The Sky’s Falling: A Chaotic Trajectory That Brought Me Back to Disney’s ‘Chicken Little’

Just recently, I’ve been doing studies on cosmology and the laws of our universe. One of the names that comes up when discussing the basic building blocks of the world as we know it is Isaac Newton. From there, further discussions are entered when it comes to the trajectory of our lives, the push and pull of everything. Coincidentally, a podcast I’ve been listening to has discussed actors, sports, and life overall. Lastly, a night ago, a film that has encompassed all I’ve been taking in, that I had been meaning to watch because of it, was looked back on by DiscussingFilm. I figured it was time to put my own take on watching the film again since childhood.

The film opens with a deviation from the conventional. Looking back at the time frame, the landscape of cinema was changing: blockbusters were upping the echelon of everything it took to make their films, diegetic or otherwise: hence the meta reference of the classic fairytale openers. The inciting incident sends you through a reel of panic, which is quite busy for an animated film. By the end of the event, we are led to believe that Chicken Little “cried sky”, so to speak, and everyone thinks that he instead was struck by a falling acorn.

Gravity brought a force that acted upon Chicken Little’s life, and in the time that followed, it sent his life in a trajectory that is a perfect one for a character’s evolutionary journey. Seeing Chicken Little in action on the way to school shows both his ingenuity and optimism in everything that life throws at him. In fact, his actions show that he exacts a force back into his universe that finds its way back around during the biggest baseball game of his town. Baseball is all about trajectory, and the gravity of his situation changes when he delivers the game-winning hit.

That same night, the equal and opposite rears its ugly head again, only this time, things become eerily real! Chicken Little is proven right, to both himself and the audience, yet he knows better than to approach the situation like he did before. He takes matters into his own hands and acts to get to the bottom of the fallen sky with the help of his friends. History repeats itself, as the aliens cloak before the townspeople are able to see.

Chicken Little reflects walking through a cornfield: his moment of disappointment feels earned because he knew going in this time it would be a bad idea, yet still wanted to save everyone. Suddenly, a puff-flame of an alien named Kirby, who Chicken Little saw on the alien spaceship, had escaped and crosses paths with Chicken Little. His proof becomes more than he bargained for, though, when the aliens simultaneously return to attack the town. Although his father believes him (and this is where the film falls short) he still for some reason has trouble believing the depth of the situation. Maybe it feels surreal, but I for one would have believed anything at the time. The inconsistency does reach the moment where they discuss the problem, but it doesn’t feel as rewarding for Chicken Little as it should.

This goes to show that what is more important is the evolution of Chicken Little himself. Chicken Little is yearning to break from what everyone understands him as, always remaining confident in who he is. He appeals to his father by joining the baseball team, but appeals to himself most of all by accomplishing what he does. Furthermore, the validation Chicken Little gets from the sky actually falling on him is albeit a slippery slope, but does actually lead to everything being revealed as true. As awkward as Chicken Little’s situation with his father is, Chicken Little finally shares his emotions, which even sparks the truth of the feelings he has for his friend Abby Mallard. This drives Chicken Little more than it ever has to bring Kirby back to his family, who are actually there to save him, and overall are just visiting the town for acorns! It did make, though, for an epic adventure: one that is paid off with a blockbuster sci-fi/action/thriller adaptation they watch in the theater, much to the characters’ delight (and brings the meta reference from the beginning full circle).

Life sends us in many different trajectories that we can’t control, whether they are good or bad, but it’s important to make the most of them, stay confident in who we are on our own adventures, and recognize what’s significant about the situations we find ourselves in.

Disney’s Chicken Little stars Zach Braff as Chicken Little, Joan Cusack as Abby Mallard and many more. It is available to stream on Disney+ if you would like to view this classic yourself. What Disney movie and its morals appeal to you the most? Let us know! For more content like this, follow us on Twitter @thecinemaspot and Instagram @thecinemaspot_!