Can 'Chicken Little' Reanimate Disney? [Archive]

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€uroMeinke

10-29-2005, 10:11 AM

Just caught this on NPR - Heh, Jim Hill got some air time. Go here (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4979165&ft=1&f=1008)to listen

flippyshark

11-06-2005, 11:01 AM

Considering that Chris posed this question over a week ago, and I am the first one to respond to this topic, I get the feeling that indifference to CHICKEN LITTLE is pretty complete. The reviews are almost unanimously bad, but tomorrow will show us how the public voted at the box office. Somehow, I don't think this is going to be our next LION KING.

Alex

11-06-2005, 11:19 AM

I was entertained enough while watching it, but it is a blah movie overall.

Moonliner

11-06-2005, 12:16 PM

It's about chickens for god’s sake. I want chicken in a salad not a movie. In my movies give me little blue aliens, sharks, bugs and even toys but not poultry.

Name

11-06-2005, 12:22 PM

So then, I can assume you thought that chicken run was horrible.....

Moonliner

11-06-2005, 12:53 PM

So then, I can assume you thought that chicken run was horrible.....

Actaully I never saw it. It had chickens. Guess I'm just poultryphobic.

Gemini Cricket

11-06-2005, 04:46 PM

I think they should kiss and hold Pixar tight.
:)

wendybeth

11-06-2005, 07:03 PM

I agree, GC. I really doubt we'll be seeing the movie- maybe on dvd as a rental, but I'm not interested in paying a load of money to see it.

Not Afraid

11-06-2005, 07:36 PM

We're going to see it either next weekend or the weekend after at the El Cap. Got a group rate so it's not a big expenditure. I'm staying away from the reviews but I think I will probably be a bit bored. Who knows.

scaeagles

11-06-2005, 08:16 PM

We took the kids Friday. I was less than enthralled. I liked it better than Madagascar, and did find a few laughs, but overall, I was pretty bored.

11 year old was bored. The 6 and 4 year old liked it, but some stuff scared my 4 year old.

Mousey Girl

11-06-2005, 10:41 PM

I have no real desire to see it. Nickolas hasn't mentioned wanting to see it. David wants to see Zathura. I am waiting for HP GoF. Nickolas hasn't mentioned wanting to see any of the movies that are out now...weird...

I do know that I find all of the pics of the Chicken Head watching over the Esplanade very disturbing.

Cadaverous Pallor

11-06-2005, 11:07 PM

I'm all hyped for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe...

Moonliner

11-07-2005, 05:39 AM

I'm all hyped for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe...

That movie looks good but just to be sure, there are err no chickens staring in it right?

Alex

11-07-2005, 08:05 AM

No, they all have their eyes closed.

I'm a little concerned about Narnia since it is from Walden Media and while they've made decent family movies they are a little too candy-coated for my preferences. I have hopes though.

What about Foghorn Leghorn? Can you watch those cartoons?

cstephens

11-07-2005, 08:51 AM

Considering that Chris posed this question over a week ago, and I am the first one to respond to this topic, I get the feeling that indifference to CHICKEN LITTLE is pretty complete.

Actually, I didn't respond to this topic because I have no desire to read anything Jim Hill writes, so commenting on a piece I haven't read seemed kinda ridiculous.

But on the subject of "Chicken Little", we saw it Friday night at the El Capitan. Overall, I liked it, though there were spots I didn't like. We went to the 9:45 show, which was sold out, as were the two or three shows before it. I don't believe the midnight show was sold out.

And for those avoiding reviews, I'll put mine in spoiler tags.

We saw the film last night at the El Capitan. I liked the movie, but I
didn't love it - I think I felt about it what I felt about "Brother Bear" -
there were bits that were really good, and there were bits that bored me.
And, the moose in "Brother Bear" really got on my nerves. Runt didn't quite
have that effect, but it was close. I didn't find his stuff that funny,
just annoying. The father/son relationship was a little too "beat you over
the head" for me. I was fairly bothered by the dad's reaction to Chicken
Little - it wasn't just "I don't know how to handle this", but it just
seemed borderline cruel.

The technology, though, was very cool. The glasses were more comfortable
than regular 3D glasses, though they were still uncomfortable over my own
glasses. I liked that the effects of the 3D were just to enhance the
overall look rather than being just gimmicky. Stay through the very end of
the film though - I'm presuming it's that way no matter whether it's 3D or
not, but with the 3D effect, it reminded me of Muppetvision 3D when Kermit
and Gonzo (?) notice that the two old men are in the balcony.

I thought the look of the film was great too. They did an amazing job with
Chicken Little - the expressions on him, especially when he's really sad,
were awesome. He's just too cute. I liked Fish, and the little alien kid
was cute too.

I want that watch with Mickey!

wendybeth

11-07-2005, 11:28 AM

What ya got against Canadiens, eh? Take off!;)

http://www.moviecitygeek.com/arrays/images/brother_bear.jpg

Cadaverous Pallor

11-07-2005, 12:00 PM

I think Moonliner is afraid of chickens.

What a chicken! Buk buk buk buk! Buk-awwwwk!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/codexjen/chickendance.jpg

;)

Moonliner

11-07-2005, 08:08 PM

I think Moonliner is afraid of chickens.

What a chicken! Buk buk buk buk! Buk-awwwwk!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v254/codexjen/chickendance.jpg

;)

Chicken? Nobody calls me chicken! Why did the chicken cross the road? Because it saw me coming! Fried, scrambled, baked or in a pot-pie I'm every chickens worst nightmare. They call me the Chickenator. Go ahead bring it on sister, eggs, chicks, hens roosters? I got a recipe for um all! (What you never herd of chick fillet?)

wendybeth

11-07-2005, 08:18 PM

Good thing you never saw 'Chicken Run'- the ending would have just upset you.

Cadaverous Pallor

11-08-2005, 11:31 AM

Remember McFly, reacting when people call you chicken can only lead to trouble...

€uroMeinke

11-20-2005, 08:34 PM

Well, I saw Chicken Little at the El Cap yesterday in 3-D, and I have to say I was pleasently surprised. It wasn't a spectacular film, but I was amused and entertained. I particularly liked the soundtrack's use of Disco hits.

Ponine

11-20-2005, 08:50 PM

omg- thats totally what I loved about it!
The story was so so... but I was not aware I knew all those lyrics!

I had fun, and my son loved it. Thats more than I generally ask for in a movie

flippyshark

11-21-2005, 09:41 AM

This was marginally better than I was expecting, with a few good laughs, and great, not-in-your-face use of 3-D. The best gags were visual, often taking place in the periphery of the main "action." Unfortunately, our main characters spent a godawful lot of time yapping and yapping about "closure." We got the same "talk to your Dad" lecture at least three times.

I thought the baseball game was a very good sequence, funny and suspenseful, and, alas, it brought the story to a satisfying close at the halfway point. Dad and son are reconciled and dad sees that he should have had faith in his tiny nerdy kid. Then, the UFOs arrive, and Dad reverts right back to his previous attitude. Several noisy scenes later, father and son have an endless discussion in an empty movie theater. Talkity talkity talk. Aaargh! I hated this aspect of the movie.

As to the use of disco and other well-worn pop motifs, I wasn't a fan. I didn't like disco in the seventies, and it's impossible to get me to respond warmly to it three decades later. And for criminy's sake, could we please have a looong moritorium on REM's "End of the World As We Know It?"

This must be the first use of actual product placement in a Disney theatrical animated feature - Jolly Time Popcorn and Tic Tacs both got branded and prominent onscreen positioning. I know the Di$ney company has sold its soul, but do they have to flaunt it? Yeesh.

As much as I sound grouchy about Chicken Little, I didn't hate it. And, in spite of my earlier prophecies of box office doom, it has reached 99 mil over this last weekend. So, more power to it. I just hope that the folks at the "new" Disney don't take this as a cue to set the bar at mediocre for their next few features.

Tito's Kitten

11-21-2005, 10:35 AM

My five year old thought the film was (in his exact words..) "That movie was awesome!" That is good enough for me and well I really can't hate Chicken Little because he was so cute and well I LOVE Zach Braff. When Chicken Little sang "We are the Champions" I could picture Zach Braff singing and it reminded me again that I would totally sleep with him. Is that wrong to think of that during a kids' film???????? I am so bad......

flippyshark

11-21-2005, 11:21 AM

Capt Jack

11-21-2005, 11:22 AM

so long as you dont think it out loud in the theater, I think you'll be ok.