Chicken Little

This delightful little Disney confection could well define the little clucker forever, in the way that—for better or worse—Disney versions of classic stories come to replace the originals for raised-on-media generations. In Chicken Little, the titular hero (voiced by Zach Braff, in an achingly tender performance) is—to mix fairytale metaphors—not crying wolf: the sky is indeed falling, regardless of what the close-minded idiots around him believe. Blending storybook sweetness with cool science-fiction notions—the bit of sky that falls down around Chicken Little is actually a part of a spaceship—the film almost feels like a hilarious parody of War of the Worlds, a kind of cinematic balance to the jittery panic of Spielberg's the-aliens-are-coming nightmare. Chicken Little is wonderful, glorious fun, as well as being a sly commentary on the state of the world today. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include an 18-minute “Hatching” making-of featurette, four deleted scenes—including three alternate openings—with optional introductions by director Mark Dindal and producer Randy Fullmer (14 min.), the “Where's Fish?” trivia game, music videos for “Shake Your Tail Feather” by The Cheetah Girls and “One Little Slip” by the Barenaked Ladies, the “One Little Slip” karaoke sing along, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a winsome Disney film.] (M. Johanson)