Rockin' with Roxy, Buck and Turkey Lurkey
Walt Disney's newest animated feature sans Pixar is a mixed bag of feed. Following closely in the tail feathers is the Chicken Little soundtrack (Walt Disney Records). As the Barenaked Ladies explain in "One Little Slip," the soundtrack is best summed up as "a cup of good intentions; a tablespoon of one big mess" when it comes to being a great recipe for sumptuous consumption. The handful of throwaway pop songs lack the heart found in classic Disney flicks, and only until does Chicken Little (Zach Braff) perform "We Are The Champions" does the CD actually start to sound like it's something from the movie. Joan Cusack and Steve Zahn are all over the map with their Beastie Spice Boys and Girls rendition of "Wannabe," and the cast performing Elton John's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is plainly absurd as it should be. And finally, the golden egg: John Debney's original score. "The Sky is Falling" is an apocalyptic clash of orchestra and chorus, clearly foreshadowing a never before seen kind of doom. Things turn around and spirits soar in "The Big Game" as the music takes off with all the glory of chickens clucking off into the sunset (in other words, this stuff sounds like a classic Western action score). "Chase to the Cornfield" is fun but short, appropriately resembling Danny Elfman's rhythmic dinglings from Mars Attacks! or Men in Black. Speaking of short, though, the measure of goodness on the soundtrack is measured in seconds, while the uninspired songs go on for unwanted minutes at a time. Really, a mixed bag of goodies that beg the question (somewhat related to the chicken): which comes first, the movie or the soundtrack?
PK (11/7/2005)see all reviews, or add a review
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