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In their first attempt to compete with Pixar and DreamWorks as a studio producing feature-length, computer-animated films, Walt Disney Pictures hoped to lay an egg—a golden egg—with Chicken Little.

There's good news and bad news for the "Mouse House." The good news: The film earned more at the box office than any of Disney's traditionally animated films since The Lion King. The bad news: It didn't earn nearly as much as the latest animated projects from Pixar and DreamWorks.

The New York Times was among many sources ridiculing the poor bird, calling the movie "a hectic, uninspired pastiche of catchphrases and clichés, with very little wit, inspiration or originality to bring its frantically moving images to genuine life. Not to be Chicken Littleish about it, but our children deserve better. … Chicken Little joins Shark Tale, Robots and Madagascar as the latest evidence that technical novelty is a cheap—or, rather, a very expensive—substitute for good storytelling and memorable characters."

Christian press critics weren't terribly impressed either.

Matt Mungle (The Phantom Tollbooth) says Chicken Little "resembles a straight to video project or extended Saturday morning cartoon rather than a major release. And that is a shame because it had potential, but just never took flight. The relationship between Little and his dad is a little too deep for younger viewers and not sellable for adults. You will get the point of course but they never drive it home in a way that is relevant or thought provoking."

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) notes the film's slogan—"The end is near"—and comments, "If the movie is any indication of things to come, that just might be true for Disney's storied reign as the gold standard of animated entertainment. … Sadly for the mouse house, this Chicken is a bit of a turkey."

Steven Isaac (Plugged In) notes the lessons of the original childrens' tale: "Don't overreact and jump to conclusions … and don't spread rumors." That's different from the lessons of the film, he notes, which are about "believing in your kids and courageously facing the future." He says the film is "much more appropriate for the middle school set than it is for grade schoolers. There's enough madness and mayhem here—not to mention that whole sky-really-is-falling thing—to make me want to warn parents and teachers not to jump right in with all of the kiddies."

Lisa Rice (Crosswalk) says, "Though Chicken Little provides a great opportunity for family discussion about communication, trust, and unconditional love, its mix of heavy themes and alien chases should categorize it as 'wait for video.'"

Mainstream critics are not very pleased.

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