Chicken Run (2000)

Genres

Adventure, Animation, Comedy

Directors

Peter Lord, Nick Park

Countries

UK, USA

Voice Cast

Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Miranda Richardson, Tony Haygarth, Benjamin Whitrow, Timothy Spall, Phil Daniels, Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson

Storyline

Having been hopelessly repressed at the chicken farm where they are held, Rocky the rooster (Mel Gibson) and Ginger the chicken (Julia Sawalha) decide to rebel against the farm's owners.

Opinion

I, unlike my brother, wasn't very excited about watching "Chicken Run" when it came out, and in spite of having it on VHS - yes, I still own a VHS player - I've never seen it. But since lately I've been watching a few clay animated films I thought this might be worth a watch. And it was. It is far from being a masterpiece, but it still is a fun and quite delightful animated film.

The film was made for kids and therefore the story is kept as simple as possible; it isn't very original either, it's pretty much your typical escape story, but the events, as predictable as they are, manage to build tension up to an exciting climax.

It is also the kind of story that allows a lot of humour - witty British humour in this case - and it is wonderfully delivered through a brilliant dialogue and by a fantastic voice cast - I wasn't expecting Mel Gibson to do such a good voice-over. The jokes are understandable both for kids and adults, so it's very likely everyone will have a good time. However, only adults will be able to get the references to "Braveheart" and "Indiana Jones".

Also quite satisfying are the film's visuals. Those funny-looking characters are brought to life with some beautiful, colourful wax animation, and they are so expressive is astonishing.

4 comments :

  1. Cara Sonia, vedendo che parli di quel bellissimo fil di anima animati!!! ricordo quante risate fatto con quei strani polli.
    Rinnovando anche gli auguri di una Pasqua serena e felice, con un abbraccio.
    Tomaso

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  2. This movie was fun to see and love the style but it's like Wallace and Gromit. I thought it was fun..great review!

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  3. It's not terrible, but overall, this one just didn't work for me. Then again, Wallace and Gromit doesn't work for me either. I find that the dry humor and wit of both is often a bit too subtle making these films a bit of a chore to sit through.

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  4. Nice review! Chicken Run was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and as an adult, it's still one that I quote randomly and look back on. It's a cheerful, fun movie.

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