Chicken Run
2000 · Directed by Peter Lord, Nick Park
Original language: English
- animation
- comedy
- family
The story
The creators of Wallace & Gromit bring you an exciting and original story about a group of chickens determined to fly the coop–even if they can’t fly! It’s hardly poultry in motion when Rocky attempts to teach Ginger and her feathered friends to fly…but, with teamwork, determination and a little bit o’ cluck, the fearless flock plots one last attempt in a spectacular bid for freedom.
What it’s like
Clay-textured stop motion with fingerprint-rough surfaces, warm yellow-brown palettes of hay, barn wood and mud, and the wobble of handmade movement that makes every feather and dented tin pan feel touched. Daylight in the coop is dusty and flat, while the night scenes glow with lanterns and sudden floodlight glare, and the factory's grey industrial machinery looks cold and mechanical by contrast. The camera is mostly steady, with clean two-shots and staging that lets the cramped barnyard breathe, and the pace moves between brisk, gag-driven stretches and tense quiet moments of planning. Music is bright and folksy with brass and whistling swells, and the mood is cheeky, scrappy and warm, with a rousing underdog energy. Its heroines are a sharp-tongued dreamer and a crowd of ordinary hens learning to trust one another and push back against a tyrannical owner. Intensity is mild: slapstick peril, a few menacing close calls, a machine danger scene and some cartoonish explosions, with no gore and little real cruelty. Good for families, for fans of British humour and claymation, and for a cosy, upbeat watch on a weekend afternoon.
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