The Sky Is Falling

New Disney cartoon: Chicken Little.



They're doing a Pixar style CG cartoon, where all the characters look like they're made of pastel shaded clay. Which is pretty fun to watch. The animators can take the computer model of a Charlie-Brown-headed chicken, and make it do adorable things like break-dancing or nerd-dancing (defined as a clueless, self-absorbed, one hop behind what's hip, dancing style that you often see on teen movies when anyone with glasses tries to command the dance floor.)

You can go make Chicken Little dance at his website.

Pixar's contract with Disney will expire next year, after Cars. And that's why Disney wants to have their own go at CG cartoons, to try to show up Pixar. The success of Chicken Little will have an impact on the new deal they renegotiate then, or failing which, they may just part ways.


Biggest plus point of the movie: Chicken Little is voiced by Zach Braff, ie. Dr. John Dorian from Scrubs. Who, I just found out, has a blog. Though he doesn't seem to write very regularly, being busy moving up into movies and all... WHERE'S season 5 of Scrubs!!!???


And the 'Hollywood' Chicken Little is voiced by Adam West. That's a hoot!! Yes, THE Adam West! The original 60's Batman! The success of which cursed his career forevermore cos he couldn't be casted in any other role and be taken seriously.


Anyway, the cartoon... Mainly, you just get to see Chicken Little being adorable. There's a couple of gags (guess who runs the china shop?) and the characters are all pretty cute. Plotwise, it's something like Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers. A pint-sized Indiana, an inarticulate comic-relief, an obese side-kick, a 'babe' side-kick, all having an adventure.

Nothing ground-breaking or spectacular about this cartoon. Just a good way to pass 70min of your time. And it appears that dogs form the majority of the population of Oakley. The CG team uses the same computer model and just slap different textures on it, that's all.

The ending is kinda cool though. It's a jab at how Hollywood gives everything the 'Hollywood treatment' and turns every story into a formula. But seeing the reaction of the audience, I started to see something more...

You can't blame Hollywood for every piece of crap. You can't blame them for the cliches and formula they employ in their movies. Gotta remember that they are just pandering to the lowest common denominator. If movies are getting bad, it's probably a reflection that the general populace is getting dimmer. Gotta remember that we are living in a world where a movie about an ice-berg created a sensation.


Memorable quotes:

Token gay character: "You leave Barbara out of this!"

...um... am I the only that made this connection ?