Chicken Run (2000)

 

Genre: Comedy/ Adventure

Time: 1h 24mins

Director: Nick Park, Peter Lord

Quick Summary: When a cockerel apparently flies into a chicken farm, the chickens see him as an opportunity to escape their evil owners.

If Rocky was a person I'd deck him.

I'll always have a soft spot for claymation. Just the sheer amount of love and effort that goes into them, it's hard to hate them. Each little movement takes months of work, and for a whole film to be produced that is amazing to me. With how almost perfect this is in the sense of stop motion, it deserves all the praise it gets. Everything is so fluid. I forgot I wasn't watching a normal animation or even a digitally enhanced stop motion. 

I love how as far as I could tell every chicken was unique in some sort of way, even the background ones. But for the main cast, perfection. Everyone was so distinct and easy to tell apart (being that they were chickens), and it wasn't just different accessories, it was different body types and movements. Even with the minimal accessories too! Speaking of the main cast, I adored them all. Babs especially since she was just hilarious with the stuff she'd come out with, asking if a chicken, who had been taken to be killed, is going on holiday. Ginger was a very strong lead to me too, in fact, all of them were pretty strong, with their own witty natures and attitudes. 

The only way to describe the humour in this is British. Through and through it is full of witty-natured jokes and references, stuff that not all cultures are going to get. But man it is hilarious. I mean, the rats who go around taking things in this are called Nick and Fetcher. How can you not find that funny. 

As for the story. Brilliant. Not a single complaint from me. It sets things up effectively all while setting the stones for what the stakes will be later in the film. The more this goes on, the more and more tense things get and you actually really route for these chickens to escape. Though it was hilarious watching their various attempts fail one after another. But when it finally gets to the end it manages to really bring together action and actually some horrific (in a good way) scenes together to create this really tense and thrilling battle/escape. There is one scene in the middle of the film where two chickens need to escape a pie-making machine and watching them go through the machine's various parts was pretty cool too. 

One tiny little complaint I had is why the hell did Ginger get with Rocky in the end. For such a strong independent chicken/woman, to go for a lying, sleazy, ass of a character baffles me. It just didn't feel right to me. It doesn't ruin the film for me, just a little surprising. 

Aside from my small little gripe, this is a classic that anyone can enjoy. Adults and kids will both find enjoyment out of this and it is very rewatchable. 

10/10

"Babs: I don't want to be a pie. I don't like gravy."

"Nick: Eggs from heaven.

Fetcher: No! From her bum."

"Ginger: Listen. We'll either die free chickens or we die trying.

Babs: Are those the only choices?"