The 23-year wait for a sequel to Aardman Animation’s smash hit, Chicken Run, is hardly the longest stretch between films. And yet, any kid who grew up in the late 90s/early 2000s will no doubt eat up this belated, adorable feature like a particularly tasty chicken dish. Kids today have such short attention spans that it is difficult for me to imagine them enjoying darker fare. What more perfect movie for them to discover than this charming title and its predecessor, both conveniently streaming on Netflix, primed for a double feature? The whole gang is back—this time they are not breaking out of the chicken coop, they are breaking in! Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget lives up to the first film in every way. In typical Aardman style, the whole affair is a labor of love, a handcrafted stop-motion animated delight, and one of their most ambitious to date.
With Tweedy’s farm in the rearview, freedom fighter Ginger (Thandiwe Newton, Crash, Mission: Impossible 2) and her mate, traveling circus rooster Rocky (Zachary Levi, Shazam, Tangled), have made a new life for themselves free of farmers and fences. Their beautiful island keeps them far from the horrors of the human world, and allows for a tight-knit community of fellow chickens. After hatching their daughter, spunky Molly (Bella Ramsey, Game of Thrones, The Last of Us), the duo prepare to embrace their “happy ending.” The film’s zippy script from Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell, and Rachel Tunnard does a good job fleshing out Ginger and Rocky’s tenure as parents. Ginger retreats to more of a protective role, desperate to leave the farm behind for good; Rocky clings to the fond memories of glory days past.
In a clever reversal of Chicken Run’s themes, Dawn of the Nugget finds Molly off galavanting on her own. Desperate to find out what’s beyond the island, Molly wants to know more about the hidden past that Rocky and Ginger do not seem willing to divulge. With lab escapee Frizzle (Josie Sedgwick-Davies), Molly sets off on an adventure following a “happy chicken truck” that leads to the treacherous Funland Farms. On this perilous quest, Ginger will face off once more against her arch-nemesis Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson, Sleepy Hollow, Harry Potter) and her deranged husband, Dr. Fry (Nick Mohammed, Christopher Robin, Maggie Moore(s)). Ginger and Rocky assemble a team of old favorites to rescue Molly and put a stop to Mrs. Tweedy’s awful nugget-making machinery.
The first film’s directors are replaced by Academy Award and BAFTA-nominated director Sam Fell (ParaNorman, Flushed Away), who does an admirable job of maintaining visual consistency between the first movie while expanding its scope. As expected, the animation stuns; it is pretty wild to see just how far the medium has come in the two decades-plus since the previous movie. Score samplings from the original are peppered throughout to lovingly nip at the toes of nostalgia. During production, the drama over returning voice actors seemed to dominate all discussion. The particularly troubling sentiment was over Ginger, voiced by Julia Sawalha in Chicken Run, being “too old” to play the role. In spite of all the drama, the film does not suffer or come across flat in any of the vocal performances. Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, and Miranda Richardson are the only actors to reprise their previous roles.
Talks about a potential Chicken Run 2 date all the way back to 2000, where Aardman Animation insisted they would not have time to work on a sequel in the foreseeable future. The time in between films is perhaps this entry’s biggest advantage. Transitioning from one movie to the next seamlessly, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget finds the accomplished animation studio back to basics in the best way possible. There is a timeless, whimsical quality to several of the company’s titles, and that same charming facet reemerges anew here. Whether a happy ending or happy beginning for our lovable group of chickens, I am just overjoyed that their story finally continues for a new generation.
Journey to “other side of the water” when Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget clucks exclusively to Netflix on Friday, December 15th.
