Chicken Run

Chicken Run is a 2000 stop-motion animated adventure comedy film[8] produced by Pathé and Aardman Animations in partnership with DreamWorks Animation.[9][10] Aardman's first feature-length film, it was directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park from a screenplay by Karey Kirkpatrick and based on an original story by Lord and Park.[11] The film stars the voices of Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Tony Haygarth, Miranda Richardson, Phil Daniels, Lynn Ferguson, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, and Benjamin Whitrow. Set in the countryside of Yorkshire, the plot centres on a group of British anthropomorphic chickens who see an American rooster named Rocky Rhodes as their only hope to escape the farm when their owners want to turn them into chicken pies.

This article is about the film. For the video game based on the film, see Chicken Run (video game).

Chicken Run
British theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay byKarey Kirkpatrick
Story by
  • Peter Lord
  • Nick Park
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byMark Solomon
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 23 June 2000 (2000-06-23) (United States)
  • 30 June 2000 (2000-06-30) (United Kingdom)
Running time
84 minutes[5]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$42–45 million[6][5]
Box office$227.8 million[7]

Released to critical acclaim, Chicken Run was also a commercial success, grossing over $220 million, becoming the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film in history and DreamWorks Animation's biggest success until Shrek in 2001 doubled it in terms of an animated film, but Chicken Run still holds it as a stop motion.[12]

A sequel, titled Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, is set to be released on Netflix on 15 December 2023.[13][14][15][16][17] Its Netflix release followed its world premiere at the 67th BFI London Film Festival on 14 October 2023, which will also see preview screenings taking place at UK cinemas at the same time.[18]

Plot

In the countryside of Yorkshire,[19] a flock of chickens live on an egg farm structured like a prisoner-of-war camp. The farm is run by the cruel Mrs Tweedy and her submissive husband, Mr Tweedy, who kill and eat any chicken that is no longer able to lay eggs.

Led by the rebellious Ginger, the chickens constantly devise new ways to try to escape but are always caught. Mr Tweedy suspects the chickens are organised and plotting resistance, but his wife dismisses his theories while being frustrated with making minuscule profits.

One night, Ginger witnesses American rooster Rocky Rhodes glide over the coop's fences and crash-land; the chickens put his sprained wing in a cast and hide him from the Tweedys, who were promised a handsome reward by Rocky's owner for his return. Inspired by Rocky's apparent flying abilities, Ginger begs him to help teach her and the other chickens to fly, so they can escape. Rocky gives them training lessons.

One evening, a load of equipment is delivered to the farm, containing the parts for a chicken pie machine that Mrs Tweedy has ordered as part of a plan to convert the farm into a profitable pie-making factory. When the Tweedys increase the chickens' food rations and ignore the decline in egg production, Ginger deduces that the couple's new plan is to fatten the chickens for slaughter.

After Ginger and Rocky get into an argument, Rocky holds a morale-boosting dance party during which it is revealed that his wing is healed. Ginger insists that he demonstrate flying the next day, but Mr Tweedy finishes assembling the machine and puts her in it for a test run. Rocky saves Ginger and sabotages the machine, buying them time to warn the chickens and plan an escape from the farm.

The next day, Ginger finds Rocky has left, leaving behind part of a poster that shows that he is in fact part of a "chicken cannonball" act with no ability to fly on his own. In the midst of her devastation, Ginger is inspired by elderly rooster Fowler's stories of his time in the Royal Air Force to build an aircraft to flee the farm.

The chickens assemble parts for the plane, with a deckchair as a take-off ramp and a line of Christmas lights to light a runway as Mr Tweedy fixes the pie-making machine. Mrs Tweedy orders Mr Tweedy to gather all the chickens for the machine, but they subdue him and finish making their plane, Fowler later reveals that he was only a mascot for the 644 Squadron, however Ginger persuades Fowler to pilot their plane.

Meanwhile, Rocky comes across a billboard advertising Mrs Tweedy's chicken pies and returns to the farm out of guilt for abandoning the chickens. Mr Tweedy knocks over the chair before being knocked out, and an alerted Mrs Tweedy attacks Ginger as she helps the plane take off. Mrs Tweedy is subdued by Rocky, who leaves with Ginger by holding onto the lights, which have been snagged by the departing plane. Mrs Tweedy follows by climbing up the lights with an axe; Ginger dodges an axe swipe which cuts through the line, sending Mrs Tweedy to fly through the barn window and fall into the safety valve of the pie machine.

The pie machine later on explodes into a ball of gravy due to the gravy pressure being very high which interrupts Ginger and Rocky. Mr Tweedy once again tells her that the chickens were organised, proving he was right the whole time and, who was now fed up with his wife's aggressive intimidating behaviour towards him, pushes the barn door down on top of her.

The chickens celebrate their victory after defeating the Tweedys while Ginger and Rocky kiss, and they fly to an island bird sanctuary where they make their home. Sometime later, the chickens have settled into their new home, and Rocky and Ginger have started a romantic relationship.

Nick and Fetcher, two rats that have been helping the chickens throughout the film, decide to set up their own egg farm, but they cannot agree on whether they must use a chicken or egg to start it, and they decide to go over the conversation again towards the point they don't know how they are going to start their own farm.

Voice cast

Production

Chicken Run was first conceived in 1995 by Aardman co-founder Peter Lord and Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park. According to Park, the project started as a spoof on the 1963 film The Great Escape.[20] Chicken Run was Aardman Animations' first feature-length production, which would be executive produced by Jake Eberts. Nick Park and Peter Lord, who run Aardman, directed the film,[21] while Karey Kirkpatrick scripted, with additional input from Mark Burton and John O'Farrell.

When a chicken speaks, each sound corresponds to a different beak that was placed on the character.[22]

Pathé agreed to finance the film in 1996, putting their finances into script development and model design. DreamWorks officially came on board in 1997.[4][23] They beat out studios like Disney, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros. and largely won due to the perseverance of DreamWorks co-chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg; as a company they were eager to make their presence felt in the animation market in an attempt to compete with Disney's dominance of the field.[4] Katzenberg explained that he had "been chasing these guys for five or six years, ever since I first saw Creature Comforts."[4] DreamWorks secured their first animated feature with the film, and they handled distribution in all territories except Europe, which Pathé handled.[4] The two studios co-financed the film.[4] DreamWorks also retains rights to worldwide merchandising.[4]

Principal photography began on 29 January 1998. During production, 30 sets were used with 80 animators working along with 180 people working overall. The result was one minute of film completed for each week of filming, with production wrapped on 18 June 1999.[23]

John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams composed the music for the film, which was released on 20 June 2000 under the RCA Victor label.[24][25][26]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 97% approval rating and an average rating of 8.1/10, based on 173 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads: "Chicken Run has all the charm of Nick Park's Wallace & Gromit, and something for everybody. The voice acting is fabulous, the slapstick is brilliant, and the action sequences are spectacular."[27] At Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[28] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[29]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave three and a half stars out of four, writing: "So it truly is a matter of life and death for the chickens to escape from the Tweedy Chicken Farm in Chicken Run, a magical new animated film that looks and sounds like no other. Like the otherwise completely different Babe, this is a movie that uses animals as surrogates for our hopes and fears, and as the chickens run through one failed escape attempt after another, the charm of the movie wins us over."[30]

Chicken Run has been noted for its depiction of feminism,[31][32][33][34] revolution,[31][32] Marxism,[35][31][36] and fascism.[37] According to Florentine StrzeIczyk, Chicken Run points to the way that masculinity and femininity are mediated in popular film genres.[37] It also received attention for its female-led cast. Film School Rejects called the movie feminist, noting that "the stereotypical 'woman's work' of these female chickens (such as their sewing and knitting) is crucial in constructing their mechanism for escape and vital towards the revolution itself."[32] The Islamic Republic of Iran News Network argued it was a way to disguise Zionism[38] and Western propaganda.[33][38]

Box office

On opening weekend, the film grossed $17,506,162 for a $7,027 average from 2,491 theatres. Overall, the film placed second behind Me, Myself & Irene.[39][40] In its second weekend, the film held well as it slipped only 25% to $13,192,897 for a $4,627 average from expanding to 2,851 theatres and finishing in fourth place.[41] The film's widest release was 2,953 theatres, after grossing $106,834,564 domestically with an additional $118,000,000 overseas for a worldwide total of $224,834,564. Produced on an estimated budget of $42–45 million, the film was a huge box office hit. To date, it is still the highest grossing stop motion animated movie.

Accolades
Group Category (Recipient) Result
Annie Awards[42] Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production (Nick Park and Peter Lord) Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production (Karey Kirkpatrick) Nominated
British Academy Film Awards[43] Best British Film Nominated
Best Visual Effects Nominated
British Academy Children's Awards[44] Feature Film Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics[45] Best Animated Feature Won
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics[46] Won
Empire Awards Best British Director (Nick Park and Peter Lord) Nominated
Best British Film Nominated
Best Debut (Nick Park and Peter Lord) Nominated
European Film Awards[47] Best Film Nominated
Florida Film Critics[48] Best Animated Feature Won
Genesis Awards[49] Best Feature Film Won
Golden Globe Awards[50] Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Nominated
Kansas City Film Critics[51] Best Animated Feature Won
Las Vegas Film Critics[52] Best Family Film Won
Los Angeles Film Critics[53] Best Animated Feature Won
National Board of Review[54] Won
New York Film Critics[55] Won
Phoenix Film Critics[56] Won
Best Family Film Won
Best Original Score (John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams) Nominated
Satellite Awards[57][58] Best Motion Picture - Animated or Mixed Media Won
Best Sound Nominated
Southeastern Film Critics[59] Best Film Nominated

Home media

Chicken Run was released on VHS and DVD in the United States on November 21, 2000 by DreamWorks Home Entertainment.[60]

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released Chicken Run on Blu-ray in North America on January 22, 2019.[61]

Sequel
Main article: Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

In January 2022, the title for the sequel was revealed as Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and was announced for a 2023 release on Netflix.[13][14][16] Zachary Levi, Thandiwe Newton, Romesh Ranganathan and Daniel Mays were revealed to be replacing Gibson, Sawalha, Spall and Daniels as the voices of Rocky, Ginger, Nick and Fetcher; David Bradley will voice Fowler due to Whitrow's death in 2017, while Horrocks, Staunton and Ferguson will reprise their roles as Babs, Bunty and Mac.[62] Bella Ramsey has been cast as Molly, while Nick Mohammed and Josie Sedgwick-Davies will voice two new characters, Dr Fry and Frizzle, respectively. Sam Fell would direct with Steve Pegram and Leyla Hobart producing. Kirkpatrick and O'Farrell wrote the script with Rachel Tunnard.[62] In June 2023, Gregson-Williams was revealed to be composing the sequel.[63] Later that month, it was officially announced that the film would release on Netflix on 15 December 2023.[17] Its Netflix release followed its world premiere at the 67th BFI London Film Festival on 14 October 2023, which will also see preview screenings taking place at UK cinemas at the same time.[64]

Video game
Main article: Chicken Run (video game)

Chicken Run is a stealth-based 3-D platformer based on the movie. It was released in November 2000 on most consoles. The game is a loose parody of the film The Great Escape, which is set during World War II.[65]

See also

References
  1. "Chicken Run (2000)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  2. "Chicken Run". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  3. "Chicken Run (2000)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  4. Cox, Dan (3 December 1997). "D'Works' feat of clay". Variety. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  5. "Chicken Run". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  6. "Chicken Run (2000) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  7. "Chicken Run (2000) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  8. Corliss, Richard (4 December 2000). "Run, Chicken Run!". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  9. "AFI|Catalog". Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  10. "'Chicken' Recipe Simply Divine / Action comedy blends great story, animation". 21 June 2000. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  11. McCarthy, Todd (12 June 2000). "Review: 'Chicken Run'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  12. "The Longer View: British animation". BBC. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  13. Robinson, Jacob (17 April 2023). "'Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget' Netflix Movie Release Date & What We Know So Far". What's on Netflix. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  14. Raynor, Josh (2 January 2023). "10 Animated Movies To Look Out For In 2023". Collider. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  15. Lang, Jamie (23 June 2020). "Netflix Swoops for 'Chicken Run' Sequel, Aardman Shares Plot Details". Variety. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  16. Beaird, Ryan. "Aardman / Start Licensing Interview: Brands & Retail UK Summer Conference". Brands & Retail UK. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  17. Giardina, Carolyn (14 June 2023). "Netflix at Annecy: 'Nimona' Debuts; 'Chicken Run 2' Gets Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  18. "Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget to receive world premiere at 67th BFI London Film Festival". BFI. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  19. "Poultry in Motion: the Making of Chicken Run". You Tube. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  20. "Chat with Nick Park and Peter Lord". BBC. 28 October 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019.
  21. Weiner, Rex (10 April 1997). "Aardman on 'Run'". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  22. Stempel, Tom (2004). "Let the Credits Roll: Interviews with Film Crews (review)". Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies. 34 (2): 95. doi:10.1353/flm.2004.0048. S2CID 108235807.
  23. Spall, Timothy (2000). Fowl Play: The Making of Chicken Run. Picture Production.
  24. "Chicken Run [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] - John Powell | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  25. "Amazon.com: Chicken Run: Music". Amazon. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  26. "Chicken Run Soundtrack (2000)". Soundtrack.Net. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  27. "Chicken Run". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  28. "Chicken Run". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 28 February 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  29. "Chicken Run (2000)". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  30. Ebert, Roger. "Chicken Run Movie Review & Film Summary (2000) - Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  31. "Revisiting "Chicken Run," the Film That Pecked out the Poultriarchy". Bitch Media. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  32. Zigler, Brianna (11 February 2019). "The Revolutionary Spirit of 'Chicken Run'". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  33. "Judith Jack Halberstam. 2011. The Queer Art of Failure. Durham and London: Duke University Press. 224 pp. Paperback" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  34. Meighoo, Sean (22 January 2017). "The Function of HumAnimAllegory". Humanities. 6 (1): 2. doi:10.3390/h6010002.
  35. "Dallas Observer | dallasobserver.com | Film". 21 February 2002. Archived from the original on 21 February 2002. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  36. Anderson, John (2000). "Chicken Run". Film Comment. New York. 36 (4): 77. ProQuest 210265783.
  37. Strzelczyk, Florentine (16 April 2008). "Fascism and Family Entertainment". Quarterly Review of Film and Video. 25 (3): 196–211. doi:10.1080/10509200601091433. S2CID 191494968.
  38. "Iranian TV Documentary Series Traces Zionist Themes in Western Movies: "Chicken Run"". MEMRI. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  39. "Carrey tops US box office, Chickens in at two". Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  40. "Weekend Box Office Results for June 23-25, 2000". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  41. "Weekend Box Office Results for June 30-July 2, 2000". Box Office Mojo. IMdb. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  42. "28th Annual Annie". Annie Awards. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  43. "Bigger Better Baftas". Empire. 31 January 2001. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  44. "Children's in 2000". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  45. Armstrong, Mark (19 December 2000). "Broadcast Critics Eat Crowe". E! Online UK. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  46. Reifsteck, Greg (8 January 2001). "Dallas crix pick 'Traffic'". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  47. "Billy aims to conquer Europe". BBC News. 8 November 2000. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  48. "Traffic is Florida favourite". BBC News. 5 January 2011. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  49. "FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, February 27, 2001". E! Online UK. 27 February 2001. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  50. DeMott, Rick (21 December 2000). "Chicken Run Lays A Golden Globe Nom". Animated World Network. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  51. "KCFCC Award Winners – 2000-09". Kansas City Film Critics Circle. 14 December 2013. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  52. Scherzer, Barbara (26 December 2000). "Las Vegas critics fete 'Erin,' 'Gladiator'". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  53. King, Susan. "'Crouching Tiger' Wins Top Prize from L.A. Critics". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014. 17 December 2000
  54. King, Susan (7 December 2000). "'Quills' Named Best Film by National Board of Review". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  55. "Traffic wows New York critics". BBC News. 14 December 2000. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  56. "Flashes From the week of January 18, 2001". Phoenix New Times. 18 January 2001. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  57. Reifsteck, Greg (18 December 2000). "'Gladiator,' 'Traffic' lead Golden Sat noms". Variety. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  58. Minotta, Mauricio (31 July 2011). "'Traffic,' 'Betty' Are Golden". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  59. "2000 SEFCA Best Films of the Year". Southeastern Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 13 June 2004. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  60. DeMott, Rick (22 November 2000). "Chicken Run Flies Into Stores". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  61. Chicken Run Blu-ray, archived from the original on 24 November 2018, retrieved 23 November 2018
  62. "New 'Wallace & Gromit' Film in Works From Aardman/Netflix; 'Chicken Run 2' Cast and Title Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter. 20 January 2022. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  63. "Harry Gregson-Williams Scoring Aardman's 'Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget'". Film Music Reporter. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  64. "Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget to receive world premiere at 67th BFI London Film Festival". BFI. 23 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  65. "Chicken Run Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Chicken Run.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.