Chicken Little

Day 110 - 4/20/09 - Movie #109

BEFORE: More talking barnyard animals tonight, but this time it's a modernized CGI version of a fairy-tale, with a bit of "War of the Worlds" mixed in.

THE PLOT: After ruining his reputation with the town, a courageous chicken must come to the rescue of his fellow citizens when aliens start an invasion.

AFTER: The voice casting is just spot-on, with Zach Braff as the title character, now with a "Scrubs"-style interior monologue, and Garry Marshall as the beleaguered father. Steve Zahn and Joan Cusack do well in supporting roles too. The story is completely over-the-top, but sometimes that's where a story needs to go. I suppose the old children's story, with just an acorn hitting Chicken Little on the head was rejected as "too boring". When the sky actually starts falling, in the form of an alien invasion, the movie kicks into high gear, but also becomes something of a frenetic mess. (Is this meant to be entertaining for kids with ADHD?) Unfortunately, the lesson about how parents should believe in their kids gets drowned out in the process.

RATING: 6 out of 10 flying saucers