Tagline: This time the sky really is falling.
Chicken Little picks up where the classic fable ends, namely after our pint-sized hero has caused big-time havoc when he mistakes a falling acorn for a piece of the sky. In the wake of the “unfortunate acorn incident” Chicken Little’s name is mud in his hometown of Oakey Oaks.
Down but not out, he struggles mightily to restore his reputation and make his Dad, Buck Cluck, proud. Chicken Little joins the local baseball team and, despite the fact that he is barely bigger than a baseball himself, he manages to smack a championship-winning homerun. With one crack of the bat, the town laughingstock becomes the toast of Oakey Oaks.
But no sooner has Chicken Little redeemed himself then he is conked on the head one more time. And this time the sky really is falling! Fearful of once again being labeled crazy, Chicken Little tells no one but his best friends, Runt of the Litter, Abby Mallard A.K.A Ugly Duckling and Fish Out of Water, about the threat that hangs over Oakey Oaks.
Together this misfit crew tries to save the day. Chicken Little eventually discovers that he needs to risk his newfound popularity and alert his father and the town. When Buck realizes Chicken Little actually has it right this time, he unites with his son and his friends as they set out to save the world.
This time the sky really is falling in Walt Disney Pictures’ new computer animated film “Chicken Little”. This epic tale presents a new twist to the classic fable of a young chicken who causes widespread panic when he mistakes a falling acorn for a piece of the sky. In this hilarious adventure, Chicken Little is determined to restore his reputation.
But just as things are starting to go his way, a real piece of the sky lands on his head! Suspense, chaos, and plenty of laughs ensue as Chicken Little and his band of misfit friends, Abby Mallard (aka Ugly Duckling), Runt of the Litter and Fish Out of Water, attempt to save the world without sending the town into a whole new panic. This time, when it comes to saving the world, it helps to be a little chicken.
Walt Disney Feature Animation adds a whole new dimension to its legacy for memorable characters, great storytelling, and technical innovation with “Chicken Little,” the Studio’s first fully computer-animated feature film. A pioneer in using computers in animation since the early 1980s, Disney brings its distinct filmmaking style and approach to this exciting medium, along with a host of technical innovations.
The result is a film that captures the very best qualities of Disney animation with a look and feel that audiences have never seen before. Adding to the excitement, “Chicken Little” is being presented in select theatres across the country in Disney Digital 3D, a revolutionary new true three-dimensional digital experience. Disney teamed with effects powerhouse Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to render the movie in 3D, and the film will be shown using specially installed Dolby Digital Cinema systems.
The sky’s the limit in Walt Disney Pictures’ “Chicken Little,” a delightful comedy-adventure that gives a sophisticated and satirical twist to the classic fable. It is now one year after the “unfortunate acorn incident” when Chicken Little caused big-time havoc in his hometown of Oakey Oaks by proclaiming that the sky was falling after being conked on the head by what appeared to be an acorn. Down but not out, the plucky chicken joins the local baseball team in the hopes of reviving his reputation and winning the respect of his father, Buck Cluck. When he leads the town to an upset victory, he becomes the toast of the town.
But no sooner has the champion chicken redeemed himself when he is hit on the head one more time. And this time the sky really is falling! Fearful of once again being labeled crazy, he is reluctant to tell anyone what has happened. Instead, he enlists the help of his closest pals – Runt of the Litter, Abby Mallard (aka Ugly Duckling, and Fish Out of Water – in an attempt to save the day without sending the town into a whole new panic.
A stellar cast of talented actors and actresses lend voice to the animated stars of “Chicken Little.” Zach Braff, star of the hit NBC series “Scrubs” and the director of last year’s critically acclaimed feature, “Garden State,” brings offbeat humor, a sense of determination, and lots of explosive energy to the likeable little title character. Veteran director and all-around funnyman Garry Marshall (“Pretty Woman,” “The Princess Diaries”) provides the distinctive voice of Buck Cluck, frustrated father of Chicken Little and a former baseball star.
Actress Joan Cusack adds warmth and comedy to the vocal performance of Abby Mallard (aka Ugly Duckling), a beautiful friend who has no shortage of advice to share. Steve Zahn (“Sahara,” “Happy, Texas”) takes on the big role of Runt of the Litter, a skittish 900-pound porker who is the smallest in his family. Dan Molina, the film’s editor, creates the non-verbal sounds for Fish Out of Water, aided and abetted by a five-gallon bottle of water and a drinking straw. Chicken Little’s nemesis, Foxy Loxy, is voiced by Amy Sedaris, the popular star of such programs as “Sex and the City” and “Strangers with Candy.”
The film’s supporting cast includes performances from some top comic talents. Don Knotts, the intrepid deputy sheriff Barney Fife from “The Andy Griffith Show,” gets a promotion to Mayor Turkey Lurkey in “Chicken Little.” Comic actor Harry Shearer (“The Simpsons,” “This is Spinal Tap”) reports for vocal duty as the play-by-play canine commentator at the big baseball game. Patrick Stewart gives a sheepish performance as the humorless high school teacher, Mr. Woolensworth.
Wallace Shawn is heard as the high-strung high school Principal Fetchitt. Fred Williard and Catherine O’Hara team up for laughs as concerned alien parents, Melvin and Tina, on a mission to find their missing kid, Kirby. Adam West turns in a commanding performance as the voice of Ace, Hollywood’s version of Chicken Little in the movie version of his life. Patrick Warburton, who delighted audiences as the dim-witted Kronk in “Emperor’s New Groove,” provides a memorable cameo here as the alien cop.
“`Chicken Little’ is a breakthrough film for Disney,” observes David Stainton, president of Walt Disney Feature Animation. “By combining Disney’s unique style of animation and story sensibilities with state-of-the-art CG tools, our animation team has created a film unlike any that has been done before. We have created proprietary tools that allow our artists to put a full range of motion into their performances without limitations, and capture the true spirit of Disney’s `squash and stretch’ animation. This is a very exciting time for Feature Animation and we have a great slate of CG movie projects in the pipeline. Each one has a look and style all its own and will allow us to put our own individual stamp on this limitless and exciting new medium. We are all so proud of what Mark and Randy and their team have accomplished with `Chicken Little.’”
“Chicken Little” is dedicated to the memory of Joe Grant, the late great Disney storyman/artist who passed away on May 6th, 2005, just one week shy of his 97th birthday. Grant, who began his association with the Disney Studios in 1933 and went on to write “Dumbo” and supervise the stories for “Fantasia,” continued to inspire new talent since returning to the Studio in 1989. He continued to draw and create new story ideas up until the day before he died.
Fullmer notes, “Joe was influential in a number of our story meetings and seemed to have the youngest mind in the place. He would tell us that Walt’s legacy was not technology, but rather telling great stories with great characters. He encouraged us to be cutting edge and find whatever medium would do the bet job in telling our story. He was excited about computer-animation and believed that Walt would have embraced this new technology to tell his stories in new and exciting ways.”
Hatching the Plot: Origins of the Project
Director Mark Dindal had been toying around with a spoof of the fairy tale/fable genre for many years. As he started to analyze his favorite childhood stories, he discovered that there was a lot humor to be had from trying to apply real world logic to the magical realms.
“I was always really interested in the folk tales and fairy tales as a jumping off point because they’re simple stories that are very familiar,” explains Dindal. “I always thought it would be fun to start asking questions like `Why would that character do that?’ It’s a crazy thing when you think about stories like `Little Red Riding Hood.’ The wolf could eat the girl when he first meets her, but instead he takes this long detour and disguises himself as her grandmother. You can have a lot of fun when you start to think about the reasons why those characters make the choices they make. Suddenly those characters become more interesting and complex.
“At the same time that I was playing around with that concept, I had an idea about these misfit farm animals that get left behind when all the pretty animals go off to the county fair to be judged,” adds Dindal. “And while they’re away, these aliens touch down to start a conquest of the planet. Suddenly these misfits are the only ones to stand in the way of them launching this attack and they’re called upon to save the world. As I was driving home from work one night, the two ideas merged together, and it solidified as `Chicken Little.’
“Chicken Little” went on to have a long incubation period over the next five years. Scenarios changed radically and even the gender of the title character went from female to male early in the creative process. In the end, Dindal and head of story, Mark Kennedy, along with screenwriters Steve Bencich & Ron J. Friedman, and Ron Anderson fashioned a fun and engaging story about a misunderstood chicken and his desire to have his father believe in him.
Kennedy notes, “Mark is a great story guy. He’s just got a great feel for what’s simple and emotional and doesn’t get distracted by other things. He is really able to focus on the essence of each sequence and what it is contributing to the film as a whole.
“The heart of the film is really the relationship between Chicken Little and his dad,” adds Kennedy. “There is a pivotal moment in the third act where Chicken Little confronts his dad and says to him that he never believed him about the acorn incident and that has always bothered him. He tells his dad that he was wrong not to support him. For the first time, Buck hears the truth and its something he probably knew all along but hadn’t realized. Chicken Little learns to believe in himself, and Buck realizes that he should support his son no matter what.”
The actual fable of “Chicken Little” is thought to have originated in rural England back in the 1700s. It was conceived as a cautionary tale to tell young schoolboys the dangers of exaggeration and drawing the wrong kind of ill-informed conclusions. Names like Foxy Loxy and Turkey Lurkey are typically British. The story was most likely written down by traveling journeymen and collectors of folk myths and fables.
As the story was adapted in other parts of the world, the ending came to vary widely. In some versions, Chicken Little hears a voice and runs away before Foxy moves in for the kill. In other versions, Foxy gets the upper hand. Coincidentally, the Disney Studios made a World War II animated propaganda short called “Chicken Little” in 1943, in which the Fox lures the unwitting chicken population to their doom.
Chicken Little (2005)
Directed by: Mark Dindal
Starring: Zach Braff, Garry Marshall, Joan Cusack, Steve Zahn, Don Knotts, Joss Stone, Amy Sedaris, Wallace Shawn, Harry Shearer, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Willard
Screenplay by: Mark Dindal, Mark Kennedy
Production Design by: David Womersley
Film Editing by: Dan Molina
Art Direction by: Dan Cooper, Ian Gooding
Music by: John Debney
MPAA Rating: G for all audience.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: November 4, 2005
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