![]() ![]() In Dawn of the Nugget - with Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi replacing Sawalha and Gibson, respectively, and Bella Ramsey voicing their plucky daughter, Molly - this time they’re breaking in: into a dastardly chicken nugget-making factory, Mrs. Tweedy’s farm in a poultry parody of Escape to Victory. In the first Chicken Run, the flock - led by the brave Ginger (voiced by Julia Sawalha), alongside the not-quite-so-brave rooster Rocky (Mel Gibson) - were breaking out of Mrs. But with the backing of Netflix, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget - first announced in 2018 - is set to bow at the BFI London Film Festival, one of a number of major world premieres that also include Jeymes Samuel’s The Book of Clarence, Daniel Kaluuya’s directorial debut, The Kitchen, and Starve Acre from Daniel Kokotajlo. Twenty-three years may be only around 20 months in chicken years, but it’s still an exceptionally long time, even in the painfully slow world of stop-motion. Although it didn’t win the Oscar for best animated feature, this was only because that category literally didn’t exist at the time, with Chicken Run’s absence from the awards considered such an egregious ‘fowl’-up (sorry) that AMPAS introduced it the following year (when it was won by Shrek).Īussie Crime Series 'Troppo' Sells Across EuropeĪnd now, almost a quarter of a century on, a Chicken Run sequel is ready to hatch. The film - co-directed by Aardman co-founder Peter Lord and Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park and now considered a beloved classic - earned north of $227 million, becoming the most successful stop-motion animated feature of all time, a record it holds to this day. It was such an ambitious project that it required the construction of an entire studio at Aardman’s base in Bristol to house the sets, while academies were set up to train animators.īut it paid off. The verve and charm that felt so tangible in the performances of 2000’s Chicken Run feels otherworldly compared to the relatively mundane performances of Aardman Animations’ latest offering.Back in the summer of 2000, a small group of diminutive, handcrafted clay chickens broke out of a coop and made cinema history.īritish stop-motion animation pioneers Aardman were already renowned for their Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit short films, but Chicken Runwas their first feature. Voice acting is an artform in itself, and it isn’t unusual to hear screen actors struggle with the adjustment. Bella Ramsey does an admirable job at the heart of things, but the lack of chemistry among the voice work holds the film back before it has even begun. The same goes for the typically excellent Thandiwe Newton, who replaces Julia Sawalha from the first film seemingly for no other reason than she’s slightly younger. ![]() Levi replaces Mel Gibson, and while there’s certainly a logic to removing the latter from a film like this, Levi fails to deliver on the role and his voicework feels staggeringly flat. A fair amount of the cast is replaced, some for understandable reasons, some for… less understandable reasons. The key issue with Dawn of the Nugget is that it simultaneously feels all too similar to the original and also misses the mark on what made it such a treasured film. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson), leaving it up to the gang to rescue her, her new friend Frizzle, as well as all the other chickens, from the dangers of industrial farming. When free-spirit Molly absconds from the island for a taste of freedom after learning about her father’s exploits, she becomes wrapped up in the latest attempt at fast-food world domination from a returning Mrs. Ginger ( Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky ( Zachary Levi) rule the roost with an open hand, alongside their daughter Molly ( Bella Ramsey) and the same varied cast of characters from the prior film - the ornery but aging drill sergeant, the pair of rats with a trick or two up their sleeves, the Scottish hen with an eye for science, and so on. Twenty-three years on, that fun, that style, that resonance, that sheer ingenuity is sadly nowhere to be found in its successor, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.įollowing their successful escape from the Tweedy’s chicken farm at the conclusion of the previous film, our favorite avians have settled on a small island, forming a kind of chicken sanctuary. ![]() Hell, Chicken Run has even been lauded for its feminism and how it utilizes stereotypical female tropes (knitting, for example) to ultimately save the day. It captured the imagination with impeccable voice acting, genuine tension, and a litany of riotous gags suited for the whole family. It was fun and silly, paying homage to The Great Escape via clay chickens. When Chicken Run was released in the year 2000, there was a farm fresh feel to it that resonated both with its target audience, but also with any accompanying adults. ![]() Whenever a studio releases a sequel 23 years after the original movie, it’s fair to go in with some skepticism about the project, its intentions, and its quality. ![]()
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