A delightful children’s movie for the whole family!
Aardman and DreamWorks’ claymation stop-motion feature film Chicken Run (2000) is a daring chicken coup. Watch as these personified chickens endear themselves to you with their charming personalities. You’ll sympathize with them for sure and want them to pull off their prison break from Mrs. Tweedy’s chicken farm. Chicken Run makes you empathize with the poor plight of the average poultry on a factory farm from the chicken’s point of view. Nick Park, Peter Lord, and Karey Kirkpatrick’s writing is humanistic and gentle as they make you relate to the various fowls. While humans eat animals, the birds themselves suffer on factory farms only alive to be slaughtered for our consumption. Chicken Run is a brilliant and likable critique of factory farming and animal cruelty with biting commentary on the entire industry at large.
Nick Park and Peter Lord direct Chicken Run with a serious, somber tone that really makes the drama of these chickens desperate to escape feel all the more real. The claymation is as expressive and cute as any of Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit cartoons. They have these chickens scheme, dance, and fly together with fluid motion and playful designs. It’s neatly edited down to a brisk and bright 84 minutes by editors Mark Solomon, Robert Francis, and Tamsin Parry.
Tristan Oliver, Frank Passingham, and David Alex Riddett’s cinematography for Chicken Run features tons of cute close-ups and funny wide shots of this farm. I really like how they keep the camera low by the chickens to better allow the audience to relate to their side. Phil Lewis’ production design is bleak and dreary making the chicken farm a dismal place indeed. John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams’ score is magnificent and sorrowful. They add another layer of serious swells to the otherwise funny movie.
Julia Sawalha is wonderful as Ginger, the heroine chicken that wishes to have a home of her own and freedom. Mel Gibson is charismatic as the rogue rooster Rocky. His silly jokes are full of gusto and bravado for a really funny voice role from Gibson. Jane Horgarth is hilarious as the idiotic chicken Babs. Lynn Ferguson is funny as the genius chicken Mac. Imelda Staunton is humorous as the fat chicken laying eggs and punching birds. Benjamin Whitrow is hilarious as the stuffy British rooster. They are all neat characters. Some people never learn, but hopefully Chicken Run makes a few carnivores and a few vegetarians.
On the other hand, Phil Daniels and Timothy Spall are funny as the greedy rat vendors Fetcher and Nick. Tony Haygarth is funny as the oaf Mr. Tweedy, who is driven near mad by thoughts of chickens plotting instead of feeding. Last, but certainly not least, Miranda Richardson delivers a genuinely repulsive performance as the voice actress for Chicken Run’s villainess Mrs. Tweedy. Her harsh voice acting is really fun.
In short, Chicken Run’s impressive cast deliver vocal performances that ensure viewers will empathize with the escapee chickens. Chicken Run is up there as a top 3 DreamWorks film.
Prime Video
Chicken Run
While the chickens on evil Mrs. Tweedy's farm dream of a better life, a clever hen named Ginger is hatching plans to fly the coop - for good! Every escape attempt goes fowl until Rocky, a smooth-talking Rooster, crash-lands into the coop. With teamwork, determination and little bit o'cluck, the fearless flock plots one last daring attempt in a spectacular bid for freedom.
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More details
- Supporting actors
- Julia Sawalha
- Studio
- Dreamworks Animation
- Rating
- G (General Audience)
- Content advisory
- Drug usefoul languageviolence
- Purchase rights
- Stream instantly Details
- Format
- Prime Video (streaming online video)
- Devices
- Available to watch on supported devices
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Top reviews from other countries
Joe Draghi
Great to upgrade from a VHS tape.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2020Verified Purchase
CobWeb
'This ain't no chick flick!'
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2020Verified Purchase
'This ain't no chick flick!'
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2020
CHICKEN RUN™Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2020
JUNE 2000
UNIVERSAL
DVD:
1 disc ~ Run time: around 81 minutes
With the voices of (alphabetical order):
~ PHIL DANIELS
~ LYNN FERGUSON
~ MEL GIBSON
~ TONY HAYGARTH
~ JANE HORROCKS
~ MIRANDA RICHARDSON
~ JULIA SAWALHA
DIRECTORS/WRITERS: NICK PARK & PETER LORD
From the back of the box (image below refers):
‘Trapped behind barbed wire, fearing for their lives, Ginger, Bunty, Babs and Fowler are chickens with a mission. Ginger and her fellow flock are determined to make a break for freedom, but every escape goes ‘fowl’ when they are caught by the evil Mrs Tweedy and her oafish husband who want to turn them into chicken pies.
When an all-American rooster named Rocky lands in the farm, Ginger sees her chance ~ these chickens won’t cross the road; they’ll fly the coop.
Together they prove that chickens are anything but, as they engage in a daring and spectacular escape.’
[3 images attached]
Images in this review
Rick Brindle
Wallace and Grommit, wich chickens
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2020Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Best animated film in year 2000
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2018Verified Purchase
Ms. J. S. Packwood
audio distorted
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2020Verified Purchase
