Chicken Little (2005)

You know the old story: Chicken Little is hit on the head by a falling acorn, and becomes convinced the sky is falling. He runs around to the entire town, warning everyone, and they all call him stupid. Well, this film takes that initial premise and runs with it, and in the end, gives us quite a brilliantly thought-out story.

It begins the same as the story we all know. Chicken Little (Zach Braff) runs around the entire town of Oakie Oaks, telling everyone the sky is falling, after a "piece of the sky" shaped like a Stop sign hits him on the head. His father, Buck Cluck (Garry Marshall), tells him it's his imagination, and that all that hit him was a falling acorn.

Twelve months later, Chicken Little is still unable to move on, with everyone in town still giving him a hard time about causing so much trouble with his wild stories. At school, he is mocked by his classmates, led by ringleader Foxy Loxy (Amy Sedaris), the most popular kid in class.

Chicken Little (Zach Braff).

Only his closest friends, fellow outcasts Abby Mallard (Joan Cusack) - an ugly duckling - and extra-large pig Runt (Steve Zahn) and a fish who wears a diving helmet filled with water, stick by him.

He finally manages to redeem himself in the eyes of the town, but only for the briefest of moments, because when it turns out the sky really is falling - or at least seems that way to him - he still can't manage to get anyone to believe him.

His friends - having witnessed just what he has witnessed - side with him finally and try to get the attention of everyone else, but it seems impossible.

I won't mention any more of the plot here, as I've probably already said too much already.

Buck Cluck (Garry Marshall).

The screenplay, by Steve Bencich & Ron J. Friedman & Ron Anderson, is filled with an equal mix of humour and pathos, and contains so much for both children and adults alike to enjoy. There are countless references to earlier Disney animated films - this film is from Disney, too, so there's no danger of litigation - many of which you may not even notice on the first viewing.

The soundtrack has plenty for the adults to enjoy, too, with almost all of the songs in the soundtrack being classic rock and pop songs from the 1980s and 1990s, with a couple of new original songs thrown in to balance things out. Every song is perfectly placed within the narrative, and supports the film beautifully.

The remainder of the soundtrack consists of John Debney's masterful original score, which serves as a masterclass to any students of film scoring technique. At every point in the film, the music is used to undergird the story and the characters, achieving this through the use of themes that develop over the course of the film. At several points also, the music gives the audience insight into Chicken Little's inner thoughts.

Abby Mallard (Joan Cusack).

The performances of the voice cast are fantastic across the board, none more so than Zach Braff in the titular role. His vocal expressions suit the neurotic character perfectly, and his ability to deliver long sections of dialogue in a very short time add to the hyperactivity of the character, too. Joan Cusack is also brilliant as Abby Mallard, the best friend who perhaps would like to be something more; she has a quality to her voice that is at once wise and filled with concern.

Director Mark Dindal has made quite a touching film, one that I will be sure to watch again. There are so many beautiful moments throughout this film, and the characters and situations make for an entertaining ride, one that unfortunately is over a little too soon (the film runs for only 77 minutes).

8 out of 10.