Review of Chicken Run

Being a huge fan of Wallace & Gromit film series & old school WWII Prison films like 1963's "Great Escape" & 1953's 'Stalag 17", I was really looking forward to this movie, when it came out. It had a unique look to it, with its stop motion clay animation style. Directed by Nick Park & Peter Lord, and animated by Aardman Animations as the studio's first feature-length film; Chicken Run tells the story of a band of chickens lead by Ginger (Voiced by Julia Sawalha) trying to escape from certain death, when the owners of their farm, Mr. & Mrs. Tweedy (Voiced by Tony Haygarth & Miranda Richardson) decide to move from selling eggs to selling chicken pot pies. Can the smooth-talking Rhode Island Red named Rocky (Voiced by Mel Gibson) teach them to fly or will they end up, being the main course when Mrs. Tweedy get her hands on them? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, this movie was amazing that it even got finished. After all, Aardman weren't really sure at first, if they could pull off making clay figure of chickens moving in a set, because how awkward, they might had look, but somehow, they were able to make them look enchantingly believable. For a stop-motion animation film, this is some of the best work, I have saw. It was poultry in motion. The exceptional British voice-acting from the cast add to the unique characters in this film. The chickens are highly individual, completely believable, and wildly funny side characters. My favorite character in the film had to be Babs (Voiced by Jane Horrocks). Her posh-like speaking voice, matches so well with her character, very air-headed and spacy, jumping to strange conclusions and not fully grasping what's going on, behavior. Lots of laughs from her. However, there was a little language barrier with some of the Cockney and Scottish accents from other supporting characters like Mac (Voiced by Lynn Ferguson) & Nick (Voiced by Timothy Spall), that made me, scratching my head, due to them, being hard to understand. For the leads, Mel Gibson really stood out as the cocky American playboy here with the tone of his voice. He was really literally a chick magnet, back then. I also like, how his Australian accent wasn't showing at all. He really did sound like, he was from show business with his Hollywood-like attitude. Still, there was one thing that bug me, about his portrayal. I really, didn't like, that he didn't sound like he was from Rhode Island, in which his character is supposedly from. You would think, the movie would hint at that, a little more. Anyways, while the trailers, make it might seem like Mel Gibson is the main hero, it's Julia Sawalia as Ginger, who really stands out in this film. She really sounds like a woman with a plan. You really sense, the urgency within the tone of her voice. The villains were also well-played by Tony Haygarth & Miranda Richardson. They really do stand out, with their over-paranoia and axe-crazy personality. The humor is a mixed bag for me. There were a lot of moments that really did hit my funny bone, mostly in the British style of slapstick humor; yet some of the dry humor needed some more work. Then, there are some U.K pop-culture references that clearly went over my head, like the spoof sequence from 1951's Ace in the Hole or 1971's And Now for Something Completely Different. It didn't make a lick of sense, to us, Americans, but for the most part, I understood, most of the jokes. Some of the jokes could be a little too complex for children, but for the most part, it works within its means. Despite, being stuck in one-location, the movie is full of action and adventure. I love every minute of it, from escaping pie-making machines to the climatic airplane chase. The music score from Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell really add to the epic scope of these scenes. One scene, that really bug me, was any of the scenes with the rats. I really thought, they would had been cut out. The whole scene where they're debating on, what came first, the chicken or the egg was somewhat annoying and drawn out. It was the only problem, within what might seem, like a very well-paced film. Still, the story was mostly 'alright' category for me. Mainly because the story wasn't really anything new and often full of clichés. The whole third act, "liar revealed" cliché wasn't really needed with its gloom. Regardless, I'm still glad, that Nick Park and Peter Ford cut some of the darker sequences from the film such as like; Fowler (Voiced by Benjamin Whitrow) being an abusive alcoholic & a chicken eaten by the watchdogs in an escape attempt. That would be way too grim for a children film. Overall: I like this, incredibly creative, highly detailed, animated film. Memorable characters and a cool prison escape plot, made this, a must-watch. So don't be a chicken, go run and see this movie.