Chicken Little (1943 film)

Chicken Little is a 1943 short film created by Walt Disney during World War II and directed by Clyde Geronimi. The short was based on the European folk tale "Henny Penny", known in the United States as "Chicken Little". It is an anti-Nazi film showing the evils of mass hysteria.

Chicken Little
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Clyde Geronimi
Based on	"Henny Penny"
Produced by	Walt Disney
Starring	Frank Graham
Narrated by	Frank Graham
Music by	Oliver Wallace
Animation by	Character animators: Ollie Johnston Milt Kahl Norman Tate Ward Kimball John Lounsbery Effects animators: Edwin Aardal George Rowley Andy Engman
Color process	Technicolor
Production company	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date	December 18, 1943 (1943-12-18)
Running time	8 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The folk tale was adapted by Disney again into a separate full-length film of the same name in 2005, with Zach Braff as the titular protagonist and directed by Mark Dindal.

Plot

The narrator introduces the audience to the locals at the local poultry farm: Cocky Locky, Henny Penny, Turkey Lurkey, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Poosie and the titular Chicken Little (a yo-yo wielding simpleton). As the day progresses, everyone is content with their lives knowing they are well protected. Unbeknownst to them however, hungry fox Foxy Loxy happened along intent on catching himself a chicken dinner, but he cannot hop in and help himself, on account of the high fence, locked gates and a well-armed farmer. Nevertheless Foxy Loxy is cunning, so taking advice from his psychology manual, he states: "Why should I just get one, when I could get 'em all?" He reads aloud a passage telling him that the best way to manipulate the whole flock is to begin with "the least intelligent". He soon identifies Chicken Little as such.

Next, Foxy Loxy finds a passage that instructs him to tell a big lie. He finds a wooden sign that advertises a fortune teller's business and breaks off a piece with a star painted on it. Chicken Little was milling about when Foxy Loxy disorients him with the suggestion of a thunderstorm before dropping the hunk of wood on his head. Then pretending to be "the voice of doom" Foxy Loxy convinces Chicken Little that the sky is falling and that he must run for his life. Chicken Little panics, going on to alarm the rest of the avians. He brings a crowd to where he believes a piece of the sky had hit him, but when the leader of the flock Cocky Locky inquires about the ordeal, he immediately proves the story to be false (much to Foxy Loxy's chagrin). Afterwards, the crowd disperses leaving Chicken Little humiliated.

Foxy Loxy is undeterred however, so refers to his book again to find something to deal with Cocky Locky. Soon enough he finds a passage that tells him to "undermine the faith of the masses in their leaders". He heads over to Henny Penny's, Turkey Lurkey's, and Ducky Lucky's and Goosey Poosie's circles of friends to plant rumors and doubts about Cocky Locky's intelligence and leadership. This starts another rush of panic among the avians as they spread the word. Eventually these rumors reach Cocky Locky, who now feels his authority threatened.

With Cocky Locky's leadership in question, Foxy Loxy makes his next move. He flatters Chicken Little, convincing him to stand up and challenge the Cocky Locky's right of leadership. Filled with confidence Chicken Little announces to a crowd that he is their new leader and states that he will save all their lives. Then Cocky Locky fires back, stating the sky is not falling. The two argue until Cocky Locky states, "if the sky is falling, why doesn't it hit me on the head?" From his hiding spot, Foxy Loxy uses a slingshot to shoot the wooden hunk back at Cocky Locky's head, knocking him out. This convinced the entire crowd that Chicken Little was right about the sky all along. When they ask him what they should do, Foxy Loxy suggests to "run to the cave". Believing this is the right thing to do, Chicken Little leads the panicked masses out of the farm, through the woods and into the cave (which is actually Foxy Loxy's den). Once everyone is inside, Foxy Loxy goes in after them and seals up the entrance.

While the narrator reassures the audience that everything will be alright, the cartoon closes with a now pot bellied Foxy Loxy picking his teeth and arranging the wishbones of the devoured birds in a row resembling a war cemetery. The narrator is shocked and insists that this is not how the story was supposed to end. Foxy Loxy responds in a fourth wall breaking moment by reminding the narrator not to believe everything he reads as he plays with Chicken Little's yo-yo and smokes a victory cigar while laying on top of the psychology book.

Cast

• Frank Graham as Narrator / Foxy Loxy / Chicken Little / Cocky Locky / Turkey Lurkey / Additional characters
• Clarence Nash as Ducks (quacking sounds only)
• Florence Gill as Hens (clucking sounds only)

Foxy Loxy and Mein Kampf

According to Disney historian David Gerstein in a comment on Andreas Deja's blog, the studio had the title of the book that Foxy Loxy reads changed from Hitler's Mein Kampf to the generic Psychology in a postwar reissue.

Other appearances

Cocky Locky makes a cameo appearance in Mickey's Christmas Carol dancing at Fezzywig's party. Chicken Little makes a cameo appearance in the Toontown countryside in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Television

The postwar reissue of the short is featured in the Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color episode Man is His Own Worst Enemy, first airing on October 21, 1962. It is presented uncut, but instead of the original generic narrator, new unaltered narration is provided by Ludwig Von Drake.

Home media

The short was released on May 18, 2004, on Walt Disney Treasures: Walt Disney on the Front Lines and on December 6, 2005, on Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities - Celebrated Shorts: 1920s–1960s.

See also

• Chicken Little (2005 film) – an animated film that is Disney's second adaptation of the fable and a full-length remake of the short. This film is unrelated to the 1943 cartoon.
• The Fox and the Crow – Columbia cartoon series starring Frank Graham as both the titular fox and crow

External links

• Chicken Little at IMDb
• Chicken Little (1943) at Letterboxd