Making a convincing case for the possibility of life after Pixar, Disney's technically ambitious "Chicken Little" -- the studio's first fully computer-animated in-house feature -- is a consistently amusing, often inspired family romp. While some half-hatched plotting prevents it from approaching the sublime levels of a "Toy Story" or "The Incredibles," the picture zips along quite agreeably with a zany energy and vividly rendered, terrifically voiced, madcap characters. Factor in the added attraction of 3D presentations in select theaters (though the venue used for this preview screening wasn't one of them) along with savvy marketing and merchandising, and Disney's gamble should find itself with boxoffice returns that ain't chicken feed.

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