I have a soft spot for animation, which makes me go into animated films with more hope that they are good then any other kind of film. Director Mark Dindal previously made the underrated CATS DON’T DANCE and the thoroughly entertaining THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE. But even Dindal was unable to save CHICKEN LITTLE. However, the film itself is proof that he is not to blame, because the movie feels like a victim of too many cooks stirring the pot. The film never organically flows from one part to the next and suffers mostly from a lack of a consistent tone.
The story chronicles the aftermath of Chicken Little’s infamous “the sky is falling” affair. Chicken Little (Zach Braff, GARDEN STATE) has been under a great deal of ridicule since the event and has lost the respect and support of his father Buck Cluck (Garry Marshall, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN). So with the help of his friends Abby Mallard (Joan Cusack, IN & OUT), Runt of the Litter (Steve Zahn, HAPPY, TEXAS) and Fish Out of Water, Chicken Little sets out to win his father’s respect by joining the baseball team. However, when the threat of an alien invasion becomes a reality, Chicken Little struggles with whether he should tell his dad or not.
The core idea of Chicken Little vindicating himself in the eyes of the town is good, but the father/son conflict seemed grafted to the overall story at times. The least successful element of that conflict is the mature discussion of closure between father and son. It’s too talky and mature for the intended audience.
The film attempts to reach the whole family, but it’s cutesy character designs skew toward a younger demographic. Thus, the pop culture jokes just don’t mesh with the world. Moreover, unlike the SHREK films, the references never feel integrated into the world, making them seem like tacked on afterthoughts. This makes certain parts painfully awkward when the hip comments show they were written back in the early ‘90s. Additionally, the constant references to kitschy pop songs really don’t work.
Braff is not a great choice as the voice of Chicken Little, but the rest of the voices are great. Cusack is especially good while Don Knotts makes a mark in a small role as the town’s frantic mayor Turkey Lurkey. In the end, the film feels too much like a product created by an out-of-date machine instead of artists. The film felt dated even upon release and will not last the test of time. It’s a shame because there were some good ideas within the film — the only problem was that they felt like they weren’t meant to be in the same film.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
