From the sounds of all of the nation’s critics squawking, “Chicken Little” was going to be the equivalent of bird flu on the screen.
It was not that bad.
Yes, Pixar and Disney have parted ways and yes, “Chicken Little” is no “Finding Nemo or “The Incredibles,” but it is a solid film that will entertain children and amuse their parents. Are their problems? Yes, but the kids will hardly notice them or care.
The story begins with Chicken Little claiming that the sky is falling. His town panics and a lot of things are destroyed, including the reputation of Chicken Little and his father, Buck Cluck. One year later, Chicken Little hopes to make his father proud and show the town he isn’t just a crackpot. He wins a big baseball game but is struck by something falling from the sky again later that evening. It turns out that thee is something up there and soon an alien invasion strikes the town. Will Chicken Little’s dad believe him and help him save the town? Will Chicken Little finally earn the respect of the town’s residents?
Take a guess.
“Chicken Little” has a lot going for it. For starters, the voice talent is great. Zach Braff is a solid Chicken Little and his friends, Abby Mallard (Joan Cusack) and Runt of the Litter (Steve Zahn) steal the show every time they are on screen. The laughs and the action come at the audience very quickly, especially early on, and really help get the movie going. Unfortunately, the film stalls out with a sappy montage to a Five for Fighting song and it takes quite a while for the movie to get back up to speed. Once it does, it stays that way.
The other problem was that the film continued the Disney tradition of mothers being dead or dying. I know that charatcers need obstacles and tragedy to overcome, but can’t we have a full family tackling the problems together?
“Chicken Little” isn’t a great movie, but it was a lot better than “Shark Tale,” which wasn’t bad, but also fell short of the Pixar mark. If you want to see a family-friendly flick before Harry Potter arrives, this is worth the price of admission, at least a matinee.

**1/2