(c) Disney

With a whole phalanx of writers contributing, the film does a creditable job at fleshing out the thin fable into a full-fledged story, and the addition of the father/son conflict fits in naturally (once again, this is a one parent family; it is hinted at that mom has gone to the big chicken coop in the sky). And throw-away bits, like having a bull own a china shop, will elicit chuckles from the more astute viewers. Less successful are the attempts to squeeze in pop culture references, a la DreamWorks, such as in an introductory narration that tries oh-so hard to be clever, including the second unfunny use of the year (after DreamWorks’ Madagascar) of the iconic Lion King opening. In fact, there are a lot of bits that will leave you thinking more DreamWorks then Disney, from an opening montage set to the tune of an alt-pop ditty (Barenaked Ladies’ “One Little Slip�?, not much different from Shrek 2’s “Accidentally in Love�?) to kiddy-baiting laugh lines like the embarrassing scene where all the characters are made to repeatedly say the word “pee�?.

Regrettably, the animation itself is passable at best. While the characters are cuddlier then, say, Valiant (anybody remember that one?), they are stranded in bland virtual landscapes that posses none of the visceral depth of, say, Nemo’s ocean or even Shrek’s forests. Simply, their environment doesn’t appear lived in. And while the climactic set piece, where the alien ships literally crack open the sky, is mightily impressive, the over-all visual feel of the film is lacking in a strong, cohesive style, a unified look above and beyond its storybook origins.

The character of Chicken Little himself, who looks like Miss Prissy’s egghead son from the Warner Bros. Foghorn Leghorn cartoons grafted onto the body of Jonathan Lipnicki, fits in the mold of any number of Disney’s previous “unlikely�? heroes, and Braff’s vocal performance is a nice blend of childhood innocence and pluck. Cusack’s Abby adds another gangly goofball to her repertoire, and the remaining cast consists of such voice-over stalwarts as Harry Shearer (The Simpsons), Wallace Shawn (Toy Story) and Patrick Warburton (The Emperor’s New Groove), as well as comic gold in Disney favorite Don Knotts (The Apple Dumpling Gang) as Mayor Turkey Lurkey, Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy) as the naughty Foxy Loxy, and Christopher Guest mainstays Fred Willard and Catherine O’Hara as the parents of a tiny alien fuzz ball named Kirby; great, just what I need: to share my name with another pixilated pixie …

Coming Soon in Toon Talk:

• Voldemort rises in Warner Bros.’ newest adventure of the boy wizard from Hogwarts, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (November 18^th).
• December 6^th brings wave 5 of the Walt Disney Treasures series, with Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, Legendary Heroes: Elfego Baca and Swamp Fox, The Adventures of Spin and Marty and The Chronological Donald, Volume 2.
• C.S. Lewis’ beloved fantasy classic finally comes to the big screen with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (December 9^th).

• First season sets of some favorite Disney television series become available November 8^th: DuckTales, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, Five Mile Creek and Tales from Avonlea.
• On November 15^th, Old Yeller returns in a DVD two-pack along with its sequel, Savage Sam, plus the second season of Scrubs.
• Even more TV series sets on November 22^nd, with the third seasons of The Golden Girls and Home Improvement, plus the best of season one of Extreme Make-Over: Home Edition.
• Celebrate Kermit the Frog’s 50^th anniversary with four of his films: The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island (November 29^th).
• Sky High flies onto DVD November 29^th, along with several television titles, including the complete mini-series Empire, the first season of Project Runway, and Their Eyes Were Watching God, starring Halle Berry in her Emmy-nominated role.
• Two Disney Channel favorites are coming to DVD on December 6^th: The Proud Family Movie and That’s So Raven: Raven’s House Party. Plus: volume one of season two of the animated cult hit, Gargoyles.

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