Chicken Little
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (animated films)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
Early in Chicken Little, Walt Disney Pictures’ first attempt at computer-generated animation apart from Pixar, a mother rabbit hears a warning from the title character and turns to flee. She grabs the hand of her infant bunny from the baby buggy, and pulls out an infinite chain of CG-created babies.
That comic scene illustrates the wonders of what can be done with technology. But it also points to a filmmaking approach that is behind Chicken Little and many other films these days. If an audience enjoys something, the false logic concludes, why don’t we repeat it again for them?
And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again.
You get the idea. There are many great gags spread throughout this 77-minute film. But, as a whole, the movie lacks an acorn of compelling story. It reminds me of a sermon that strings together some of the hearers’ favorite Scripture verses without drawing out a larger theme and message.
If you have a yen for pop songs of the 1970s (“Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart�), and you enjoy seeing pop-culture references and classic moments from other films made into clichés, then this movie was Designed with You in Mind.
To be fair, the writers of Chicken Little do try to beef up the underlying themes behind the classic fable about the chick that is struck on the head by an acorn and mistakenly believes the sky is falling. This Chicken Little (voiced by Zack Braff) is actually hit by an octagonal object that turns out to be an early warning of an alien invasion. Nobody in the town of Oakey Oaks believes his story. Not even Chicken Little’s father Buck “Ace� Cluck (Garry Marshall), an aging baseball star, who seems embarrassed by his son. And Chicken Little’s reputation is forever tarred as he is defamed in multiple media – movies, billboards, bumper stickers – as “that crazy chicken.�
Chicken Little finds solace in his friends -- Abby Mallard, aka Ugly Duckling (Joan Cusack), an over-stuffed pig called Runt of the Litter (Steve Zahn) and Fish Out of Water (the most entertaining character in the film). In a school where the gym teacher divides students into the dodgeball teams of cool and not cool, Chicken Little and his mates will not set any trends. Still, they find themselves in a situation where the world’s fate is in their hands. (By now, this may seem to sound like one of Disney’s recent releases Sky High or other films where the future of humanity depends on youth who are misunderstood by their parents and cast aside by their peers. Keep in mind, Sky High was for the teen market, while this film won’t reach beyond tweens in age.)
The writers do attempt to address themes of unconditional love and acceptance, which Chicken Little seeks from his father. Eventually Buck Cluck gets the message that his son wants to be understood. But between an overlong subplot about Chicken Little trying to win his father’s love through success in baseball and an all-out alien invasion that may scare younger viewers, these themes are overshadowed. In an era when many TV and movie dads just never get it, at least Buck Cluck comes around in the end.
Inevitable comparisons are suggested with Disney’s first CG animated film, Toy Story, produced in collaboration with Pixar. In that case, there was more to the movie than cute gags and clever CG effects. Toy Story gave us memorable characters and addressed important themes related to friendship and the realization that love isn’t a limited commodity. Chicken Little never has such high points, yet the sky doesn’t come crashing down either. You could save yourself the price of admission by visiting the movie’s official web site < http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/chickenlittle/>, where you can see its best gags and make Chicken Little dance or the sky fall on his head. Once those are complete, there’s little left to enjoy.
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (animated films)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (animated films)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
Early in Chicken Little, Walt Disney Pictures’ first attempt at computer-generated animation apart from Pixar, a mother rabbit hears a warning from the title character and turns to flee. She grabs the hand of her infant bunny from the baby buggy, and pulls out an infinite chain of CG-created babies.That comic scene illustrates the wonders of what can be done with technology. But it also points to a filmmaking approach that is behind Chicken Little and many other films these days. If an audience enjoys something, the false logic concludes, why don’t we repeat it again for them?
And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again.
You get the idea. There are many great gags spread throughout this 77-minute film. But, as a whole, the movie lacks an acorn of compelling story. It reminds me of a sermon that strings together some of the hearers’ favorite Scripture verses without drawing out a larger theme and message.
If you have a yen for pop songs of the 1970s (“Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart�), and you enjoy seeing pop-culture references and classic moments from other films made into clichés, then this movie was Designed with You in Mind.
To be fair, the writers of Chicken Little do try to beef up the underlying themes behind the classic fable about the chick that is struck on the head by an acorn and mistakenly believes the sky is falling. This Chicken Little (voiced by Zack Braff) is actually hit by an octagonal object that turns out to be an early warning of an alien invasion. Nobody in the town of Oakey Oaks believes his story. Not even Chicken Little’s father Buck “Ace� Cluck (Garry Marshall), an aging baseball star, who seems embarrassed by his son. And Chicken Little’s reputation is forever tarred as he is defamed in multiple media – movies, billboards, bumper stickers – as “that crazy chicken.�
Chicken Little finds solace in his friends -- Abby Mallard, aka Ugly Duckling (Joan Cusack), an over-stuffed pig called Runt of the Litter (Steve Zahn) and Fish Out of Water (the most entertaining character in the film). In a school where the gym teacher divides students into the dodgeball teams of cool and not cool, Chicken Little and his mates will not set any trends. Still, they find themselves in a situation where the world’s fate is in their hands. (By now, this may seem to sound like one of Disney’s recent releases Sky High or other films where the future of humanity depends on youth who are misunderstood by their parents and cast aside by their peers. Keep in mind, Sky High was for the teen market, while this film won’t reach beyond tweens in age.)
The writers do attempt to address themes of unconditional love and acceptance, which Chicken Little seeks from his father. Eventually Buck Cluck gets the message that his son wants to be understood. But between an overlong subplot about Chicken Little trying to win his father’s love through success in baseball and an all-out alien invasion that may scare younger viewers, these themes are overshadowed. In an era when many TV and movie dads just never get it, at least Buck Cluck comes around in the end.
Inevitable comparisons are suggested with Disney’s first CG animated film, Toy Story, produced in collaboration with Pixar. In that case, there was more to the movie than cute gags and clever CG effects. Toy Story gave us memorable characters and addressed important themes related to friendship and the realization that love isn’t a limited commodity. Chicken Little never has such high points, yet the sky doesn’t come crashing down either. You could save yourself the price of admission by visiting the movie’s official web site < http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/chickenlittle/>, where you can see its best gags and make Chicken Little dance or the sky fall on his head. Once those are complete, there’s little left to enjoy.
—1. Overview (multimedia)
—2. Overview Basic (dial up speed)
—3. Reviews and Blogs
—4. Cast and Crew
—5. Photo Pages
—6. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—7. Posters (animated films)
—8. Production Notes (pdf)
—9. Spiritual Connections
—10. Presentation Downloads
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