Chicken Run (2000)

Directed by: Peter Lord, Nick Park | 84 minutes | animation, comedy, family | Original voice cast: Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Jane Horrocks, Miranda Richardson, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, Phil Daniels, Lynn Ferguson, Tony Haygarth, Benjamin Whitrow, John Sharian, Jo Allen, Lisa Kay, Laura Strachan

‘Chicken Run’ is the highly anticipated first feature film from Aardman, the studio that made a name for itself with their claymation technique. For some of their short films, such as ‘Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers’ (1993), Aardman’s innovative and talented team has already received Oscars. Directors and scriptwriters Nick Park and Peter Lord are known for their memorable characters, comedic situations and wildly inventive storylines. The high expectations of ‘Chicken Run’ are completely fulfilled by this duo.

‘Chicken Run’ is set on Mr and Mrs Tweedy’s chicken farm in rural Yorkshire, England. Willard Tweedy is a wimpy guy, who is clearly under his wife. Nevertheless, he is the one who first realizes that the hens are incubating on something, and they are not eggs! Melisha Tweedy (voiced by Miranda Richardson) is tall, thin and with her hair in a strict bun she looks like everyone’s nightmare, let alone poor defenseless chickens. They feel intimidated by the stern lady when she comes by for the weekly count of the number of eggs that have been laid. Mrs. Tweedy is inexorable: if there is no more egg production, the end is exercise for the chicken in question and the wretch is eaten during dinner. Ginger (voiced by Julia Sawalha) is one of the chickens on the farm and she is an optimistic aunt who dreams of freedom. She has tried everything to make this dream a reality, but in vain. When one of the hens, Edwina, has not laid eggs for a week, she ends up on the slaughter block and Ginger decides it is time for action. During an emergency meeting, she tells her loft mates that this time they are going to try to get over the fence instead of under it. The chickens don’t like this. Ginger is desperate, but just as she asks heaven for help, a rooster literally falls out: Rocky Rhodes, a flying circus performer. This fiercely attractive rooster (voiced by Mel Gibson) is on the run and Ginger asks for his help in exchange for a hiding place. Meanwhile, Rocky throws some chicken hearts out of control. Some hilarious escape attempts follow, but will it really work?

‘Chicken Run’ is a brilliantly written, if not in-depth, story, with a lot of great visual jokes and puns in it. There are numerous references to other films, such as ‘Stalag 17’ (1953), the ultimate prison break movie (The hens are meeting in coop 17) and ‘Braveheart’ (when Rocky yells “Freedom”). The scene in the chicken pie machine is an ode to the ‘Indiana Jones’ movies. Most of the characters are well developed and the perfect animation ensures that the characters immediately arouse sympathy. This is not least due to the facial expressions of the figures, which are excellently executed at all times. Every emotion can be read from the heads of the chickens: from sheer terror to boredom, from suspicion to shyness. It is a world-class achievement. With this film, Aardman has proven to be the first in the animation world. ‘Chicken Run’ is a wonderful film that you can watch again and again because it always manages to entertain and surprise.