By Lindzi Scharf
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.