 |
Cinema - Chicken
Little
Zach Braff is the star voice tasked with bringing Chicken Little
(CL) to life, in this cartoon following the adventures of the
eponymous bigheaded little chicken. CL is suffering from low
self-esteem after becoming a laughing-stock by claiming the
sky was falling down, when it was in fact just an acorn landing
on his head. He regains some pride by hitting the winning run
in a baseball game, but at the same moment notices that the
sky really is falling in. Either this, or his hometown of Oakley
Oaks is about to be invaded by aliens. Either way, his dilemma
is whether to risk further ridicule by warning his recent tormenters
of their imminent fate.
The success of computer-generated imagery (CGI) movies, like
Shrek, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles
has set a new benchmark for cartoon makers to reach. CL is Disney’s
first full-length in-house CGI effort, and, technically it is
close to former partner Pixar’s standards. The story however,
falls well short of the Disney classics we know and love. As
a consequence, though it still works for kids, most adults come
away disappointed. When the film premiered in the States it
rated highly for effects, but badly for its plot. Steven Rea
suggested, “For a movie that’s supposed to launch
Disney’s official CGI era, Chicken Little doesn’t
stand tall enough”. Whilst Chris Smith in Maine simply
said, “Obviously, this is the source of the new bird flu”.
NW |
|
|
Chicken Little: large complexes from small acorns will grow |
