation division should feel as insecure as the title character of Chicken Little, the studio's first fully computer-animated feature. After all, Disney's final hand-drawn efforts - Treasure Planet and Atlantis: The Lost Empire - underperformed at the box office and hastened the controversial move to CGI by the company responsible for so many animated classics.

Chicken Little expresses Disney's insecurity with a desperate-feeling reliance on pop-culture references sure to fly over the heads of the target audience, but, not coincidentally, aimed to resonate with the older chaperones. Steven Spielberg is saluted with hints of War of the Worlds and E.T. and an actual snippet from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

An insipid new Barenaked Ladies song (One Little Slip) underscores a montage, and the soundtrack is pumped up with vintage chart hits by Queen, the Bee Gees, Carole King, R.E.M., Gloria Gaynor, the Supremes, C+C Music Factory and Elton John. It's nearly as annoying as a similar strategy used in last year's Shark Tale.

Director Mark Dindal (The Emperor's New Groove) hedges his bets, hoping to give adults reason to endure another kiddie flick. Too bad it's overkill since Chicken Little's visuals are vivid, the voice performances are appealing, and the storyline is surprisingly inventive.

True to the antique fairy tale, Chicken Little (voice of Zach Braff) frantically tells everyone that the sky is falling, only to suffer the shame associated with a false alarm. A year later, the earnest, bespectacled little Chicken has gained nationwide notoriety, thanks to a feature film (Crazy Little Chicken) documenting his faux paus, along with tie-in books, commemorative plates and bumper stickers. His dad, Buck "Ace" Cluck (Garry Marshall), a single father and the town's trophy-winning high school baseball star, is sorely disappointed in his nerdy, klutzy son.

Chicken Little's plan to redeem himself with a triumph on the baseball field works, miraculously. Alas, the diminutive fellow again warns about the falling sky, and nobody believes him, except for his school chums Runt of the Litter (Steve Zahn), Abby Mallard (Joan Cusack) and the mute Fish Out of Water. This time - here's where the story diverges significantly from the tale of yore - an alien invasion is imminent, and only Chicken Little can save the little town of Oakey Oaks from destruction.

The success of the feathered fighter and his movie is a sign of the times: Disney went CGI, and the sky didn't fall.

Grade: B

Director: Mark Dindal

Cast: Voices of Zach Braff, Garry Marshall, Don Knotts, Patrick Stewart, Amy Sedaris, Steve Zahn, Joan Cusack, Wallace Shawn, Harry Shearer, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, Patrick Warburton, Adam West

Screenplay: Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman and Ron Anderson

Rating: G

Running time: 77 min.

[Last modified November 2, 2005, 16:19:26]