Movie Review Chicken Run

It’s Poultry in Motion

How many times have we seen a brilliant idea or concept go to waste because it wasn’t executed well? The answer is A LOT!! But In the case of Chicken Run, the latest offering from DreamWorks Studios in collaboration with Ardman Animations there is no such problem. In fact it’s a perfect example of a good concept executed to perfection.

The story is simple Mr.  & Mrs. Tweedy own a chicken farm. There is one simple rule that applies to all chickens, Lay eggs or you will be someone’s dinner and so one would think the chickens were bound to be unhappy with their life. Well actually most of them are satisfied with laying eggs and staying alive but it’s the all-so-inspiring chicken Ginger (Julia Sawalha) who tries to show everybody that there is a life outside the farm as well, a life without the farmer without the egg count and with grass under their feet. She is the one who comes up with plans to escape with help of the genius chicken Mac (inspired by the character of Dr. John Frink of the Simpsons) but none of their plans are successful. Then one day a bigger problem arises (which should be kept a secret) and that very night Ginger spots Rocky (Mel Gibson) a flying rooster (or so it seems) stylishly crash in their farm. Rocky promises to teach the chickens how to fly and instantly all the chickens are smitten by this charming, suave Rooster. What happens after that is something you folks will have to go and see for yourselves.

What works for this movie is its main characters (Rocky, Ginger, Mac all of whom are voiced brilliantly) and not to forget Fowler the retired RAF mascot who is a treat to watch. The story as I have already mentioned is special but what really amazes me is the animation which is not of the usual kind. This movie uses Stop-Motion animation and this is where the brilliance of Ardman Animations comes into picture. It’s an animation technique which makes a physically manipulated object appear to move. The object is moved by very small amounts between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence. Clay figures are often used in stop motion animations.

Chicken Run is a path breaking film which not only sets new rules for entertainment, fun and Humor but also pays tribute to various other great films like The Great Escape, Braveheart, Indiana Jones and even a popular Geri Halliwell song. All movie buffs who are able to spot these little tributes will love the movie even more. In years to come this movie will surely attain a cult status and would be seen as a benchmark for other animated movies.