Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
There were a lot of disappointments in the 2000 summer movie season, but Chicken Run wasn't one of them. Made by Aardman Animations, which produced the Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit shorts, this is a dazzling stop-motion animation film that is both deftly funny and surprisingly touching. The concept is simple: The Great Escape--with chickens. But directors Peter Lord and Nick Park take it much further than that (and remember: there's a whole generation out there that has no idea who Steve McQueen is). Julia Sawalha voices Ginger, a plucky English hen who has been trying to escape from Tweedy's chicken farm, where the vicious Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) fries up any chicken who doesn't produce enough eggs. When egg profits slump, Mrs. Tweedy decides to turn her farm into a chicken-pie factory, giving new urgency to Ginger's plan. Enter Rocky the Flying Rooster (Mel Gibson), a brash American who has escaped from a circus and promises to teach the chickens to fly to safety. The film is filled with innumerable visual touches and the animation has a tactile quality that makes you want to reach out and touch these funny fowl. Above all, it's played with intelligence, wit, and heart--a rare combination in any film. While Chicken Run is being marketed to a youth audience, it truly is a family film that operates on both a child and an adult level. It would be a shame if grownups skipped it because they thought it was strictly for kids. --Marshall Fine |
Customer Reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 A True Family Film, Mar 24, 2023
Most family films seem to be made with the idea that the "innocence" of children is actually stupidity. These films generally cause mental anguish for the parents and offer little hope of improving the child's ability to comprehend plot or dialogue. Chicken Run is the rare exception. This film is intelligent and witty. It appeals to each member of the audience at their own level so the whole family can enjoy it together...novel idea, eh?
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Classic Claymation, Mar 14, 2023
I have been a big fan of Nick Park, and he and the gang don't disappoint in this film (this is in fact the last first-run movie I've been to, which shows I don't get out to the bloody theaters much!).
In any case, the story of the rebellious chickens in a concentration camp like atmosphere is hilarious, as are the various characters. The stiff upper lip British are lampooned, especially Mr. Tweedy and his evil wife.
The voices come from a wide variety of stars and character performers--Ginger is played by Julia Sawahla, the long-suffering Saffron from "Absolutely Fabulous," and she's joined by Jane Horrocks, who played the aptly named Bubble in another of the chicken roles.
Mel Gibson is hilarious as the American rooster called on to help save the day, and among the others, Timothy Spahl plays Tweedy (you'll see him in "Lemony Snicket," "Still Crazy" and numerous other films).
The animation is again fantastic; the attention to detail, and the realism of the scenes is wonderful.
A good versus evil story that people of all ages can get into.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Beyond the Clay Animation... important MANAGEMENT lessons!, Dec 9, 2022
Ever found yourself comparing and contrasting movies, or t.v. dramas to real life applications, more specifically at the office? Most of us do - it's how we relate with the characters in the movie or t.v. drama.
As most people who frequent their neighborhood movie store, OFFICE SPACE was the satire of Corporate Life. Chicken Run on the otherhand is the real deal. It provides great value as a unique means of learning corporate structure, and management.
No matter your level in any organization, this movie has some serious, deeper connections to strategic management and managerial style. I challenge you to grab a pen & paper, watch the movie, and write down any situations that mirror a real life / corporate application and/or situation - then pay close attention to what happens, and write down your thoughts. You'll have to press Pause/Play a few times - but it's absolutely worth it!!!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
4 AND A HALF STARS....good clay animation , Nov 25, 2022
We don't find a film like this everyday DO we?? If you like chickens who want to escape a farm from a couple that you would be surprised got married!! Mrs. Tweedy builds a pie machine where, and I quote, "chickens go in, pies come out". This film must've taken a looooong time to make. DAVE'S ALL NEW WITH THE TWEEDYS'!! The chicken's have to escape from the farm and become free. It's just good clay animation if you like THAT at least. I DO. I love it. I wish I was in the clay animation business....
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Funny, not fowl in the least, Nov 8, 2022
Animal rights activists, take heart: Your fervor has spread to the chickens. English chickens at that (with good teeth). Take the elements of HOME ON THE RANGE (a showbiz farm animal arriving to save the day--and it's Mel Gibson), THE GREAT ESCAPE, STALAG 17 (the chickens live in coop 17), some typical Disney yearning to be free monologues, brilliant clay animation, and some wry humor plus one of the best villainesses since Cruella De Vil, Mrs. Tweedy, who literally henpecks her husband (brighter than she gives him credit for)...ah, you have a great, entertaining romp. It has some of the sensibility of Nickelodeon's '90s series "Count Duckula."
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Based on 213 reviews.