There is more riding on the success of “Chicken Little” for Disney than just fate of the sky. In the midst of heated contact negations with fellow animation powerhouse Pixar (creators of “Toy Story,” “Finding Nemo” and “The Incredibles” just to name three), this is the studio’s first digitally animated offering since the ill-fated “Dinosaur.” It’s also their shot to prove they can make these kinds of features every bit as good as their unhappy partners can. A smash hit could give them the upper hand in contract talks; the reverse could very well mean the very same thing for Pixar.

So what happens if the movie falls somewhere in the middle instead? Is the negotiating status quo between the two companies maintained? Well, whatever the truth may be I can’t help but think that the status quo is the best either of them is going to get if they’re basing anything on the success or failure of “Chicken Little.” While the family flick itself is too thinly constructed and blandly commercial to satisfy an adult audience, there’s enough humor and visual exuberance to keep the kids blissfully entertained, probably for multiple viewings. And that just might be enough for the bean counters over at Disney, a tidy profit split with no one probably a heck of a lot more appetizing to them then splitting a monstrous take with 50/50 partner any day.

All this corporate gobbledygook aside, as a viewer I can personally want more, a heck of a lot more, actually. While this animated feature undeniably has its moments; the frantic opening is particularly wonderful, as is an out-of-nowhere Spice Girls karaoke session that had me latterly spitting giggles; I’m not sure there are enough of them to keep an adult audience entertained for any length of time longer than about ten minutes. The screenplay is cute without being clever, the characters fun without being interesting, with the whole thing finally managing only to weave a tired spell of frenetic monotony that quickly grows tiresome.

Still, I can’t dismiss “Chicken Little” completely. The vocal work is seriously splendid, maybe the best of any animated movie this year, especially by “Scrubs” star Zach Braff, veteran funnyman and director Gary Marshall (“The Princess Diaries”), the always charming Joan Cusack (“Ice Princess”) and an extremely hilarious Steve Zahn (“Sahara”). These four provide so many laughs by themselves it’s easy to forget how painfully dull the movie’s my-father-doesn’t-believe-in-me-and-aliens-are-invading-the-planet plot is or how Mark Dindal’s (“The Emperor’s New Groove”) direction is nothing more than a dull unenergetic waste. There are also some gloriously twisted vignettes here and there, scenes so subtextually silly adults can’t help but smile as their kids wonder why they’re doing it.

It’s those kids, though, who will have the final say on whether or not the sky falls on Disney with this one. Personally, I think they’ll be just fine. “Chicken Little” does the one job it sets out to do above all others, and that’s keep the under-12 set entertained. While the cartoon won’t win any awards or set any box office records like Pixar’s routinely do, the studio will be more than happy with the return they’re bound to get here. The little tykes are going to make this a hit, and with two weeks until the fourth “Harry Potter” hits screens and nothing even remotely like it on the horizon this is sure to play in multiplexes for some time.

So, does that give Disney the upper hand in against Pixar? Honestly, I haven’t the first clue, those business matters between billion dollar giants far outside my swimming pool of knowledge. What I do know are movies, and in the case of “Chicken Little,” while no masterpiece, I can safely say it does not lay an egg. I’m sure that’s got to count for something.