Chicken Little (2005 film)
Encyclopedia
Chicken Little is a 2005 computer-animated
science fiction
family
comedy
film loosely based on the fable
The Sky Is Falling
. It was the 46th animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation
. The film was animated in-house at Walt Disney Feature Animation's main headquarters in Burbank, California
, and released by Walt Disney Pictures
on November 4, 2005 in Disney Digital 3-D
format along with the standard 2-D version.
It was written by Mark Dindal
and Mark Kennedy with the screenplay by Steve Bencich
, Ron J. Friedman
, and Ron Anderson, and was directed by Mark Dindal.
This was Disney's first fully computer-animated film, as Pixar
's films were distributed but not produced by Disney, and Dinosaur
was a combination of live-action and computer animation
. It premiered on the United States version of the Disney Channel
on February 8, 2008, as part of "Phineas and Ferb
-ruary".
) rings the school bell and cries for everyone to run for their lives. This sends the whole town into a frenzied panic. Eventually they calm down enough to ask him what's wrong, and Chicken Little explains that a piece of the sky shaped like a stop sign
had fallen on his head when he was sitting under the big Oak
tree in the town square. However, he's unable to find the piece. His father, Buck Cluck, assumes that this "piece of sky" was just an acorn
that had fallen off the tree and had hit him on the head. Chicken Little becomes the laughing stock of the town.
A year later, Little has become infamous in the town for being crazy. His only friends are outcasts like himself: Abby Mallard, who has a crush on Chicken Little; Runt of the Litter, who is extremely large; and Fish out of Water, who wears a helmet full of tap water.
Trying to help, Abby tells Little to talk to his dad, when Little wants his dad to be proud of him. Instead, Chicken Little joins his school's baseball team in an attempt to recover his reputation and his father's pride, but is made last until the ninth inning of the last game. Chicken Little is reluctantly called to bat by the coach, even though he's certain that he'll lose the game for them. Little is able to hit the ball and make it past first, second, and third bases but is met at home plate by the outfielders. He tries sliding onto home plate but is touched by the ball. It is presumed that he lost the game, but the umpire brushes away the dust to reveal that Chicken Little's foot was just barely touching home plate, thus declaring Little safe and the game won. Little is hailed as a hero for winning the pennant.
But that night back at home, he is hit on the head by the same "piece of the sky" — only to find out that it is not a piece of the sky but a device which blends into the background (which would thereby explain why Chicken Little was unable to find it last time). He calls his friends over to help figure out what it is.
When Fish pushes a button on the back of the hexagon it flies into the sky. It turns out to be part of the camouflage of an invisible UFO. Little manages to ring the bell to warn everyone, but the aliens see the crowds coming and manage to escape, leaving an orange alien child behind. No one believes the story of the alien invasion, and Little is ridiculed yet again until the next day. He and his friends discover the orange alien, and a few minutes later a whole fleet of alien ships descends on the town and start what appears to be an invasion.
The invasion is actually a misunderstanding, as two aliens are looking for their lost child and attack only out of concern. As the aliens rampage throughout Oakey Oaks, vaporizing everything in their path, Little realizes he must return the alien to his parents to save the planet. First, though, he's forced to confront his father and regain his trust.
In the invasion, Buck, now regaining his pride and trust in Little, defends him from the aliens until they get vaporized. It is then discovered that the aliens weren't vaporizing people, the ray guns teleported them aboard the UFO. Afterwards, the aliens return everything (except Foxy Loxy, whose brain get's scrambled and she becomes an air-head love interest for Runt)) to normal, and everyone is grateful for Chicken Little's efforts to save the town.
Additional voices include Nathan Kress
, Scott Menville
, Mona Marshall
, Patrick Fraley
, Amanda and Caitlin Fein, Archie Hahn
, Chris Edgerly
, Paul Pape
, among many others.
At the time of the release of Chicken Little, the co-production deal between Disney and Pixar Animation Studios
was set to expire with the release of Cars
in 2006. The end result of the contentious negotiations between Disney and Pixar was viewed to depend heavily on how Chicken Little performed at the box office
. If successful, the film would have given Disney leverage in its negotiations for a new contract to distribute Pixar's films. A failure would have allowed Pixar to argue that Disney could not produce CG films without aid from Pixar. Discussions to renew the deal in 2005 were held off until both sides could assess Chicken Littles performance at the box office.
It is not known how the two sides regarded Chicken Littles modest success. While it underperformed compared to Pixar's product, it was more successful than Disney's recent output and was much more profitable for the company, since they did not need to share the revenue. Regardless, both sides decided that they were better off with each other than separate. However, instead of negotiating a new contract, on January 24, 2006, Disney announced their intent to purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. The purchase was completed on May 5, 2006.
(1999), taking $40 million and tying with The Lion King
(1994) as the largest opener for a Disney animated film. It also managed to claim #1 again in its second week of release, earning $31.7 million, beating Sony's sci-fi family film, Zathura
. The film grossed $135,386,665 in the United States and Canada and grossed $179,046,172 in other countries grossing $314,432,837 worldwide.
This reversed a slump that the company had been facing since 2000, during which time it released several flops, most notably Treasure Planet
(2002) and Home on the Range (2004). However, these films received better critical reviews.
reported that 36% of critics gave positive reviews based on 153 reviews with an average score of 5.4/10. The film's consensus was that "in its first non-Pixar CGI venture, Disney expends more effort in the technical presentation than in crafting an original storyline", for which critics panned the film. Another review aggretator, Metacritic
gave the film an average score of 48 from 32 critics.
Richard Roeper
of the then-Ebert & Roeper gave the film a "Thumbs Down" rating saying "I don't care whether the film is 2-D, 3-D, CGI, or hand-drawn, it all goes back to the story." A.O. Scott of the New York Times stated the film is "a hectic, uninspired pastiche of catchphrases and clichés, with very little wit, inspiration or originality to bring its frantically moving images to genuine life." However, Ty Burr
of the Boston Globe gave the film a positive review saying the film was "shiny and peppy, with some solid laughs and dandy vocal performances". Angel Cohn of TV Guide
gave the film 3 stars alluding the film that would "delight younger children with its bright colors and constant chaos, while adults are likely to be charmed by the witty banter, subtle one-liners and a sweet father-son relationship."
on March 21, 2006, only in a single-disc edition. It was Disney's first animated film to receive a DVD-only release, as every Hollywood studio had phased out the VHS
format in 2006. The first Blu-ray Disc
release of the film was on March 20, 2007, and contained new features that were not included in the 2006 DVD. A 3D Blu-ray will be released on November 8, 2011.
contains music by a wide range of artists, some musical veterans, such as Patti LaBelle
and Diana Ross
, as well as others. Uniquely, for a Disney feature, several of the songs are covers
of classic popular songs, such as Elton John
and Kiki Dee
's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart
", Carole King
's "It's Too Late", and the Spice Girls
' signature hit "Wannabe
". The soundtrack was released on November 1, 2005.
In one scene of the film, Runt sings Gloria Gaynor
's "I Will Survive
", however, it is not included on the soundtrack.
Track list:
The film spawned two video games. The first, Chicken Little, is a action-adventure
video game released by Avalanche Software
.
The second game, Disney's Chicken Little: Ace in Action, is a multi-platform video game inspired by the "superhero movie within the movie" finale of the film. It features Ace, the superhero alter ego of Chicken Little, and the Hollywood versions of his misfit band of friends: Runt, Abby and Fish-Out-of-Water. The crew of the intergalactic Battle Barn faces off against Foxy Loxy and her evil Amazonian sidekick, Goosey Loosey, who have an evil plan to take over Earth. Battle evil alien robots through multiple levels across the solar system and combat your foes in one of three distinct game play modes: Ace on foot as a soldier, Runt as the driver of an armored tank, or Abby as the pilot of a spaceship. The original Chicken Little and his friends Abby, Runt, and Fish we know from the film are featured in cut scenes throughout the game.
Chicken Little also appears as a summon in the Kingdom Hearts series of video games.
. There is even the actual footage of Indiana Jones
being chased by the sphere in Raiders of the Lost Ark
. In the school gym, while fish fell from the paper Empire State Building
, Runt says that beauty killed the beast in reference to King Kong
s end. The little alien kid being left behind on earth is a reference to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
. The alien invasion has many similar shots to Independence Day
and War of the Worlds
, notably the shadow of the alien craft covering the city and the notion of vaporizing people. Product Placement
in the film includes the Tic Tac candy, which the town's mayor is obsessed with, and the alien's violation code number is 90210
.
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
family
Family film
A family film is a film genre that is designed to appeal to a variety of age groups and, thus, families.In December 2005, Steven Spielberg's 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came first in a poll of the 100 Greatest Family Films. The genre today generates billions of dollars per annum.Family...
comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
film loosely based on the fable
Fable
A fable is a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized , and that illustrates a moral lesson , which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.A fable differs from...
The Sky Is Falling
Henny Penny
Henny Penny, also known as Chicken Licken or Chicken Little, is a fable in the form of a cumulative tale about a chicken who believes the world is coming to an end...
. It was the 46th animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation
Walt Disney Feature Animation
Walt Disney Animation Studios is an American animation studio headquartered in Burbank, California. The studio, founded in 1923 as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio by brothers Walt and Roy Disney, is the oldest subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
. The film was animated in-house at Walt Disney Feature Animation's main headquarters in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, and released by Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
on November 4, 2005 in Disney Digital 3-D
Disney Digital 3-D
Disney Digital 3-D is a brand used by the Walt Disney Company to describe three-dimensional films made and released by the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and shown exclusively using digital projection....
format along with the standard 2-D version.
It was written by Mark Dindal
Mark Dindal
Mark L. Dindal is an American effects animator and director, who created The Emperor's New Groove as well as Cats Don't Dance...
and Mark Kennedy with the screenplay by Steve Bencich
Steve Bencich
Steve Bencich is an American screenwriter best known for his work with Ron J. Friedman.Bencich and Friedman have collaborated on screenplays for several animated films, including Brother Bear, Chicken Little and Open Season...
, Ron J. Friedman
Ron J. Friedman
Ron J. Friedman is an American screenwriter best known for his work with Steve Bencich.Friedman and Bencich have collaborated on screenplays for several animated films, including Brother Bear, Chicken Little and Open Season...
, and Ron Anderson, and was directed by Mark Dindal.
This was Disney's first fully computer-animated film, as Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
's films were distributed but not produced by Disney, and Dinosaur
Dinosaur (film)
Dinosaur is a 2000 American computer-animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on May 19, 2000, and is the 39th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
was a combination of live-action and computer animation
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
. It premiered on the United States version of the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
on February 8, 2008, as part of "Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
-ruary".
Plot
In the small town of Oakey Oaks, Chicken Little (Zach BraffZach Braff
Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.In 2004, Braff made his...
) rings the school bell and cries for everyone to run for their lives. This sends the whole town into a frenzied panic. Eventually they calm down enough to ask him what's wrong, and Chicken Little explains that a piece of the sky shaped like a stop sign
Stop sign
A Stop sign is a traffic sign to notify drivers that they must stop before proceeding.-Specifications:The Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals proposed standard stop sign diameters of 0.6, 0.9 or 1.2 metres. UK and New Zealand stop signs are 750, 900 or 1200 mm, according to sign...
had fallen on his head when he was sitting under the big Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
tree in the town square. However, he's unable to find the piece. His father, Buck Cluck, assumes that this "piece of sky" was just an acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
that had fallen off the tree and had hit him on the head. Chicken Little becomes the laughing stock of the town.
A year later, Little has become infamous in the town for being crazy. His only friends are outcasts like himself: Abby Mallard, who has a crush on Chicken Little; Runt of the Litter, who is extremely large; and Fish out of Water, who wears a helmet full of tap water.
Trying to help, Abby tells Little to talk to his dad, when Little wants his dad to be proud of him. Instead, Chicken Little joins his school's baseball team in an attempt to recover his reputation and his father's pride, but is made last until the ninth inning of the last game. Chicken Little is reluctantly called to bat by the coach, even though he's certain that he'll lose the game for them. Little is able to hit the ball and make it past first, second, and third bases but is met at home plate by the outfielders. He tries sliding onto home plate but is touched by the ball. It is presumed that he lost the game, but the umpire brushes away the dust to reveal that Chicken Little's foot was just barely touching home plate, thus declaring Little safe and the game won. Little is hailed as a hero for winning the pennant.
But that night back at home, he is hit on the head by the same "piece of the sky" — only to find out that it is not a piece of the sky but a device which blends into the background (which would thereby explain why Chicken Little was unable to find it last time). He calls his friends over to help figure out what it is.
When Fish pushes a button on the back of the hexagon it flies into the sky. It turns out to be part of the camouflage of an invisible UFO. Little manages to ring the bell to warn everyone, but the aliens see the crowds coming and manage to escape, leaving an orange alien child behind. No one believes the story of the alien invasion, and Little is ridiculed yet again until the next day. He and his friends discover the orange alien, and a few minutes later a whole fleet of alien ships descends on the town and start what appears to be an invasion.
The invasion is actually a misunderstanding, as two aliens are looking for their lost child and attack only out of concern. As the aliens rampage throughout Oakey Oaks, vaporizing everything in their path, Little realizes he must return the alien to his parents to save the planet. First, though, he's forced to confront his father and regain his trust.
In the invasion, Buck, now regaining his pride and trust in Little, defends him from the aliens until they get vaporized. It is then discovered that the aliens weren't vaporizing people, the ray guns teleported them aboard the UFO. Afterwards, the aliens return everything (except Foxy Loxy, whose brain get's scrambled and she becomes an air-head love interest for Runt)) to normal, and everyone is grateful for Chicken Little's efforts to save the town.
Cast
- Zach BraffZach BraffZachary Israel "Zach" Braff is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.In 2004, Braff made his...
as Chicken Little Cluck, a young rooster who suffers under a reputation for being crazy since he caused a panic saying the sky was falling. He makes up for his small size by being extremely creative, for example, using a roller window blind to get into his high locker. Little is constantly trying to impress his Dad. - Joan CusackJoan CusackJoan Mary Cusack is an American film, stage and television actress. Throughout her career, Cusack has appeared in many films as well as appearing in stage productions....
as Abbagail Ducktail Mallard (also known as the Ugly Duckling), a female duck (implied swan) with buckteeth, and wearing a purple shirt and some hairbands. A slight speech impediment and a long, asymmetrical face earned her an unfortunate nickname from the less polite children. She is accustomed to being teased for her appearance, and takes a generally optimistic approach to life. She is Chicken Little's best friend and harbors a secret crush on him. Despite her appearance, because of her purple shirt and some hair bands and she is not wearing any pants, she is modeled after Gosalyn Mallard from Darkwing DuckDarkwing DuckDarkWing Duck is an American animated television series produced by The Walt Disney Company that ran from 1991–1992 on both the syndicated programming block The Disney Afternoon and Saturday mornings on ABC. It featured the eponymous anthropomorphic duck superhero whose alter ego is mild-mannered...
. - Dan Molina as Fish Out of Water, a goldfish who wears a scuba helmet filled with water and lives on the surface. He is unable to speak properly, instead making gurgling sounds and acting out what he feels. He isn't very shy around others and he will perform brave stunts without fear.
- Steve ZahnSteve Zahn-Early life:Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Zelda, who worked for the YMCA, and Carleton E. Zahn, a retired Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor. Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School...
as Runt of the Litter, a large pig with a huge heart, Runt is much larger than the other children, but is far smaller than the other massive members of his family. Runt is easily frightened and prone to panic. - Amy SedarisAmy SedarisAmy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
as Foxy Loxy, a vixenVixenA vixen is a female fox.Vixen may also refer to:-In the military:*HMS Vixen, various British Royal Navy ships*USS Vixen, various ships in the US Navy*Vickers Vixen, a biplane produced in small numbers in the 1920s...
ous baseball star and the "home town hero"; she is a tomboy and one of the "popular kids" at school. She bullies Little throughout the film for causing the panic at the beginning of the film. Her mind is altered during the alien attack, turning her into a much nicer Southern belle, and she is later seen in a romantic relationship with Runt. - Mark WaltonMark Walton (story artist)Mark Walton is a story artist and voice actor at the Walt Disney Feature Animation. Walton is best known for voicing Rhino the hamster in Bolt.-Early life:...
as Goosey Loosey, a goose, and Foxy Loxy's best friend. Usually helps Foxy Loxy do her bullying. She speaks in quacks, honks, and squawks. - Garry MarshallGarry MarshallGarry Kent Marshall is an American actor, director, writer and producer. His notable credits include creating Happy Days and The Odd Couple and directing Nothing In Common, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, and The Princess Diaries.-Early life:Marshall was born in the New York City...
as Buck "Ace" Cluck, Chicken Little's widowed father, a former high school baseball star who has a hard time coming to terms with what it means being a good parent. Most of the time he tries to apologize for his son's behavior and encourage him to keep a low profile. He was married to Chloe, Chicken Little's mother, but it is unknown what happened to her that causes to vanish in the movie. - Don KnottsDon KnottsJesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
as Turkey Lurkey, the city mayor; sensible but not very bright. - Sean Elmore, Matthew Michael Joston, and Evan Dunn as Kirby, a lost alien child whose parents, out of concern, trigger an alien invasion (which turned out to be a search party). In the end, he is returned to his family.
- Fred WillardFred WillardFred Willard is an American actor, comedian, and voice over actor, best known for his improvisational comedy skills. He is known for his roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentary films This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration as well as...
as Melvin, Kirby's father and Tina's husband. He is the character that triggers an alien invasion and at the end is reunited with his son, and has something called the "Big Voice". - Catherine O'HaraCatherine O'HaraCatherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedienne. She is well known for her comedy work on SCTV, and her roles in the films After Hours, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and also in the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest...
as Tina, Kirby's mother and Melvin's wife. She and Melvin land on Earth once a year on the way to her parents, and to collect acorns, but when Kirby went missing, Melvin triggered an invasion to retrieve their son. - Mark DindalMark DindalMark L. Dindal is an American effects animator and director, who created The Emperor's New Groove as well as Cats Don't Dance...
as Morkupine Porcupine, one of the cool kids. He is the only cool kid that hangs out with Chicken Little and his friends. In the music video, he is seen dancing with them. He only ever seems to speak one word at a time. - Patrick StewartPatrick StewartSir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
as Mr. Woolensworth, a sheep language teacher to the class, who is amazingly boring.
Additional voices include Nathan Kress
Nathan Kress
Nathan Karl Kress is an American film and television actor. A professional child model and actor since the age of three, he is best known for his role as Freddie Benson on the Nickelodeon television series iCarly.-Early life:...
, Scott Menville
Scott Menville
Scott David Menville is primarily an American voice actor, actor, musician, and comedian.-Early life and career:The son of Chuck Menville, he was bassist for the Southern California rock band Boy Hits Car, which released three albums until he left the band in 2006. He was with the group since...
, Mona Marshall
Mona Marshall
Mona M. Ianotti is an American voice actress. She is often cast in the role of young boys. Her roles have included parts in not only Japanese anime, but also in American cartoons as well. Mona Marshall has recently lent her voice to the talking bear Koby the Study Buddy...
, Patrick Fraley
Pat Fraley
Patrick "Pat" Fraley is an American voice actor, who is best known as the voice of Krang, Casey Jones and numerous other characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
, Amanda and Caitlin Fein, Archie Hahn
Archie Hahn (actor)
Archie Hahn is an American character actor and improviser best known for his appearances on the British version of Whose Line is it Anyway?. He is also well known for appearing in This Is Spinal Tap, Phantom of the Paradise, and many Joe Dante films...
, Chris Edgerly
Chris Edgerly
Christopher "Chris" Edgerly is an American actor and voice actor.Edgerly was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, he moved to Savannah, Georgia at the age of two with his mother, and two brothers...
, Paul Pape
Paul Pape
Paul Pape is an American actor and voice actor. He has appeared in over 20 films since 1977, most notably as the role of Double J in the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever. He also stars in the Need for Speed video game franchise Need for Speed: Undercover as Lt. Jack M. Keller police Lt...
, among many others.
Production
New software and hardware tools were introduced for the production of the film:- "Chicken Wire", a geometric wire frame model of the characters that the animators can stretch and squeeze as they please.
- "Shelf Control", which makes it possible to see the whole model on the screen while having a direct access to any chosen area of the character.
- New electronic tablet screens that allow the artists to draw digital sketches of the characters to rough out their movements, which is then transferred to the 3D characters.
At the time of the release of Chicken Little, the co-production deal between Disney and Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
was set to expire with the release of Cars
Cars (film)
Cars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...
in 2006. The end result of the contentious negotiations between Disney and Pixar was viewed to depend heavily on how Chicken Little performed at the box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
. If successful, the film would have given Disney leverage in its negotiations for a new contract to distribute Pixar's films. A failure would have allowed Pixar to argue that Disney could not produce CG films without aid from Pixar. Discussions to renew the deal in 2005 were held off until both sides could assess Chicken Littles performance at the box office.
It is not known how the two sides regarded Chicken Littles modest success. While it underperformed compared to Pixar's product, it was more successful than Disney's recent output and was much more profitable for the company, since they did not need to share the revenue. Regardless, both sides decided that they were better off with each other than separate. However, instead of negotiating a new contract, on January 24, 2006, Disney announced their intent to purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. The purchase was completed on May 5, 2006.
Box office
In its opening weekend, Chicken Little debuted at number one, the first Disney animated film to do so since TarzanTarzan (1999 film)
Tarzan is a 1999 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 18, 1999...
(1999), taking $40 million and tying with The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
(1994) as the largest opener for a Disney animated film. It also managed to claim #1 again in its second week of release, earning $31.7 million, beating Sony's sci-fi family film, Zathura
Zathura (film)
Zathura: A Space Adventure is a 2005 fantasy science fiction film directed by Jon Favreau, and is loosely based on the illustrated book Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg, author of Jumanji. It stars Jonah Bobo as Danny and Josh Hutcherson as Walter. Tim Robbins also had a small role as the boys'...
. The film grossed $135,386,665 in the United States and Canada and grossed $179,046,172 in other countries grossing $314,432,837 worldwide.
This reversed a slump that the company had been facing since 2000, during which time it released several flops, most notably Treasure Planet
Treasure Planet
Treasure Planet is a 2002 animated science fiction film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 27, 2002...
(2002) and Home on the Range (2004). However, these films received better critical reviews.
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics; Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 36% of critics gave positive reviews based on 153 reviews with an average score of 5.4/10. The film's consensus was that "in its first non-Pixar CGI venture, Disney expends more effort in the technical presentation than in crafting an original storyline", for which critics panned the film. Another review aggretator, Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the film an average score of 48 from 32 critics.
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...
of the then-Ebert & Roeper gave the film a "Thumbs Down" rating saying "I don't care whether the film is 2-D, 3-D, CGI, or hand-drawn, it all goes back to the story." A.O. Scott of the New York Times stated the film is "a hectic, uninspired pastiche of catchphrases and clichés, with very little wit, inspiration or originality to bring its frantically moving images to genuine life." However, Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Ty Burr has been a film critic for the Boston Globe since 2002 where he reviews films alongside Wesley Morris.Born in 1957, he studied film at Dartmouth College and New York University and has written three books: The Hundred Greatest Movies of All Time, The Hundred Greatest Stars of All Time and...
of the Boston Globe gave the film a positive review saying the film was "shiny and peppy, with some solid laughs and dandy vocal performances". Angel Cohn of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
gave the film 3 stars alluding the film that would "delight younger children with its bright colors and constant chaos, while adults are likely to be charmed by the witty banter, subtle one-liners and a sweet father-son relationship."
Home media
Chicken Little was first released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on March 21, 2006, only in a single-disc edition. It was Disney's first animated film to receive a DVD-only release, as every Hollywood studio had phased out the VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
format in 2006. The first Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
release of the film was on March 20, 2007, and contained new features that were not included in the 2006 DVD. A 3D Blu-ray will be released on November 8, 2011.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack albumSoundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
contains music by a wide range of artists, some musical veterans, such as Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, as well as others. Uniquely, for a Disney feature, several of the songs are covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of classic popular songs, such as Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and Kiki Dee
Kiki Dee
Kiki Dee is an English singer with a career spanning more than 40 years....
's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Don't Go Breaking My Heart
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a duet by Elton John and Kiki Dee. It was written by Elton John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonym "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche" , and intended as an affectionate pastiche of the Tamla Motown style, notably the various duets recorded by Marvin Gaye and singers...
", Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
's "It's Too Late", and the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
' signature hit "Wannabe
Wannabe (song)
"Wannabe" is the debut song by British pop group Spice Girls. Written by the group members with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album Spice, released in November 1996...
". The soundtrack was released on November 1, 2005.
In one scene of the film, Runt sings Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul...
's "I Will Survive
I Will Survive
"I Will Survive" is a song first performed by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978. It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris...
", however, it is not included on the soundtrack.
Track list:
Video games
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game released by Avalanche Software
Avalanche Software
Avalanche Software is a video game developer studio, founded in October 1995 by four lead programmers from Sculptured Software. The company has developed for every console platform since the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and SNES days and has grown to a staff of over 100 since its inception...
.
The second game, Disney's Chicken Little: Ace in Action, is a multi-platform video game inspired by the "superhero movie within the movie" finale of the film. It features Ace, the superhero alter ego of Chicken Little, and the Hollywood versions of his misfit band of friends: Runt, Abby and Fish-Out-of-Water. The crew of the intergalactic Battle Barn faces off against Foxy Loxy and her evil Amazonian sidekick, Goosey Loosey, who have an evil plan to take over Earth. Battle evil alien robots through multiple levels across the solar system and combat your foes in one of three distinct game play modes: Ace on foot as a soldier, Runt as the driver of an armored tank, or Abby as the pilot of a spaceship. The original Chicken Little and his friends Abby, Runt, and Fish we know from the film are featured in cut scenes throughout the game.
Chicken Little also appears as a summon in the Kingdom Hearts series of video games.
Cultural references
The film contains many cultural references of movies. A fake opening is the same opening to The Lion KingThe Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
. There is even the actual footage of Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
being chased by the sphere in Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
. In the school gym, while fish fell from the paper Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
, Runt says that beauty killed the beast in reference to King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
s end. The little alien kid being left behind on earth is a reference to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
. The alien invasion has many similar shots to Independence Day
Independence Day (film)
Independence Day is a 1996 science fiction film about an alien invasion of Earth, focusing on a disparate group of individuals and families as they converge in the Nevada desert and, along with the rest of the human population, participate in a last-chance counterattack on July 4 – the same...
and War of the Worlds
War of the Worlds (2005 film)
War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It is one of three film adaptations of War of the Worlds released that year, alongside The Asylum's version and...
, notably the shadow of the alien craft covering the city and the notion of vaporizing people. Product Placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
in the film includes the Tic Tac candy, which the town's mayor is obsessed with, and the alien's violation code number is 90210
90210
90210 may refer to* Beverly Hills, California, ZIP code 90210* Beverly Hills Post Office* Peltola, Oulu, Finland, postal code 90210* Beverly Hills, 90210, an American teen drama television series that ran between 1990 and 2000...
.
External links
- Brown, Sandy (November 5, 2005). "Disney, Pixar Playing Chicken". Mickey News.
- Holson, Laura M. (October 30, 2005). "Much rides on 'Chicken' for Disney and Pixar". New York Times.