CHICKEN RUN (Theatrical Release USA 2000)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 3.1|5.0 Stars ììì

Chicken Run completely wins at box office, wins 13 prestigious movie awards, receives 13 nominations for additional awards, and backs itself with prestigious critic approval. Despite this, Ben Meyers finds the movie completely lacking in that little ‘flare’ that makes for an entertaining story. Without a film background necessary to catch the dialogue puns and to link scenes to famous movies, the movie is left in the depressing world of desperate, homely chickens who do not want to end in pot pies. The movie fails for the same reason The Secret of Kells fails. In order to fully appreciate the richness of that movie, the audience needs background knowledge/appreciation for the Book of Kells. Chicken Run seems tailored for a select, knowledgeable industry-constipated audience rather than a general audience who may catch some, but not all, of its similes, metaphors, and witticisms.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

The story begins with a nearly realistic looking animated moon, then scrolls to barbed wire, then to a wired-off place, then to a man inspecting the grounds with a flashlight while walking his dog. The man inspects a chain and a lock to ensure security. A chicken waits until the man passes, runs to the fence, leans her back against the fence, holds a spoon in her ‘hand,’ starts to dig under the fence, escapes, hides, and calls for the other chickens to follow. The story is off and running.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Peter Lord and Nick Park for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Jeffery Katzenberg, Jake Eberts, and Michael Rose for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast include: Fetcher (voice of Phil Daniels), Mac (voice of Lynn Ferguson), Rocky (voice of Mel Gibson), Mr. Tweedy (voice of Tony Haygarth), Babs (voice of Jane Horrocks), Mrs. Tweedy (voice of Miranda Richardson), Ginger (voice of Julia Sawalha), Nick (voice of Timothy Spall), and Bunty (voice of Imelda Staunton).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Maybe. If one is a tremendous stop motion animated film fan, this movie will satisfy.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers