Chicken Run Is Eggscellent

I do solemnly promise that if nothing else in this week’s column, I will refrain from using any “eggs-cellent” puns to describe the enjoyable movie going experience that is Chicken Run, the first full-length feature from Aardman Animation, the clever folks behind the Oscar-winning series of short films starring the quirky, cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his more sensible, dauntless dog, Gromit. Following in their footsteps, Chicken Run sacrifices none of its “Britishness” while appealing to the sensibilities of both young and old… no matter from which side of the pond you hail.

Chicken Run is built upon a wonderfully inventive and witty premise that casts the hens of Tweedy Farms as POWs and their barbed-wire coop as the daunting confines of their internment camp. The chickens are kept in fear by the stern hand of Mrs Tweedy (Miranda Richardson), a nasty farmer who keeps a count of the eggs laid by each inmate/fowl. If one’s totals are not up to snuff, then it’s an instant invitation to dinner at the Tweedy’s (and you can be sure it’s not to sit at the head of the table). This sits none too well with Ginger (Julia Sawalha), the hens’ intrepid leader, whose constant, unsuccessful attempts to bust loose often lands her in solitary confinement. Crushed and at wit’s end, Ginger cries out for deliverance from the chickens’ oppressors.

Enter Rocky (Mel Gibson), an American rooster who literally drops out of the sky as the apparent answer to Ginger’s prayers. The self-confident and independent rooster, who fancies himself a “Lone Free Ranger,” is persuaded to stick around and teach the chicks to fly as he does. This final plan is hatched by Ginger to get the troupe far from Tweedy Farms because she senses that time may be running out: an ominous delivery is made and Mrs Tweedy suspiciously orders that the hens receive a double portion of rations. Are they fattening up the chickens?

Chicken Run is a delightful film whose unconventional look – stop-motion clay animation instead of the flashier, Toy Story-esque computer-animation, or the more traditional drawn figures – helps give the film its personable air. The down-played look of the film also belies the sharp wit of the dialogue, which will most likely get past the youngsters but will have their parents chuckling. Co-directors Nick Park and Peter Lord poke good-natured fun at the clash between the proper Brits and the cocky Yank, they throw in a host of sly The Great Escape and Stalag 17 references, and they get in quite a few Hollywood-style in-jokes, covering territory from Star Trek to tweaking Gibson’s star image. However, the film’s message of teamwork and togetherness is one even the littlest viewer will grasp.

Fans familiar with Aardman studios’ work will also be pleased to hear that Chicken Run upholds the tradition of finely choreographed, frenetic lunacy. Wallace and Gromit have more than their share of crazy aerobic workouts, and the feathered friends of Chicken Run also work up a sweat. There is a brilliant action sequence in the center of the film that highlights Rocky’s daring-do, and the film’s climax, with the spotlight on the film’s true protagonist, Ginger, will not disappoint. Also, no small measure of thanks should go to the film’s score, as composed by Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell, which hits just the right tone of nobility – and whimsy – to underscore the chickens’ efforts.

Chicken Run, rated G should be a keeper for many years to come. If there’s any complaint – and mind you, it’s a minor one – it’s that one of the key components of the climatic scene echoes that of Disney’s also engaging A Bug’s Life.