Sky
Falls on Disney
This first ever computer animated venture
from Walt Disney is charming, humorous and visually
entertaining, but like the piece of sky, falls unfortunately flat.
An adaptation of the traditional children's
story, set in the present day in the All-American
town of Oakey Oaks, Chicken Little, voiced by Zach Braff (Garden State,
Scrubs), is faced with a dilemma when after throwing the town into panic
over a falling acorn, he is later struck by an unidentified flying object
which convinces him not only that the sky could really be falling, but
that the world could also be at an end.
The development of the relationship
between Chicken Little and his father, the importance of friendship
and the awkwardness of being little are key themes. Although occasionally
overly melodramatic, some scenes of bonding between father and son are
heartwarming. Supported also by his friends, Runt of the Litter, Fish
Out of Water and Abbey Mallard the ugly duckling, Chicken Little attempts
to solve the mystery of the falling sky to save the world and to regain
the respect of his classmates, his dad and residents of the town.
One of its strengths
is the eclectic bunch of characters and vocal talents including Joan
Cusack as Abbey Mallard, Gary Marshall as Chicken Little's father Buck
Cluck, Patrick Stewart as Mutton Teacher Mr. Woolensworth, Wallace Shawn
as Principal Fetchit. More bizarrely, the voice of Fish Out of Water,
a cute Harpo Marx style character, was performed by the office water
cooler at Disney.
Although humourous, particularly
the interactions of Runt of the Litter, Foxy Loxy, Abbey and Fish Out
of Water, the story unfortunately fails to develop much as it progresses.
After diverting into an animated version of War of the Worlds, it nosedives
into a rather flat and somewhat moralistic ending. Compared to the cleverness
of short cgi films such as the Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper,
Pixar's For The Birds and the beauty of earlier Disney releases, Chicken
Little may appeal to a younger audience, but overall isn't a memorable
effort.
Was this movie good…what who were we talking about
Film Critic: Jenny M Lillies
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