Chicken Little (2005)

Director:

Mark Dindal

Writers:

Mark Dindal (story) &
Mark Kennedy (story) ...

Release Date:

4 November 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Panic

Plot:

After ruining his reputation with the town, a courageous chicken must come to the rescue of his fellow citizens when aliens start an invasion.

Plot Keywords:

Altered Version Of Studio Logo | Animal In Title | Popcorn | Evil Robot | Father Son Relationship

Awards:

3 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Zach Braff	...	Chicken Little (voice)
Garry Marshall	...	Buck Cluck (voice)
Don Knotts	...	Mayor Turkey Lurkey (voice)
Patrick Stewart	...	Mr. Woolensworth (voice)
Amy Sedaris	...	Foxy Loxy (voice)
Steve Zahn	...	Runt of the Litter (voice)
Joan Cusack	...	Abby Mallard (voice)
Wallace Shawn	...	Principal Fetchit (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Dog Announcer (voice)
Fred Willard	...	Melvin - Alien Dad (voice)
Catherine O'Hara	...	Tina - Alien Mom (voice)
Patrick Warburton	...	Alien Cop (voice)
Adam West	...	Ace - Hollywood Chicken Little (voice)
Mark Walton	...	Goosey Loosey (voice)
Mark Dindal	...	Morkubine Porcupine / Coach (voice)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Hong Kong:I | Sweden:Btl | Australia:PG | Portugal:M/4 | Czech Republic:U | Brazil:Livre | New Zealand:PG | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-7 | Netherlands:AL | Iceland:L | Philippines:G | Germany:o.Al. | Ireland:G | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Canada:G (all jurisdictions) | Mexico:AA | South Korea:All | USA:G (certificate #41987) | Taiwan:GP | Peru:PT | Malaysia:U | Argentina:Atp | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:G

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

Don Knotts' last film.

Goofs:

During the baseball game, Chicken Little hits the ball and it gets stuck on the right horn of the bull in center field. Once Chicken Little gets to home plate and the bull taps chicken little with the ball, it is on the bull's left horn.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Buck Cluck: [voice over] Now, where to begin?
[shaft of light and pixie dust]
Buck Cluck: How about "Once upon a time"?
[screen suddenly goes black]
Buck Cluck: How many times have you heard that to begin a story? Let's do something else.
[gasps]
Buck Cluck: I got it. I got it. Here we go. Here's how to open a movie.
[opening to The Lion King]
Buck Cluck: No, I don't think so. It sounds familiar, doesn't it to you?
[...]

Movie Connections:

References "The Simpsons" (1989)

Soundtrack:

It's the End of the World as We Know It

Average in every way

This was a film with a somewhat interesting premise, a somewhat interesting main character, and a somewhat interesting conclusion. This was not a Pixar film: it wasn't designed to appeal to adults. Rather, the writers focus on giving the kiddies a few laughs without leaving the parents comatose with boredom.

And when everything is taken into consideration, the writers succeed. Somewhat.

It's just not a very memorable film. Whreas most kids can watch films like "Shrek" repeatedly because of the sight gags, talented voice-over performances, and hidden jokes that they might not catch the first time around, "Chicken Little" is likely to be forgotten the moment the credits roll. That's not to say that Disney doesn't provide it's standard politically correct message. Of course the best player on the baseball team is a girl (Foxy Loxy). Of course a girl (Goosey Loosey) beats up and humiliates the boy (Chicken Little). Of course the character with the most redeeming social value is physically unattractive (Abby Mallard). And on, and on, and on. Disney also manages to continue its bizarre tradition of creating single father families ("Little Mermaid", "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast", "The Goofy Movie"): Chicken Little's mother has, of course, departed for the great unknown.

The relationship between Chicken Little and his father comes across as more annoying than heartwarming. The premise: A father realizes that it's probably not such a great idea to be embarrassed by his son; by the end of the movie, what his own child thinks of him actually takes precedent over the opinions of neighbors and perfect strangers! This message would undoubtedly come across as highly inspirational...if not for the fact that it's so blatantly obvious, hackneyed, and overplayed.

The voice-over's for the film were largely uninspiring, save for amusing performances by Don Knotts and Adam West. "Fish out of Water" was easily the most likable of the bunch (yes, I was suckered by the standard Disney cutesy animated character in their never ending attempt to sell more toys), and he didn't even have a speaking roll. No, "Chicken Little" is not the worst animated film I've ever seen...but memorable, it is not.