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Prognosticators often pay a heavy price
when attempting to count their chickens
before they hatch. Chicken Little
certainly paid one when he cried, “The
sky is falling! The sky is falling!”
Well, the sky didn’t fall, if you recall
the fable. Instead, Chicken Little
became the laughing stock of the town,
and nobody believed a word he said
afterwards.
Disney decided it had to be the chicken
before the egg, and catapulted the
endearing story of Chicken Little
to the big screen.
If you decide to see Disney’s latest
offering, I highly recommend seeing it
in 3-D since most animated films are
essentially a visual experience.
Besides, wearing 3-D glasses and
watching things pop out of the screen
into your face is a totally cool
experience for kids.
Chicken
Little the movie is not a simply
a rehash of a familiar yarn. Director
Mark Dindal (The Emperor’s
New Grove) made the heart
of the film the relationship between the
diminutive and bespectacled Chicken
Little (Zach Braff) and his
larger-than-life dad (Garry Marshall).
Chicken Little’s papa loses faith in his
only son after the dire warning of
impending doom proves false. To regain
his pride and redeem himself in his
father's eyes, little Chicken Little
joins the town's baseball team and
scores the wining run in an upset
victory. Suddenly, all is forgiven and
Chicken Little is the hero in the town
of Oakley Oaks.
Then, bam! A chunk of alien debris falls
on Chicken Little’s head. An alien ship
resembling a giant egg is hurtling
toward earth about to destroy our
fine-feathered friends.
But Little dares not raise the alarm,
knowing no one would believe him if he
did. Instead, he enlists the support of
his three outcast friends, Runt of the
Litter (Steve Zahn), an overweight pig
who loves Barbara Steisand’s music; ugly
duckling Abby Mallard (Joan Cusack); and
Fish Out Of Water (Dan Molina). Fish Out
Of Water wears a humorous diving helmet
filled with water, which explains the
gurgling noises he makes when he talks.
Chicken Little’s plan succeeds when the
alien mothership begins dispensing the
same type of machines seen recently in
War of The
Worlds, starring Tom Cruise.
Fortunately, we’re spared seeing
scorched-earth scenes of burning
feathers and chicken bones.
As the mayhem unfolds an overabundance
of songs from ‘70s and pop culture
references punctuate the film. The Bee
Gees’ song Stayin’ Alive and the
theme song to Raiders of
the Lost Ark
immediately come to mind.
Although the musical score and the
storyline may be weak, there are a few
sight gags involving a lemming-like walk
to the sea and crop circles that made me
laugh.
Standout characters are needed for any
animated film to succeed. Don Knotts’
character, the mayor of Oakley Oaks, is
one of those. It’s his job to rally the
townsfolk to confront the scary
invaders, reminding viewers of his prior
roles as assistant deputy Barney Fife in
The Andy Griffith
Show and the frightened reporter
in The Ghost and
Mr. Chicken. It’s amazing how
old characters come back to roost.
However, in the end, it’s the little
chicken with the big head that saves the
day, and he is the character kids
will remember. |
