"Chicken Little"
Reviewed By: Adam Mortensen

Disney's first step into digital animation didn't turn out quite as well as hoped. While "Chicken Little" isn't terrible, it doesn't live up to Disney's tough standards. Even if it isn't perfect its worth a rent if you even remotely like animation.

The humor in this movie reminded me a lot of "Shrek." It parodies several movies including "Indiana Jones," "Signs," "King Kong," and "War of the Worlds." It also found time to make fun of its self ("maybe it will go straight to video" makes fun of Disney's recent trend). This is the area that the movie shines. Unfortunately, most of these great parodies are early in the movie. You could pretty much skip the last 45 minutes and not miss anything funny.

The story lacks in originality (even the modern day twists to this classic book are uninspired) and is often boring. The characters are hit or miss. Runt of the Litter is hilarious and Chicken Little is ok but most of the others are one-dimensional or just plain strange (Fish Out of Water in particular).

I was actually impressed with the animation. It may be the highpoint of the movie. I even prefer this style over Pixar's. I loved the bright and colorful characters and environments. Pixar's characters always seemed rubbery and unrealistic to me. The voices are pretty well done. Chicken Little (voiced by "Scrubs" beloved Zach Braff) is excellent. I have no idea why nobody used his unique voice before. It is the perfect voice for any animated feature.

"Chicken Little" is a hoot for the first fifteen minutes and a great visual treat but the story lacks substance and humor quickly wanes. It isn't a terrible first effort for Disney but I hope their next feature can do a little bit better.

Genre: Animation
Cast: Zach Braff, Joan Cusack, Don Knotts
MPAA Rating: G
Watched On: DVD
Similar To: "Shrek," "Lilo & Stitch"
Pros: Great animation, very funny for the first fifteen minutes, Zach Braff provides a great voice.
Cons: Often moves slow, story is generic, loses its humor early, some characters are bland.
Rating:  (Out of 10)
DVD Features: The only thing I watched were the deleted scenes. They were relatively interesting and there was actually one opener I liked more than the one chosen. Nothing else seemed interesting.
Verdict: RENT as long as you even remotely like animated films