The Movie
Disney's Chicken Little is an unconventional and greatly embellished re-do of the classic tale involving a panicky bird and an allegedly falling sky. Chicken Little 3D, of course, takes that endeavor an additional step forward.
The movie begins with young Chicken Little (voiced by Zach Braff, who replaced Holly Hunter) proclaiming that the sky is indeed falling. Bedlam follows, with the requisite movie-type destruction all over his small town, and when he can't produce proof of his doomful proclamation, he becomes a pariah, much to the chagrin of his single dad.
And so begins a journey of redemption, as a year later he joins the baseball team, figures prominently in The Big Game, and just when it looks like he's turned the corner on the whole unfortunate business, another piece of the sky drops his way. Or is it the same piece as before? Turns out that it is actually a cloaking panel from a flying saucer, although why these aliens have traveled to Earth is a mystery. So far.
Now he really needs to warn the townspeople, but will anyone but his three pals--a neurotic pig, an ugly duckling and a fish out of water--buy what he's selling? The frenetic and wannabe-heartwarming Chicken Little is quite clever in places, although much of the humor is bound to be lost on the kids, while the plight of the much-maligned title character might be a bit juvenile for the parents.
The Picture
The first-ever movie released under the "Disney Digital 3-D" banner (almost six years ago to the day), Chicken Little benefits from the stereoscopic process less in its apparent simulation of depth between layers of focus and more in the sharpness of the lovely, digitally animated 16:9 image, which really pops on Blu-ray 3D. The results command the audience's attention, aided by the distinctive and quite inviting color palette, highlighted by storybook hues. The painstakingly rendered feathers and better-than-they-need-to-be touches such as the glint and texture of the upholstery in dad's car are happy standouts.
I can't say that the image is completely free of noise and ghosting and occasional edge enhancement, but I suspect that most home viewers will enjoy both the 3D and 2D presentations. The handful of "wow" 3D moments (3D effects by ILM) are pretty solid too, perhaps none more so than when the galactic armada cracks open the entire sky.
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack accompanying the Blu-ray 3D (the 2D Blu-ray packs uncompressed linear PCM) is somewhat more timid than the in-your face, slapstick events on screen would lead us to expect, from the opening devastation after Chicken Little's false alarm to his difficult morning commute to school. Bass could definitely be more prominent in some of the bigger action beats, while surrounds vary, growing more expansive as the movie unfolds.
The alien attacks are terrific, the flying battle machines brandishing their spinning blades and clanking their heavy metal tentacles. The resonance of voices and off-screen cues serve to enhance the comedy gags. The director also shows a great appreciation for John Debney's musical score, at times giving it more emphasis than the sound effects.
The Extras
Just the Cars 2 3D trailer on the Blu-ray 3D, while Disc Two is a slightly updated (with new trailers) version of the March 2007 2D Blu-ray. Most sophisticated is the interactive Filmmaker Q&A which allows us to pose a question from the on-screen list, or one of the occasional pop-ups, and gain their wisdom. Director Mark Dindal, producer Randy Fullmer and visual effects supervisor Steve Goldberg also provide an audio commentary.
The eight deleted and alternate scenes include four that were released especially for the Blu-ray, but all in standard definition, 28-and-a-half minutes total with the optional introductions. The original DVD feature set has been handily archived, with two music videos, two ways to sing along with the Barenaked Ladies' song "One Little Slip," the "making of" and a pair of Easter eggs. The bundled DVD copy of the movie contains several of these same extras, and even its own excusive Where's Fish? trivia game.
Final Thoughts
Too grown-up? Too silly? Too 2D? (It sounds funnier when you say it out loud.) Decide for yourself with a rental, or consider a purchase if you or your kids are enamored of the feathery UFOlogist.
Product Details
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