Took the girls to see Chicken Little. It's OK for a matinee, maybe, but it sure was a far cry from the Disney classics of just a few years back. Couldn't hold a candle to Lilo & Stitch or Little Mermaid. The biggest problem is that it's all flash and no substance. The plot, what there is of it, lurches along from one Hollywood cliche to another. I began laughing after a while at how spectacularly unimaginative it was. By far the best character was "Fish Out Of Water," who doesn't have a single line in the whole thing. The animation has that glossy sheen and lacks any weight or depth--marginally better than your average Jimmy Neutron.
Another big problem--which has infested Disney animation badly of late--was a slavish reliance on pop culture references to generate laughs. The soundtrack song selection did pretty much the same thing. It may work in the short term, but try watching something like Aladdin today. It's as dated as month-old trout.
The movie was funny, I'll grant it that, but it really, really suffered from trying too hard. It's like the studio knew that Pixar is walking, and was desperate to show investors with this movie that Disney can still crank out successful films. The flick was manic, chaotic and utterly breathless in its mayhem. At times I thought the animators were desperately trying to channel the spirits of Tex Avery and Chuck Jones, and not quite getting it.
I didn't dislike it, but don't have much love for Chicken Little. It's consistently amusing but utterly insubstantial. Pixar's got nothing to worry about. Heck, Dreamworks Animation isn't even breaking a sweat over this one.
Now Playing: Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon
No comments:
Post a Comment