A year after his notorious "the sky is falling" incident, Chicken Little (voiced by Braff) is still humiliated, especially since his father (Marshall) wouldn't believe him. His friends are the class outcasts--ugly duckling Abby (Cusack), camp fatty Runt (Zahn), gurgling Fish Out of Water. Then just as he finally proves himself, the sky starts falling again. Maybe Dad will finally believe him when an all-out alien invasion begins.

Yes, the story lurches suddenly from school comedy to War of the Worlds mayhem. Characters have sudden changes of heart for no apparent reason, or do horrible things only to be instantly forgiven in a moment of wrenching sentimentality. And they aren't defined beyond obvious physical issues until the plot needs something from them, and even then it's completely random.

In other words, it's impossible to get a handle on these characters, especially without distinctive voice work. This isn't the actors' fault; the script gives them nothing to work from, merely dashing to the first cheap gag or another obscure (to anyone under 20) movie or music reference. O'Hara and Willard are hilarious--and irrelevant--as an alien married couple. And Cusack manages to inject some spark into her role, although Abby is so grotesque that we never warm to her (I doubt her figures will sell out at the Disney Store).

The design is intriguingly outrageous, packed with quirky shapes and lots of movie references. But it's technically extremely sub-par. It looks like a draft version, before the feathers and liquids and other surfaces were properly rendered. In other words: the entire film looks and feels like an extended episode of a TV cartoon. There are moments of sharp wit and visual genius that keep us watching, but it never really takes off. And it's extremely forgettable.

themes, vulgarity, suspense

27.Nov.05