Directed by Mark Dindal, starring the voices of Zach Braff, Garry Marshall, Don Knotts, Patrick Stewart, Amy Sedaris, Steve Zahn, Joan Cusack, Harry Shearer and Adam West.
Ever since 'The Simpsons' came to dominate our televisions, we have become used to animation that is a feast for the eyes as well as food for the soul. Given the upsurge in successful feature length efforts, it may be that too much expectation is placed on every animated film released to somehow outstrip what has gone before.
Even so, 'Chicken Little', despite having a host of notable actors lending their voices, is little more than an extended version of a Saturday morning kid's cartoon. Thankfully, it doesn't impose itself past the 80-minute mark.
Chicken Little (Braff) is a little guy who incurs the wrath of his town when his claim that "the sky is falling" causes the natives to panic. With his mother seemingly having passed away, the incident proves highly embarrassing for his single father Buck Cluck (Marshall).
Chicken Little tries to redeem the situation by proving himself on the baseball field. Helped by his fellow social outcasts, Runt of the Litter (Zahn) and Abby Mallard (Cusack), Chicken Little tries desperately to convince the town, and more importantly his father, that he is not a complete misfit.
The only groundbreaking aspect of the movie is that it is the first fully computer generated feature film produced in-house by Disney. Unfortunately, someone forgot to work on the story, which is virtually non-existent save for a clichéd process of reconciliation between an unsupportive father and a troublesome son. Not even a cast of voices including the likes of Patrick Stewart and Harry Shearer, amongst others, can raise this one above the parapet.
However, it has reportedly surpassed box-office expectations in the US. With Disney's recent acquisition of Pixar, 'Chicken Little' will quickly fade into obscurity without leaving a mark on the imagination.
Maybe, sometimes, a kid's movie should be solely for those in their tender years. However, children don't usually attend a cinema without the supervision of an elder and surely that should always be a factor in the equation.
Séamus Leonard
