Common Sense Media Review
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Colorful tale of singing rooster has perilous moments.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Rock-A-Doodle
What's the Story?
Chanticleer the rooster (voiced by Glen Campbell) is fabled to be able to bring the sun up with his crow. But when the evil Owl Duke (Christopher Plummer) sends a challenger to crimp Chanticleer's style, the sun rises without the rooster's song, and Chanticleer slinks away to the city, thinking that he's a phony. When a boy named Edmond (Toby Scott Ganger), who's reading Chanticleer's story, witnesses a real-life impending flood, he calls for Chanticleer's return and finds himself part of a gang of animals who are also searching for the sun's savior. Meanwhile, this rooster has found a rocking career in the big city as a crooner named the King. But can the animals find him in time to bring back the sun to their ravaged home?
Is It Any Good?
Plucky and clever, this fast-paced movie has roots in the European fable of Chanticleer, a rooster with a legendary crow. But the film pulls just as much from The Wizard of Oz, with a live-action story that plunges its child hero into an animated dream so real that he can't believe it's not true.
The music is pleasing to the ear, and the animation is fluid and life-like. Though some might criticize the creators for leaning too heavily on Elvis as Chanticleer's alter-ego, those who love the real "King" will enjoy the rooster "King," whose vocals by country star Campbell really hop and hum. Movie and TV buffs will enjoy the voice talents of Plummer, whose evil Owl is as frightening as Charles Nelson Riley's nincompoop nephew is silly.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Chanticleer feels so rejected by his peers that he leaves town in disgrace. Does that kind of shaming happen in real life? What could he have done to avoid it?
Chanticleer and Goldie drink champagne and wine to celebrate. Adults might find it interesting to discover how subtle messages like this affect young viewers.
Edmond is so involved in a story that he dreams that he becomes intimately entwined in the outcome. Or does he dream it? How can he separate imagination from reality?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 3, 1992
- On DVD or streaming : July 20, 1999
- Cast : Christopher Plummer , Glen Campbell , Phil Harris
- Director : Don Bluth
- Studio : Samuel Goldwyn Company
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Animals , Arts ( Music and Sing-Along )
- Run time : 77 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : January 20, 2026
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