"CHICKEN LITTLE" (2005) (voices of Zach Braff, Joan Cusack) (G) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons None Minor Heavy *Heavy Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Minor Extreme Mild None Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild None Moderate Moderate Moderate QUICK TAKE: Animated Comedy: A diminutive but determined chicken must overcome his reputation as an alarmist when he and his friends realize their town truly is being invaded by aliens from outer space. PLOT: It's been a year since Chicken Little (voice of ZACH BRAFF) caused a panic in the otherwise peaceful town of Oakey Oaks by claiming that the sky was falling. With everyone having believed it was just an acorn falling from a tree, the diminutive alarmist is still the laughing stock there, much to the dismay of his widowed father, Buck Cluck (voice of GARRY MARSHALL), the one-time high school baseball legend. Despite his status, Chicken Little still has friends in the form of Abby Mallard (voice of JOAN CUSACK) a.k.a. Ugly Duckling, Runt of the Litter (voice of STEVE ZAHN), an overweight and overreactive pig, and Fish out of Water (voice of DAN MOLINA) whose water-filled tank on his head allows him to get around, but reduces his speech to just a bunch of gurgles. Wanting to prove he's something and impress his dad, Chicken Little joins the baseball team and manages to win the big game, making him a hero and putting his past behind him. Yet, when a strange, alien panel falls from the sky, Chicken Little is torn about what to do, since telling others proved so disastrous the last time around. When he and his friends realize that the panel is from a cloaked spaceship containing menacing, pod-like mechanical monsters, however, they set out to figure out what's going on and warn the townspeople of Oakey Oaks before it's too late. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? It's a good bet many younger ones will be interested in it, particularly if they like computer-animated movies aimed at them. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G For not containing material to warrant a higher rating. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: It's debatable whether kids view non-human, animated characters as role models, but here's a quick look at their defining characteristics. CHICKEN LITTE is the diminutive peep who can't get anyone to believe him about the imminent danger facing their town. Accordingly, he must put up with the scorn and ridicule from most everyone there, while his dad -- who doesn't get him -- just seems disappointed. Thus, he joins the baseball team in hopes of building his reputation while trying to impress his dad. Yet, when the aliens appear, he must forgo all of that to figure out what's going on and save the day. ABBY MALLARD is his best friend, a homely duckling who assists him and tries to get him to talk to his dad about how he feels about their relationship. RUNT is the large and overreactive piglet with a flair for showing his effeminate side when not going into full-bore panic mode. FISH OUT OF WATER is their small friend who walks around with a tank of water around his head and is thus hard to understand. BUCK is Chicken Little's dad, a one-time high school baseball hero who wants to support his son, but feels embarrassed and let down by his alarmist reactions and behavior. Once he realizes his son wasn't making anything up, however, he apologizes and supports him one-hundred percent. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this animated comedy that's been rated G. Despite that rating, some perilous moments in the film -- particularly when alien pod monsters (that look like huge, walking mechanical octopi) chase after, try to attack and/or vaporize other characters (although we later see that they've only been teleported inside the alien ship and are unharmed) -- may be rather unsettling, suspenseful or downright scary to younger kids. Older ones will likely view all of that as more cool than scary. Some characters physically interact with others, and various bits of property damage and slapstick style material occur. Some potentially imitative behavior is present -- including a few colorful phrases -- while two characters sing along to a Spice Girls song that has what's presumably a repeated, sexually related lyric in it, and a boy character is briefly seen in his underwear (played for laughs). One young male character has effeminate tastes and behavior that some could view as being stereotypically gay, but such orientation is never made clear (although at the end he dances with a male character dressed in drag -- who's had his brain waves scrambled and thus isn't himself). Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes and some brief crude humor is present, while it's noted that a mother character died in the past, thus leaving her husband and son with a slightly strained relationship. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE None. BLOOD/GORE Abby reminds Chicken Little about the frozen pee incident from the past (from a passing airplane bathroom) and Runt then uses various terms for urinating such as "piddle," "whiz" and "wee-wee." A young alien blows its nose into Chicken Little's tissue that's then stuck on his hand by a little bit of mucous type material. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Most everyone develops a bad attitude toward Chicken Little regarding his earlier, alarmist claim (that turns out to have been true). That includes, Foxy, a popular student and athlete, who has a bad/condescending attitude toward him. A student coughs out the insult "Loser" and another does the same with "Ugly duck." The school coach announces that Dodgeball will be the popular vs. unpopular kids and then tells everyone to throw their balls at Runt. We then see the rubber balls hitting him and other students. One of Foxy's friends grabs Chicken Little by his head feathers, bounces him up and down with them and then flings him high up against a window in the gym. The baseball coach isn't nice to Chicken Little. As Chicken Little tries to hit two pitches while up at the plate during a game, other players laugh at his attempts. Some viewers might not like or may be concerned about Runt being portrayed as a very effeminate (and some might conclude gay) male character, who likes Streisand, other stereotypical "gay" music and then Foxy once the sports star looks like a male character in women's clothing (after an alien bit scrambles Foxy's brainwaves and leaves him that way). When the alien says they can change Foxy back into his old self (from now being a male fox dressed in women's clothing), Runt tells them not to and we then see the two dancing together in the end credits. POST REVIEW NOTE: We're checking on the gender of the Foxy Loxy character (traditionally a male in original versions of the story, but the press kit does not give any clues). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers but probably not to older kids. That also holds true for the alien pod monsters (that look like huge, walking mechanical octopi), particularly when they chase after or vaporize various characters with energy beams fired from them (although we later learn they weren't harmed by that). Chicken Little finds himself stuck to some gum in the middle of a crosswalk as the light changes and vehicles then approach him. A small stop-sign shaped piece of alien electronics hits Chicken Little and then disappears (it's actually invisible) causing Chicken Little to be scared. Fish out of Water gets on the alien stop-sign shaped device and "surfs" away through the air until he then disappears into the invisible alien spaceship. Chicken Little, Runt and Abby then panic and try to chase after it and him, ending up in the baseball stadium that starts violently shaking from the ship being above it, followed by the stadium lights all blowing out. We then see a tornado type whirlwind spinning around them (with lightning, etc.) and Chicken Little grabs the mesmerized Abby just in time to get her out of the way of the ship as it lands. Chicken Little, Abby and Runt slowly make their way through the alien ship looking for Fish out of Water. They see various pulsating blob figures in transparent containers and then see Fish's floating skeleton (in a backlit container), but the fish is okay as he was only behind the container (and for some reason it was like an X-ray of him). Runt then finds a map of the galaxy with the outer planets with X marks through them, with Earth now circled. They then panic, thinking that Earth is next to be invaded and/or destroyed. Two alien pod monsters chase after Chicken Little, Abby and Runt through the alien ship, with Chicken Little trying to keep a door closed when Runt gets stuck in an escape hole. He finally gets free and they all flee from the ship with the pod monsters in hot pursuit across the land, through some woods and into a cornfield. We then see that one of the pod monsters has a large mechanical claw at the end of its robotic leg, while the legs of both then turn into spinning blades that allow the pod monsters to zip across the cornfield, cutting the stalks. Chicken Little uses the fizz from a soda bottle to propel him upward toward a bell tower, but he lands just a little short. He scrambles there for a moment, loosening a brick that then nearly hits him on the ledge where he landed (but he's okay). Chicken Little urges the townsfolk to run and see the alien spaceship, but it takes off and turns invisible just as they get there (this will be tense for kids who will want Chicken Little to succeed to prove he's telling the truth). The sky suddenly starts to develop fissures and other cracks, eventually separating enough for many spaceships to come through and cause everyone in the town to panic and flee (but the lively song "It's the end of the world" plays during this, thus slightly diminishing the potential scare factor). All of the scenes toward the end of the film where the mechanical pods chase after and/or vaporize characters (although the latter are later seen okay) may be rather intense for younger viewers. Large alien faces with booming voices yell at Chicken Little and his dad inside the dark spaceship (where the faces suddenly appear in flash images). We then see a large number of alien weapons all aimed at Chicken Little and his dad until the main alien wife tells her husband to stop (he does). GUNS/WEAPONS Energy Beams: Used by the mechanical pod monsters to vaporize people and things (but we later see they've just been teleported into one of the alien space ships and are okay). IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Are you crazy?" "Loser," "Yo," "Oh jeez," "Bizarre," "I'm a gutless flip-flopper," "Oh, snap," "Give me a break," "Freaked out" and "Give them a taste of the other white meat." A student coughs out the insult "Loser" and another does the same with "Ugly duck." A student blows a raspberry. Abby reminds Chicken Little about the frozen pee incident from the past (from a passing airplane bathroom) and Runt then uses various terms for urinating such as "piddle," "whiz" and "wee-wee." It sounds like Runt is belching repeatedly out of fear. JUMP SCENES A small alien creature (with one big eye) suddenly bangs against the inside of a transparent container. An electrical discharge suddenly fires near Runt and startles him. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful, ominous, dramatic and action-oriented music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) Runt and Abby sing along to the Spice Girls song "If You Want to be My Lover" (that contains that exact lyric that's presumably sexual in nature). PROFANITY None. SEX/NUDITY After getting himself out of being stuck on some gum in a crosswalk, Chicken Little suddenly realizes (and we see) that he's only in his kid briefs. He's embarrassed and then races around, trying to find a solution (which he makes out of folding paper, but not before a bunch of female cheerleaders see him and shriek in shock). Runt and Abby sing along to the Spice Girls song "If You Want to be My Lover" (that contains that exact lyric that's presumably sexual in nature). Chicken Little briefly kisses Abby, making her all light-headed. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Buck is embarrassed by his boy's actions, and Chicken Little can sense that. Buck briefly looks at a family photo showing Chloe, his presumably dead wife. Chicken Little sees another father and son playing catch and feels bad that he doesn't have that sort of relationship with his own dad. Runt's mother picks him up off the ground by his ear (while mad at him). Chicken Little finally stands up to his dad and tells him that he (the dad) is never there for him. The dad eventually apologizes and the two hug and make up. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT People viewed as alarmists. The fable behind the movie -- akin to the boy who cried wolf -- about kids making up stories. Having only one parent (due to the death of the other) who doesn't understand you. Dealing with others' perceptions of you. When Chicken Little says he's going to join the baseball team, Buck tries to discourage him from that, telling him not to get his hopes too high. Some viewers might not like or may be concerned about Runt being portrayed as a very effeminate (and some might conclude gay) male character, who likes Streisand, other stereotypical "gay" music and then Foxy once the sports star looks like a male character in women's clothing (after an alien bit scrambles Foxy's brainwaves and leaves him that way). When the alien says they can change Foxy back into his old self (from now being a male fox dressed in women's clothing), Runt tells them not to and we then see the two dancing together in the end credits. POST REVIEW NOTE: We're checking on the gender of the Foxy Loxy character (traditionally a male in original versions of the story, but the press kit does not give any clues). VIOLENCE After Chicken Little rings the town bell to warn everyone about the pending doom, the citizens panic and flee, with some bowling over others. During this, a fire truck ladder smashes through a car's windshield, causing the driver (who's okay) to lose control and strike a fire hydrant that flies through the air and hits a water tower. That then causes the large holding tank (in the shape of a ball) to break off the tower and then bounce and roll through town, sending people fleeing as it smashes through a wall, then through a movie theater and over various cars (no one is hurt). An acorn drops and hits Chicken Little on the head, briefly knocking him silly. In the background of a scene we see a bird repeatedly walk into the same large window (bouncing off it each time). One student throws acorns out at Chicken Little causing him to trip and thus miss the bus. Chicken Little runs face-first into a character's briefcase. The school coach announces that Dodgeball will be the popular vs. unpopular kids and then tells everyone to throw their balls at Runt. We then see the rubber balls hitting him and other students. One of Foxy's friends grabs Chicken Little by his head feathers, bounces him up and down with them and then flings him high up against a window in the gym. Chicken Little then bounces down the window and then lands hard on the floor. A fly ball (in baseball) accidentally bonks Chicken Little on the head when he tries to catch it. A small stop-sign shaped piece of alien electronics hits Chicken Little and then disappears (it's actually invisible) causing Chicken Little to be scared. Runt smashes through a picket fence while trying to keep up with an alien ship. Needing a soda bottle from a vending machine in an emergency, Runt thrashes the machine up and down (after it won't take his money). Runt's mother picks him up off the ground by his ear (while mad at him). Foxy throws a rock into an alien pod monster, prompting it to vaporize him with an energy beam (see note below for all such vaporizing). An alien pod monster vaporizes the mayor's car and then the mayor. An alien pod monster tries to zap Buck with its vaporizing beam, followed by a chase through the town where we see more zapping occurring. Buck throws a trashcan lid that hits and takes out two alien pod monsters chasing after him. As a fire truck driven by Runt slams into the town hall, Chicken Little, his dad and an alien child are thrown out and bash into an interior wall (but are okay). We see the alien pod monsters scaling the outside of a building and tower to try to get to Chicken Little and his dad who are trying to return an alien child to the spaceship above them. Buck then punches and kicks the various pod monsters, knocking them away. He, Chicken Little and the alien are then vaporized by a blast (NOTE: But we then see that they've only been teleported inside the ship, along with everyone else who was seemingly vaporized before them). In a sci-fi movie seen in the movie, some spaceships fire upon others with some resultant explosions. Reviewed October 29, 2005 / Posted November 4, 2005

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