Chicken Little (2005)

For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:19

Building upon the old children’s story about the chicken who thought the sky was falling, this version raises the question of what if the chicken was right? The filmmakers thus transform the story into one about love and trust. Chicken Little (Zach Braff) is hit upon the head by something from the sky, it eventually turning out to be a piece from an alien spaceship recnnoirting the earth, but because it is not there when his father Buck Cluck (Garry Marshall) arrives with the other villagers, Chicken Little is held up to ridicule. Fortunately, he has two staunch friends who stand by him, Runt ( a HUGE pig voiced by Steve Zahn) and Abby Mallard (Joan Cusack), even if they might not fully believe him. When it turns out that there really is an alien spaceships around the village, there is a genuinely touching scene in which Father Buck says to his son, “You need to know that I love you no matter what, and I am sorry that you thought that was something you had to earn.” Hey, pretty good for a cartoon, eh?

The film is filled with numerous sight gags and humorous remarks. Those of us who love the movies will have a great time spotting all the references to other films—E.T., Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, War of the Worlds, a delightful depiction of the climax of King Kong rendered in paper by a little gold fish, creatively named Fish (Dan Molina), and Signs. See any more? Oh yes, watch out near the end for the delightful alien version of the Mickey Mouse Watch. You’ll be far the poorer if you do not accompany the kids to this film!Chicken Little Rated G. Our ratings: V-1 ; L- 0; S/N- 0. Running Time: 1 hour 18 min.

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 54:19

Building upon the old children’s story about the chicken who thought the sky was falling, this version raises the question of what if the chicken was right? The filmmakers thus transform the story into one about love and trust. Chicken Little (Zach Braff) is hit upon the head by something from the sky, it eventually turning out to be a piece from an alien spaceship recnnoirting the earth, but because it is not there when his father Buck Cluck (Garry Marshall) arrives with the other villagers, Chicken Little is held up to ridicule. Fortunately, he has two staunch friends who stand by him, Runt ( a HUGE pig voiced by Steve Zahn) and Abby Mallard (Joan Cusack), even if they might not fully believe him. When it turns out that there really is an alien spaceships around the village, there is a genuinely touching scene in which Father Buck says to his son, “You need to know that I love you no matter what, and I am sorry that you thought that was something you had to earn.” Hey, pretty good for a cartoon, eh?

The film is filled with numerous sight gags and humorous remarks. Those of us who love the movies will have a great time spotting all the references to other films—E.T., Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, War of the Worlds, a delightful depiction of the climax of King Kong rendered in paper by a little gold fish, creatively named Fish (Dan Molina), and Signs. See any more? Oh yes, watch out near the end for the delightful alien version of the Mickey Mouse Watch. You’ll be far the poorer if you do not accompany the kids to this film!