Chicken Little Review

"Chicken Little in Disney Digital 3-D" reviews

Movie

Chicken Little in Disney Digital 3-D

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-02-14 20:22:36

Rating

3/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

Chicken Little's loveable characters come to life on screen. The animated film combines Disney's classic storytelling formula with today's advanced technology to deliver a 3-D visual spectacular for children and adults.

Story

Based on the classic tale, Chicken Little follows the fable with a few creative freedoms. Chicken Little (voiced by Zach Braff) must clear his name as a chicken who cried "wolf" (or rather "The sky is falling…"). The town turns to chaos over Little's claim. When he can't prove the incident, everyone thinks the chick's lost it. A year later, the stigma still follows him--leading Little to desperately seek acceptance, particularly from his father Buck Cluck (voiced by Garry Marshall). In an effort to seek positive attention, he joins the baseball team and wins the big game. It seems everything's going Little's way until another piece of the sky falls and, mysteriously, finds it's way into Little's home. This time, friends Runt of the Litter (voiced by Steve Zahn) and Abby Mallard (voiced by Joan Cusack) bare witness to the incident, which turns into a full-blown alien invasion. What follows is a battle between animals and the unknown.

Acting

As a writer, producer, director, and sometime actor, Marshall can now add "animated character" to his list of accomplishments. Voicing Buck Cluck has to be one of Marshall's easiest roles. With an always distinctive voice, Marshall used his signature sound to carry the role. Braff's familiar voice sounded slightly tweaked for the part but added to the character's sincerity. As always, Cusack and Zahn's characters add the perfect blend of comic relief.

Direction

Along with directing The Emperors New Groove, director Mark Dindal also contributed to such classics as The Little Mermaid and Oliver & Company. Given his background, it's no surprise that this film delivers a lot of Disney's essentials--comedy, adventure, and music. In terms of animation, Dindal and his team's attention to detail won't go unnoticed, particularly in the space invasion sequences. Still, while visually gorgeous, Chicken Little won't likely go down in Disney history as a classic. It doesn't have the great soundtrack Disney is usually known for. It features a few originals (Barenaked Ladies' "One Little Slip"), but is jam packed with cover songs (Wannabe, ‘Aint No Mountain High Enough) sung by the actual cast. Pure comedy but no real gems. But overall, Dindal succeeds in delivering a fun film worth taking the family to.

Bottom Line

Copyright © CinemaSource 2006.

Movie

Chicken Little

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-03-22 00:21:49

Rating

3/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

Chicken Little's loveable characters come to life on screen. The animated film combines Disney's classic storytelling formula with today's advanced technology to deliver a visual spectacular for children and adults.

Story

Based on the classic tale, Chicken Little follows the fable with a few creative freedoms. Chicken Little (voiced by Zach Braff) must clear his name as a chicken who cried "wolf" (or rather "The sky is falling…"). The town turns to chaos over Little's claim. When he can't prove the incident, everyone thinks the chick's lost it. A year later, the stigma still follows him--leading Little to desperately seek acceptance, particularly from his father Buck Cluck (voiced by Garry Marshall). In an effort to seek positive attention, he joins the baseball team and wins the big game. It seems everything's going Little's way until another piece of the sky falls and, mysteriously, finds it's way into Little's home. This time, friends Runt of the Litter (voiced by Steve Zahn) and Abby Mallard (voiced by Joan Cusack) bare witness to the incident, which turns into a full-blown alien invasion. What follows is a battle between animals and the unknown.

Acting

As a writer, producer, director, and sometime actor, Marshall can now add "animated character" to his list of accomplishments. Voicing Buck Cluck has to be one of Marshall's easiest roles. With an always distinctive voice, Marshall used his signature sound to carry the role. Braff's familiar voice sounded slightly tweaked for the part but added to the character's sincerity. As always, Cusack and Zahn's characters add the perfect blend of comic relief.

Direction

Along with directing The Emperors New Groove, director Mark Dindal also contributed to such classics as The Little Mermaid and Oliver & Company. Given his background, it's no surprise that this film delivers a lot of Disney's essentials--comedy, adventure, and music. In terms of animation, Dindal and his team's attention to detail won't go unnoticed, particularly in the space invasion sequences. Still, while visually gorgeous, Chicken Little won't likely go down in Disney history as a classic. It doesn't have the great soundtrack Disney is usually known for. It features a few originals (Barenaked Ladies' "One Little Slip"), but is jam packed with cover songs (Wannabe, ‘Aint No Mountain High Enough) sung by the actual cast. Pure comedy but no real gems. But overall, Dindal succeeds in delivering a fun film worth taking the family to.

Bottom Line

Copyright © CinemaSource 2006.

Movie

CHICKEN LITTLE

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-02-02 17:01:56

Provider

MRIB

Review

Taken from the much-loved children's picture books, Chicken Little is the feathered bird who cried wolf trying to persuade the people he met that the sky was falling on their heads. Despite his cute appearance, the townsfolk weren't impressed with the havoc he causes and our shamed and humiliated poultry friend became a social outcast.

The film picks up the story twelve months on and nothing much has changed for Chicken Little (voiced by Zach Braff). He's and his equally nerdy friends, ugly duck Abby (Joan Cusack) and Runt of the Litter (Steve Zhan), are bullied by the cooler animals. Undeterred, he sets out to redeem himself by miraculously hitting the home run for his local baseball team. The win brings him some acceptance, but crucially, not the approval he desperately seeks from his dad.

But eventually a piece of the sky really does come crashing into his house (it's actually an alien invasion). Will he be able to persuade everyone that he's telling the truth? Will the aliens take over the world, or will Chicken Little come to the rescue and save the day? It's a Disney film, whaddya think?

The characters are cute, Chicken with his big glasses and Runt with his even bigger belly, and the story certainly has heart and style. But this is no Pixar production. There's little for anyone above the age of nine to chuckle at. The CGI animation is also a tad disappointing and rather one dimensional, compared to the ground-breaking visual treats the Pixar and DreamWorks have delivered in recent years. However, if you're looking for something to take the kids to while the weather's chilly, Chicken Little certainly passes an hour and half.

Copyright © MRIB 2006.