Generally, there's not a lot of overlap between the horror genre and children's media. Aside from popular, family-friendly scares found in the "Goosebumps" series or "Are You Afraid of the Dark," there isn't usually a place for graphic or disturbing visuals and storylines. Still, that doesn't mean references to iconic horror movies are off the table for children's media — many of which a young audience won't understand.
"Chicken Little," a movie that revolves around an alien invasion, has a couple of horror movie references along with its other classic movie references. The first introduction to the alien characters draws an immediate comparison to "War of the Worlds," which premiered three months prior. Just like in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of H.G. Wells' seminal sci-fi story, the aliens in "Chicken Little" use tall, metal, dome-shaped contraptions to move around and interact on Earth. While they aren't as tall, the general shape is almost identical to the 2005 film. Similarly, Abby Mallard says the line, "It's like 'War of the Worlds' out there" during the invasion. "War of the Worlds" has a PG-13 rating, which means some older kids might be familiar with these references. But the writers didn't stop there, they also indirectly reference "Alien" — which has an R-rating — after the kids initially discover the spaceship. While experiencing a panic episode, Runt describes Fish-Out-of-Water's demise after being abducted. He guesses that their friend is now acting as a "host for their face-hugging embryo babies," directly referencing the facehugger parasites from the film.
