Chicken Run (2000)

When a cockerel apparently flies into a chicken farm, the chickens see him as an opportunity to escape their evil owners.

Directors:

Peter Lord, Nick Park

Writers:

Peter Lord (original story), Nick Park (original story)

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha, Phil Daniels

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 23 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Phil Daniels	...	Fetcher (voice)
Lynn Ferguson	...	Mac (voice)
Mel Gibson	...	Rocky (voice)
Tony Haygarth	...	Mr. Tweedy (voice)
Jane Horrocks	...	Babs (voice)
Miranda Richardson	...	Mrs. Tweedy (voice)
Julia Sawalha	...	Ginger (voice)
Timothy Spall	...	Nick (voice)
Imelda Staunton	...	Bunty (voice)
Benjamin Whitrow	...	Fowler (voice)

Storyline

Having been hopelessly repressed and facing eventual certain death at the chicken farm where they are held, Rocky the rooster and Ginger the chicken decide to rebel against the evil Mr. and Ms. Tweedy, the farm's owners. Rocky and Ginger lead their fellow chickens in a great escape from the murderous farmers and their farm of doom.

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Plot Keywords:

chicken | farm | escape | rooster | freedom | 

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Taglines:

CR:1

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mel Gibson's kids played a major part in convincing Gibson to take the part, because they were very impressed with the Wallace and Gromit shorts.

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Goofs

Mr. Tweedy's position after being knocked out.

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Quotes

Babs: Chicken feed. My favourite!

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Crazy Credits

Near the very end of the credits the conversation about which comes first, the chicken or the egg??, comes up again. The two rodents want to take an egg or a chicken and make a chicken farm to make their own eggs. However, they cannot decide if they need a chicken or an egg. Finally, Rocky the Rooster pipes in and says to "please pipe down".

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Alternate Versions

In the original version, Mrs. Tweedy angrily berated Mr. Tweedy after the pie machine blew up, to which he pushed the wall down on her. That was cut from the theatrical version, but you can still see him, in the extreme long shot, having just pushed the wall down on her.

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Connections

Referenced in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012)

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Soundtracks

Flip Flop and Fly
Written by Charles F. Calhoun (as Charles Calhoun) and Big Joe Turner (as Lou Willie Turner)
Performed by Ellis Hall

User Reviews

Wonderful Animation Packed with Intertexts

Watching Peter Lord and Nick Park's glorious animation story of a group of chickens escaping from a repressive farm in 1950s Britain, one comes to understand how the script draws on a whole raft of classic war films of the period, including THE COLDITZ STORY (1955), STALAG 17 (1953), and most obviously THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963).

All of the elements are there, treated with a tongue-in-cheek reverence that makes the film a memorable experience. Ginger (voiced by Julia Sawalha) is the lead chicken, desperately trying to devise escape plans from the farm policed by Mr. Tweedy (Tony Haygarth) and his shrewish spouse (Miranda Richardson). The need to escape is paramount; all the chickens have to hope for instead is a life dedicated to laying eggs and a violent death by strangulation, as the Tweedies cook yet another tasty Sunday dinner. The only problem is that Ginger's task is hampered by the well-meaning yet rather clueless inmates, led by Babs (Jane Horrocks) and Mac (Lynn Ferguson). The entire group are 'supervised' (?) by the Brigadier Fowler (Benjamin Whitrow), using the kind of Fifties Received Pronunciation accent that immediately recalls the war films of that period.

Enter Rocky the Rooster (Mel Gibson), a self-assured refugee from the circus, with a cockiness (pun intended) recalling Steve McQueen in THE GREAT ESCAPE. Although eventually helping to create a successful escape, Rocky has to learn how to co-exist with a group of Brits, that requires both races to become more accommodating, and less xenophobic. The script allows for some jokes familiar to viewers acquainted with World War II history (all Americans are "overpaid, oversexed, and over here."

Although only just over eighty minutes long, the film is packed with incident as well as some really funny jokes. CHICKEN RUN is a joyous experience, a tribute both to the talents of animators and script-writers alike.

Details

Official Sites:

Aardman Animations

Country:

USA UK France Ireland

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 June 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

C:R-1

Filming Locations:

Bristol, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,506,162, 25 June 2000

Gross USA:

$106,834,564

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$224,834,564

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aardman Animations, DreamWorks Animation, Pathé

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX SDDS DTS-ES DTS (Digital DTS Sound)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1