Chicken Little (2005)
Based on a story by Dinal and Mark Kennedy and loosely inspired on the European folk tale Henny Penny which is known in the United States as Chicken Little.
In the town of Oakey Oaks, Ace "Chicken Little" Cluck rings the school bell and warns everyone to run for their lives. This sends the whole town into a frenzied panic. Eventually, the Head of the Fire Department calms down enough to ask him what is going on. He explains that the sky is falling because a piece of the sky shaped like a stop sign had fallen on his head when he was sitting under the big oak tree in the town square; however, he is unable to find the piece. His father, Buck "Ace" Cluck, who was once a high school baseball star, assumes that this "piece of sky" was just an acorn that had fallen off the tree and had hit him on the head, making Chicken Little the laughingstock of the town.
A year later, Chicken Little has become infamous in the town for being prone to ruin everything accidentally. Chicken Little is on his way to school but loses his pants along the way after getting stuck in gum on the crosswalk (“One Little Slip”). His only friends are outcasts like himself: Abby Mallard (nicknamed "Ugly Duckling"), Runt (who is a gigantic pig), and Fish Out of Water (who wears a helmet full of tap water). Trying to help, Abby encourages Chicken Little to talk to his father, but he only wants to make his dad proud of him. Chicken Little discusses joining the baseball team but his father tries to discourage him; it’s revealed that Chicken Little’s mother Chloe is not around anymore (“All I Know”).
Despite his father’s discouragement, Chicken Little joins his school's baseball team, the Acorns, to recover his reputation and his father's pride but is overshadowed by Foxy Loxy, a classmate who bullies the gang (“Stir It Up”). In the last game against their rivals, the Spud Valley Taters and down to the last inning, Little is reluctantly called to bat by the coach (even though the coach is sure that he will lose the game for them and urges him not to swing). Chicken Little manages to hit the ball and makes it past first, second, and third bases but is met at home plate by the outfielders. He tries sliding onto the home plate but is touched by the ball. While it is presumed he lost the game, the umpire brushes away the dust to reveal Little's foot is barely touching home plate, thus declaring Little safe and the game won; Little is hailed as a hero and earns his fathers respect (“We Are The Champions”).
Later that night back at home, Chicken Little is hit on the head yet again by the same "piece of the sky" — only to find out that it is not a piece of the sky, but a panel that blends into the background (which would thereby explain why Chicken Little was unable to find it last time). He calls his friends over to help figure out what it is. When Fish pushes a button on the back of the hexagon, it flies into the sky, taking Fish with it. It turns out to be part of the camouflage of an invisible UFO piloted by two aliens in metallic armor. After Chicken Little, Abby and Runt rescue Fish, they discover that the aliens are heading to Earth. The two aliens find and attack the group, chasing them through a cornfield. They rush back to the school, where Chicken Little rings the bell to warn everyone, but the aliens escape, leaving an orange alien child behind. No one believes the story of the alien invasion and Chicken Little’s reputation is thus ruined.
The next morning, he and his friends discover the orange alien named Kirby, and a few minutes later, a whole fleet of alien ships descend on the town and start what appears to be an invasion (“It’s the End of the World as We Know It [And I Feel Fine]”). The invasion is a misunderstanding, as the two aliens are looking for their lost child and attack only out of concern. As the aliens rampage throughout Oakey Oaks, vaporizing everything in their path, Chicken Little realizes he must return Kirby to his parents to save the planet. First, though, he must confront his father and regain his trust as well as find closure.
In the invasion, Buck, now regaining his pride and trust in his son, defends him from the aliens. With help from Runt, Fish, and Abby, they reach the school (“I Will Survive”) until they get vaporized. It is then discovered that the aliens weren't vaporizing people but teleported them aboard the UFO. It turns out the aliens were touring Earth and came across the town for its acorns. It also reveals that the alien family's ship has a broken camo panel that "could fall and hit someone on the head." After everything is explained, the apologetic aliens return everything to normal, and everyone is grateful for Chicken Little's efforts to save the town.
Another year later, Chicken Little, Buck, his friends and the citizens of Oakey Oaks watch an in-universe movie depicting an extremely fanciful retelling of the events that transpired, portraying Chicken Little as an action hero named Ace (“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” & “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” & “Shake A Tail Feather”).
TRIVIA
Chicken Little was Disney Animation's first fully computer-animated feature film.
Visual Style
The cartoony style of animation in Chicken Little is based on Walt Disney Shorts from the 40s and 50s.
The staging, coloring, and theatrical lighting were inspired by Mary Blair’s background designs seen in Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.
Technology
“Chicken Wire” is a geometric wireframe model of the characters that the animators can stretch, squash, and smear. They wanted to recreate a 2D animation style in 3D.
“Shelf Control” makes it possible to see the whole model on the screen while having direct access to any chosen area of the character.
Music
Uniquely for a Disney animated film, several of the songs in Chicken Little are covers of classic popular songs, such as Elton John's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," Carole King's "It's Too Late," and the Spice Girls' signature hit "Wannabe." However, the film does include one original song, "One Little Slip" by Barenaked Ladies.