"Chicken Little" (2005) Movie Review for Parents

A Classic Character, but Not a Classic Movie

The day Chicken Little (Zach Braff) tried to warn everybody the sky was falling, his world began falling apart. The worst blow of all, was that his own father didn’t believe him. In fact, his father was just plain embarrassed by him. But, today is a new day, and Chicken Little has a plan to erase that defining moment from the minds of the townspeople, or townsanimals, and to make his dad proud of him.

With the support of a few good friends - Abby "The Ugly Duckling" Mallard (Joan Cusack), a pig named Runt of the Litter (Steve Zahn), and "Fish Out of Water" (Dan Molina) – Chicken Little gears up and joins the baseball team. Of course, he hits the homerun that saves the big game, and thereby carries on his dad’s hometown hero baseball legacy.

Unfortunately, just when things start to go his way, it happens again. That pesky octagon shaped piece falls right out of the sky. Luckily, his friends are there beside him when he happens upon the cause of the falling sky and tries to warn everyone, again. By the time the town, and Chicken Little’s father, figure out he’s telling the truth, it may be too late.

"Chicken Little" starts off promising, but heads off track somewhere along the way. The film provides a wonderful introduction to the story and to the adorable little chicken - Yes, he is adorable, although a few minutes into the movie it is revealed that he is actually a teenager. As the plot progresses, though, Disney steps right in line with the now predictable cultural spoofs that have become the trend in animated movies. Even worse, Disney yet again makes a couple of allusions to its own films from back in the glory days. Well, this movie won’t bring back those days, but it is still a fun film for kids.

The film does contain some scenes that may be scary to very young children, but no one is hurt in the end. Some scenes in which Chicken Little is heart-broken because of his dad's attitude may be distressing to kids. Also, characters engage in name-calling, join in the usual burping episode, and come up with a stream of words which effectively mean going potty.

While the supporting cast engages in some of this rude behavior, Chicken Little remains polite. His cute optimism and perseverance inspire a desire to cheer on the underdog, and maybe to go buy a Chicken Little stuffed animal from the Disney store.

The following contains some of the most prominent examples of possibly scary or offensive content in the movie:

Violence (High)
-A goose throws Chicken Little into a window.
-Aliens vaporize a few of the animals from town, but they are fine in the end. Aliens have knife-like weapons during one scene.

Sex/Nudity (Low)
-Chicken Little loses his pants and is shown in his underwear.
-Abby and Runt sing the song, "If You Want to be My Lover" by The Spice Girls.
-The character who plays Abby Mallard in a Hollywood movie is portrayed as sexy.
-A reference to "Chickens Gone Wild" is made.

Profanity (Very Low)
-The word "loser" is used.
-Several words such as "tinkle," "whiz," and "wee wee" are used.

Alcohol/Drugs (None)

Bad/Disrespectful Behavior (High)
-The popular animal kids at school taunt, tease, throw dodge balls at, and otherwise torment Chicken Little and his friends.
-Phrases such as "loser," "Are you crazy?" and "ugly" are used.
-Characters belch in a couple of scenes.

Scary Scenes (High)
-Scenes listed under violence may be scary for children.
-In one tense scene, a one-eyed fuzzy alien pops out.
-Characters are chased by alien robots.

Sad/Distressing Scenes (Medium)
-Chicken Little's father is embarrassed by his son, and this hurts Chicken Little's feelings.
-Chicken Little's father tells him not to get his hopes up when he wants to join the baseball team. "
-Chicken Little and his dad discuss their relationship, and Chicken Little accuses his father of "not being there for him. "

Discuss "Chicken Little" with Your Family

• How do the kids at school treat Chicken Little? When children act that way in real life, what should you do?
• Chicken Little's father has to learn about being supportive and showing unconditional love. How can families support each other and show this kind of love no matter what happens?
• Read the original story of Chicken Little and discuss the moral of the story.