CHICKEN LITTLE

REVIEWED BY SHANNON H.

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Rated:

By now, we've all heard about the story about Chicken Little, the panic-stricken poultry who tried to warn his animal friends that the sky was falling. Everyone assured him that it was not and to stop being such a worry wart. Now the fable has been made into a film by Disney.

The story begins in a small town inhabited by animals, where natural enemies live side by side in harmony and no one bothers to chase after each other for food. Peace in the town is broken by the sound of a bell being rung. It startles everyone and cars start bumping into one another, a rabbit pulls her entire litter out of a stroller for safety, and a car crashes into the water tower, sending the water tank rolling into a building. When Chicken Little told everyone the sky was falling in blue, octagon-shaped pieces, everyone laughed at him, which gave him the reputation for being a crazy chicken.

A year later, Chicken Little is in jr. high and still cannot live down his reputation as being a worrywart. His father is no help, as he refuses to listen to his son. The little fellow simply wants to put the past behind him and do something really good to make his father proud of him. So, after being picked on by some school bullies and accidentally pulling the fire alarm, Chicken Little is escorted home by his father who tells him to not get his hopes up about doing anything great in life. Feeling discouraged but not totally down and out, Chicken Little joins the school's baseball team in hopes of impressing his father (who once played baseball there as a kid and held all the school records). Game after game, he is never allowed to play and the school bully Foxy Loxy is the home run queen. During the championship game, he is finally allowed to get a hit because most of his teammates were injured and he manages to hit a home run, winning the game. 

Now that the negative focus is shifted away from him Chicken Little can relax, until he finds a "UFO" in his room.  He warns his friends and soon discover that aliens are taking over the planet. He goes to ring the alarm bell, hoping that everyone would believe him this time. The movie is rated G and the violence is strictly that of Saturday morning cartoon fare but some of the alien violence might frighten younger children. There is some inappropriate bathroom humor as Chicken Little and his friends make up different names for urinating. Chicken Little loses his shorts on the way to school and ends up tiptoeing around in his briefs (where he folds a pair of shorts out of his algebra homework). His friends, Abby the Mallard and Runt of the Litter (a huge, morbidly obese piglet who gets panic attacks) are seen playing karaoke to a Spice Girls song, starting with the words "Do you want to be my lover?" 

What was positive about this film is that it shows how kids and parents should be open with each other when it comes to personal problems. Chicken Little feels really guilty about worrying the townsfolk (even though he was right) and even more upset when his own father won't believe him, but finds it frustrating that he can't talk to his own dad to get these things off his chest. Parents must be willing to listen to what their kids have to say, because what they have to say might be bothering them (as well as showing love and support) and kids, in return, must be open with their parents about the troubles in their lives. The movie was cute and funny, but not as good as The Incredibles.  The whole premise sounded like Disney was running out of ideas. I'm sure that's not the case but that's what it sounded like to me. Still, some adults would find it funny and kids would get a huge kick out of it, however, the best bet is to wait until this film comes out on DVD because it's not worth the admission.

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