Everyone is waiting with baited breath for Walt Disney to fail with their first solo computer animated film. I’ve got bad news for you folks: I don’t think it’s going to happen. Even though Disney is taking the next step with modern day technology, in a way they are returning to their roots, telling a variant of a children’s story, in this case Chicken Little.
Why don’t I think Chicken Little is going to fail? Because I’ve seen the new websites for the film. That’s right, Disney has released not one, but two brand new websites for their upcoming movie about the chicken who claimed the sky was falling. Somehow, exploring my way around the webpages added some confidence to my feelings toward the movie – that despite turning their backs on traditional hand animation, Disney might just have the right idea with this film.
The first website is part of the Disney “Go” network. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a website for a kid’s movie. It’ has the film’s trailers, wallpapers of Chicken Little in several embarrassing predicaments as the sky falls, etc. The synopsis of the film lets us know there is indeed a Disney twist on the tale – Chicken Little is actually attempting to fix his reputation from that whole “the sky is falling” fiasco when he discovers the sky really is falling! Also interesting is a more comprehensive list of the movie’s cast, which extends past Zach Braff to include Patrick Stewart and Don Knotts – two more reasons why I think the movie is an instant success. If that’s not enough, there’s a section where you can make Chicken Little do a variety of dances. Who doesn’t love a dancing chicken.
The second website is organized more like a conspiracy website about the sky falling. The conspiracy is unmasked across history, using famous pictures and paintings to prove that the sky really is falling. Also included is a meter to let us know just how close to the sky falling we are, and a "Sky-Is-Falling Survial Handbook".
Chicken Little hits theaters November 4th. Both websites offer countdown clocks for the film's release.
