Hollywood Product - Chicken Little

Genre: Computer-animated family film.

The pitch: The cuddly critters of Oaky Oaks scoff at nerdy Chicken Little’s (Zach Braff) claims that the sky is falling — which turns out to be the first sign of an alien invasion. But would a UFO attack really be worse than watching Chicken Little work out his issues with his father (Garry Marshall)?

Money shots: When the alien armada attacks, it looks like the sky really is cracking and caving in. Flying buzz-saw monsters leave crop circles in a corn field, spoofing Signs in one the film’s rare laughs.

Hit Single: Barenaked Ladies’ “One Little Slip” is to Chicken Little what Smash Mouth’s “All Star” was to Shrek. Chicken Little samples so many pop songs that it spoils the amusing ones, like R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine).”

Worst line: “Now that’s what I call closure!” says Ugly Duckling (Joan Cusack), who preaches pop psychology beyond anyone’s endurance.

Pop references: The first few minutes feature clips from both The Lion King and Raiders of the Lost Ark. The aliens wear wristwatches with a three-eyed Mickey Mouse.

Gay subtext: Oversized Runt of the litter (Steve Zahn) sings karaoke Spice Girls, calms himself with disco songs and prizes his Barbra Streisand collection.

Celebrity cameos: Though the film features some brilliant comics as voice talents, including Cusack, Harry Shearer and Amy Sedaris, the only one who makes an impression is Adam West as a Hollywood action hero version of Chicken Little.