Chicken Run

Composite Score: 81.28

Starring: Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha, Phil Daniels, Tony Haygarth, Miranda Richardson, Timothy Spall, and Imelda Staunton

Directors: Peter Lord and Nick Park

Writers: Peter Lord, Nick Park, and Karey Kirkpatrick

Genres: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family

MPAA Rating: G

Box Office: $224.83 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Chicken Run is a fun family Claymation film about chickens trying to escape a chicken farm. The film is very heavy in British humor and laden with references to other breakout films to keep adult audiences just as engaged as the children. What starts as a relatively low-stakes issue of chickens wanting a better life for themselves as free-rangers eventually develops into a high-stakes race against time as the Tweedys (farmers) shift their farm’s production from eggs to chicken pies, spelling certain death for the heroic fowl at the center of the story. Silly in concept and fun in its execution, Chicken Run certainly will entertain an audience member of any age.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                The story and entertainment value of Chicken Run relies heavily on humor and allusions to other media, producing a film of limited substance. Without the punny and dry humor of its British actors and creators, the film would not necessarily hold much water. For those not entertained by the likes of Monty Python or Ricky Gervais or Fawlty Towers, this film might not be for you.

                While chock-full of references to other films, the overall story of Chicken Run feels fairly rehashed despite the originality of chickens. At points, references to films like The Great Escape or The Shawshank Redemption detract somewhat from the film’s value, reminding viewers who know that it is not one of those films. The homage paid is well-thought-out for sure, but at times maybe a bit more heavy-handed than is beneficial to the overall story. I enjoy a good movie reference, but when that is the film’s main draw for older audiences, it can easily lose its luster.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                The animation of the film is incredibly fun and well-crafted, as is true of most Claymation. The humanization of the chickens, the slapstick comedy effects achieved, and the overall whimsical nature of the art style make it a very rewarding watch. There are many minor details scattered throughout each shot, which is highly rewarding and humorous for the more attentive viewer, containing references to other materials and jokes that only the adults watching could notice.

                If you enjoy puns and British humor, this film has a heavy dose of both. Witty and dry, the script contains enough low-brow jokes to keep younger audiences entertained while balancing them with more mature humor that the younger ones might miss. While not necessarily geared toward adult audiences, the comedy of the film is enough to elicit a chuckle from older viewers who are paying attention and reward them for their patronage.

                Reference-heavy though the film is, its references often come with twists on the tropes of the prison-break genre. People familiar with the conventions of prison-breaks will be rewarded with the, often, comical ways that the creators twist the tropes into new forms to fit their chicken protagonists. Wacky escape attempts combined with serious stakes and familiar characters keep it within the genre while also creating something relatively original. The cast of characters in particular play well into the tropes and forms of the genre while still playing with the audience’s expectations. Ginger as the one most driven to escape who comes off as a maverick but is unwilling to leave without her fellow chickens. Rocky as the cocksure (pun intended) American who promises to lead the escapees to safety while in fact having little to no actual experience or qualifications. Mr. Tweedy as the bumbling guardsman who also happens to be the only one who actually recognizes that the chickens are organizing an escape attempt. And Mrs. Tweedy as the head of the chicken farm who desires corporate profits and comes across as the shrewder of the two farmers but fails to recognize the ingenuity of the chickens on her farm.

                In all, Chicken Run is a somewhat simplistic, child-friendly take on the escape genre of film. Full of references to other movies in the genre with a wealth of humor for young and old audiences and a character list that creatively plays with convention, it is well-worth a watch for interested viewers, especially those looking to introduce younger audiences to other children’s entertainment beyond the Disney offerings (many of which do also make the list).