Movie Review: Chicken Little

I went into Chicken Little with low expectations. After all, 1) it was a free movie thanks to a free preview weekend of a variety of STARZ channels on my Dish satellite, 2) it was a Disney animated movie that looked to be aimed at kids, and 3) it was a retelling of a not very exciting fairy tale. I thought, we can always turn the channel if it sucks. In fact, I think I said those very words.

Imagine my surprise when I saw a movie that was incredibly clever, including all sorts of references (from the Spice Girls to Indiana Jones to Barbra Streisand to Gloria Gaynor to AOL, and many more) and entertaining and changed the basic story into a very different one that you'd never find in a fairy tale.

I don't want to give away the story but I definitely recommend this light fare for it's excellent animation, all-star cast with very strong performances from the leads and a small but delightful performance from the late Don Knotts, and many funny gags. It even has character development! Gasp! It certainly can be watched on a number of levels; little kids will love it for different reasons than adults.

I rate it 3 out of 4 jujubees.