The Shocking Similarities Between ‘The Matrix’ (1999) and ‘Chicken Little’ (2005)
I’m 22 years-old and just watched The Matrix for the first time. An excellent film. The special effects for the time period looked incredible. I now understand references like the red & blue pill, dodging bullets, and the Laurence Fishburne sunglasses meme. This franchise cemented Keanu Reeves as an action star. Yet, my biggest takeaway from the film was something I couldn’t possibly foresee: The Matrix and Chicken Little are near identical movies.
The Hero
Both films follow two white males: Thomas Anderson, known by his hacker alias Neo, and Chicken Little, son of Buck Cluck.
They have normal, American lives. Neo works for a successful software company. Chicken Little attends middle school in the quiet suburban town of Oakey Oaks. Aside from questionable nightlife choices and some minor bullying, all is well for these two characters. Until one day, their lives are turned upside-down.
Late one evening, Neo awakes from his futon to discover a cryptic computer message.
He feverishly pounds the Esc key. More is revealed: “The matrix has you… follow the white rabbit”. The Matrix? Neo is puzzled. He’s been tracking the mysterious Morpheus for some time now. A knock at the door interrupts his thought. Some Rage Against The Machine groupies are here to pick up a GameCube copy of Luigi’s Mansion. They invite Neo out. He’s about to decline the offer but notices something. It’s a white rabbit!
Know what else has a white rabbit?
Chicken Little’s world is literally turned upside-down when he’s bonked on his noggin by a piece of the sky, or so it appears. He discovers his world is fabricated, similar to Neo. For Neo, the year is closer to 2199. He’s been living in the Matrix; a computer-generated 1999 reality controlled by machines. Chicken Little realizes the piece of sky is actually an alien device that cloaks to its surroundings. Both characters are mystified.
The Supporting Character
As the plots progress, Chicken Little and Neo become closer to their female friends. Neo is recruited by Trinity to meet with Morpheus. Chicken Little is nudged by Abby Mallard to repair his relationship with Buck Cluck. These supporting characters help the hero accomplish insurmountable challenges, like controlling the Matrix and hitting a walk-off HR. They also share a kiss with the male protagonist at a pivotal moment.
The Bully
The films have strikingly similar tertiary antagonists. Foxy Loxy repeatedly bullies Chicken Little in gym class. Cypher bullies Neo by killing his friends and attempting to cuck him for Trinity. According to Disney Wiki, Foxy Loxy cares about three things: being popular, being famous, and having good hair. Cypher (bald) shares 2/3 of these ideals. He colludes with Agent Smith to reset his memory and become a wealthy actor.
The Antagonist
The most obvious similarity of the two films is the main antagonist. The stills below look like they’re from the same movie. Both villains have three primary eyes and at least five tentacles. They manipulate reality to disrupt the heroes. The machines in The Matrix harvest humans for energy. The aliens in Chicken Little harvest acorns for an unknown, probably sadistic, reason.
Obviously, both characters save the day. Neo takes control of the Matrix to defeat Agent Smith. Chicken Little exchanges a lost alien child for his misplaced town people. Two classic stories of good guys winning. But these movies are much more than masculine heroism. They pose an important question to audiences: what is real?
