Chicken Little

I remember this movie as one of the earliest memories as a child. All the way back to the first house my parents lived in together, my first books, first games, and my first movies. This one stands out to me in a big way, I had never even thought a movie could be that wild and crazy while also having some themes I could understand as a one-year-old, a movie with a soundtrack that I could still hear as a kid while doing other stuff a kid my age would do. I think I wore my parents out on this movie, but they still let me watch it over and over again. It is truly a great movie for a kid, enough to keep the children content and to keep the parents mildly interested. Its obviously not a mind bending classic, but it is a movie that is very near to my heart.

Chicken Little causes widespread panic in Oakey Oaks when he claims a piece of the sky fell and hit him on the head. His father Buck "Ace" Cluck passes it off as a mistake over an acorn. One year later, he's a laughing stock and there's even a movie. He is highly inventive but gets ridiculed despite being bullied by some of the kids. He's friends with the other outcasts; ugly duckling Abby Mallard, Runt of the Litter, and Fish out of Water. He finally gains his father's respect after getting the winning hit. When another piece of the sky falls into his room, he has to save the world with his friends while keeping it a secret from everybody else. The sky is electronic and chameleon.

The story is a little thin. Chicken Little and his father have a compelling relationship but it does need more layers. As for his friends, ugly duckling is a little too ugly. Runt's proportions are too wrong. I understand the idea but the design feels off. The one I love the most is Fish out of Water. It's a great design and loads of mime fun. As for the animation, it looks a bit too primitive. I didn't know that this is Disney and one can see the attempted transition. It's not the best and inferior to the Pixar of the era.

Reviewing "Robots," "The New York Times" opined that when it comes to animation there's Pixar, there's Japan, and there's everyone else (it should be noted that not all Japanese cartoons are good - "Shin Chan," anyone? - but you see A.O. Scott's point). "Chicken Little" definitely falls into the "anywhere else" camp, but while it won't siphon away fans from John Lasseter or Nick Park - especially since Disney's delayed its UK release for a few months, the way they did with "Sky High" (but not "Herbie: Fully Loaded," I notice. Idiots) - it's not DreamWorks-mediocre either.

The House of Mouse's first attempt at computer animated movies without Pixar was the skilfully made but hollow "Dinosaur"; this one is under the auspices of the team behind the wonderful "The Emperor's New Groove," and while it doesn't have that cartoon's spirit it still has some virtues of its own. More deliberately cartoonish in its look and feel than many recent features, it's also probably a little too sentimental for some tastes - an awful lot of the movie involves our feathered hero wanting not only to redeem himself for the whole "the sky is falling" farrago but also to open up two-way communication with his single dad, with all the Family Issues that implies. Fortunately it never really swamps the movie, with the family message never overriding the main intent, i.e. to entertain.

Unlike the inexplicably hugely successful "Madagascar," it doesn't drag and the voice cast (Zach Braff, Garry Marshall, Joan Cusack, et al) doesn't get in the way of the movie's effect; it relies a little too much on popular culture references and songs for its effect (particularly in the opening - that works in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in live action - and in the case of Runt of the Litter, the show-tune-loving pig voiced by Steve Zahn), but it's a colourful, charming little movie that thankfully ends well before it has a chance to wear out its welcome, and it's nice to have a movie with a message that doesn't try to ram it down your throat. There are worse Disney movies that could have been dedicated to veteran animator Joe Grant.

And if nothing else, I defy anyone to find another movie that has the voices of Don Knotts and Patrick Stewart joining in on "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" over the credits...

This movie was so mediocre that even disney ignores it's existence. This movie is barely remembered and for good reason. The storyline and characters are unoriginal and the animation is sub par, not to mention the constant bullying and harrassment of chicken little over a misunderstanding made me dislike the townsfolk and made this movie feel mean spirited. Even Chicken Little's dad was terrible and didn't redeem himself. However, this movie isn't terrible. It wasn't exactly boring, with quite a few action packed scenes and character growth from Chicken Little and his friends. Not anywhere near one of disney's best movies, but it definitely isn't the worst.

My three kids (15,12 &10) laughed through the whole movie.My 15 year old son laughed so hard he couldn't stop coughing! My husband (who hates to spend money to see movies at the theater) felt it was worth the expense, though he said there were one or two spots where he lost interest. But overall, he felt it was a good all around Disney movie. I thought the message was excellent, and a very accurate portrayal of what kids go through today. I also love a movie that isn't under written with political agendas, crude adult innuendos, or excessive body function humor. Chicken Little is free of all my pet peeves. I would recommend this movie for a fun family outing.