Chicken Run

This article is about the film. For the game based on the film, see Chicken Run (video game).
Chicken Run

British theatrical release poster
Directed by
Produced by
Screenplay by Karey Kirkpatrick
Story by
  • Peter Lord
  • Nick Park
Starring
Music by
Cinematography
Edited by Mark Solomon
Production
company
Distributed by
  • DreamWorks Pictures (North America)
  • Pathé (UK and France)
Release dates
  • 23 June 2000 (United States)
  • 30 June 2000 (United Kingdom)
Running time
 84 minutes
Country United Kingdom
France
United States
Language English
Budget $45 million
Box office $224,834,564

Chicken Run is a 2000 British stop-motion animated comedy film made by the Aardman Animations studios and directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park. It was the first feature-length film by Aardman and the first produced in partnership with DreamWorks, which co-financed and distributed the film. The film features the voices of Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Timothy Spall, Phil Daniels, Tony Haygarth and Miranda Richardson. Chicken Run received positive reviews, and was a box office hit.

The plot centres on a band of chickens who see a smooth-talking Rhode Island Red named Rocky as their only hope to escape from certain death when the owners of their farm decide to move from selling eggs to selling chicken pot pies.

Plot

The Tweedys are a middle-aged couple who run a struggling chicken farm somewhere in Yorkshire. Mrs. Tweedy is the malicious brains of the pair, while Mr. Tweedy is more dim-witted and believes the chickens are plotting against them, much to Mrs. Tweedy's doubt and exasperation. The chicken coop is run in the style of a World War II POW camp, with the chickens accountable for the number of eggs they lay daily. Their unofficial leader Ginger has attempted numerous escapes, but is always thwarted by Mr. Tweedy and his dogs. Ginger becomes increasingly desperate to find a plan of escape after another chicken named Edwina, who has not laid any eggs for a week, is slaughtered with a hatchet for the Tweedys’ dinner.

Seeing their income drop, Mrs. Tweedy finds an article in a magazine suggesting a new way to bring in more profits. Ginger attempts to rally the other chickens' spirits so they will speed up their efforts to escape. However, she soon concludes that their only viable plan is to go over the fence, something that has not been tried yet. As she stands outside that night, she sees a Rhode Island Red rooster named Rocky, who hurtles over the fence and crash-lands in the coop, breaking his wing. After Ginger finds a piece of a circus poster suggesting Rocky can fly, she agrees to hide him from his owners if he teaches them how to fly. Rocky reluctantly agrees, and begins by putting Ginger and the other chickens through a set of exercises that seem to be pointless, while assuring them that they are making progress.

The chickens are surprised by a large piece of equipment being delivered to the farm, followed by Mrs. Tweedy's order to double their feed rations. Ginger concludes that they are being fattened up for slaughter. Rocky's wing completely heals after a disco dance that evening. Ginger is then taken by Mr. Tweedy for a test of their new equipment, which is revealed to be a machine for producing chicken pot pies.

Rocky rescues Ginger from the machine, and they sabotage it in the process so that they will have more time to work on their escape. Fowler, an older rooster who has been doubtful of Rocky's acts, now begins to respect him and gives Rocky his old Royal Air Force badge in tribute. Rocky decides to leave the farm the next day, leaving behind Fowler's medal and the missing section of his poster, which shows that Rocky flew by being shot out of a cannon, and in reality had no flying ability. Trying to rally the chickens, Fowler starts talking of his days in the RAF, which inspires Ginger to propose the construction of an aeroplane to fly all the chickens out at once after breaking up a brawl that ensues. The chickens race against time to assemble their plane while Mr. Tweedy works to repair the pie machine. Meanwhile, Rocky sees a billboard for "Mrs. Tweedy's Chicken Pies" and begins to reconsider his decision.

The chickens complete their makeshift plane just as Mr. Tweedy finishes repairing the pie machine and enters the coop to collect them all. However, the chickens launch an open revolt by tying up and gagging him. As they are preparing to take off, Mr. Tweedy frees himself and knocks down the launch ramp. Ginger jumps down as Fowler turns the plane around, knocking Mr. Tweedy unconscious. Rocky returns to the farm in time to save Ginger from a hatchet-wielding Mrs. Tweedy and help her set the ramp back in place and the pair climbs aboard the plane by grabbing a string of lights that gets caught in the landing gear. Mrs. Tweedy also grabs hold and is dragged into the air, weighing the plane down. Ginger crawls down to try and cut the string. Mrs. Tweedy swipes at Ginger with her hatchet and seemingly beheads her, but Ginger dodged it and let the hatchet sever the string, dropping Mrs. Tweedy into the pie machine and blocking its safety valve, causing the machine to build up pressure and explode, destroying the barn. The chickens continue their flight to freedom, eventually establishing their own sanctuary far from the farm.

Cast

Production

Chicken Run was Aardman Animations's first feature-length production, which would be executive produced by Jake Eberts. Nick Park and Peter Lord, who runs Aardman, directed the film,[1] while Karey Kirkpatrick scripted the film with additional input from Mark Burton and John O'Farrell.

Chicken Run was first conceived in 1995 by Aardman co-founder Peter Lord and Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park. Pathe agreed to finance Chicken Run in 1996 putting their finances into Script Development and Model Design. DreamWorks officially came on board in 1997.[2][3] DreamWorks beat out studios like Disney, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. and largely won due to the perseverance of DreamWorks co-chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg; as a company they were eager to make their presence felt in the animation market in an attempt to compete with Disney's dominance of the field.[2] Katzneberg explained that he had "been chasing these guys for five or six years, ever since I first saw Creature Comforts."[2]

In December 1997, it was revealed that David Sproxton would produce.[2] DreamWorks secured their first animated feature with the film, and they handled distribution in all territories except Europe, which Pathé handled.[2] The two studios co-financed the film.[2] DreamWorks also retains rights to worldwide merchandising.[2]

During the production of the film, 30 sets were used with 80 animators working along with 180 people working overall. Despite this, one minute of film was completed with each week of filming.[3]

Reception

Critical reception

The film received critical acclaim upon its release. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 97% approval rating with an average rating of 8.1/10 based on 153 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Chicken Run has all the charm of Nick Park's Wallace & Gromit, and something for everybody. The voice acting is fabulous, the slapstick is brilliant, and the action sequences are spectacular."[4]. The film also holds a score of 88 based on 34 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim."[5]

Box office

On opening weekend, the film grossed $17,506,162 for a $7,027 average from 2,491 theatres. Overall, the film placed second behind Me, Myself and Irene.[6] In its second weekend, the film held well as it slipped only 25% to $13,192,897 for a $4,627 average from expanding to 2,851 theaters and finishing in fourth place.[7] The film's widest release was 2,953 theaters, after grossing $106,834,564 domestically with an additional $118,000,000 overseas for a worldwide total of $224,834,564. Produced on a $45 million budget, the film was a huge box office hit. To date, it is the highest grossing stop motion animated movie.

Home media

Chicken Run was released on DVD and VHS on 21 November 2000.[8]

Accolades

Group Category (Recipient) Result
Annie Awards[9] Best Animated Feature Nominated
Best Individual Achievement in Directing (Nick Park and Peter Lord) Nominated
Best Individual Achievement in Writing (Margaret French) Nominated
BAFTA Awards[10] Best British Film Nominated
Best Visual Effects Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics[11] Best Animated Feature Won
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics[12] Best Animated Feature Won
Empire Awards Best British Director (Nick Park and Peter Lord) Nominated
Best British Film Nominated
Best Debut (Nick Park and Peter Lord) Nominated
European Film Awards[13] Best Film Nominated
Florida Film Critics[14] Best Animated Feature Won
Genesis Awards[15] Best Feature Film Won
Golden Globe Awards[16] Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Nominated
Kansas City Film Critics[17] Best Animated Feature Won
Las Vegas Film Critics[18] Best Family Film Won
Los Angeles Film Critics[19] Best Animated Feature Won
National Board of Review[20] Best Animated Feature Won
New York Film Critics[21] Best Animated Feature Won
Phoenix Film Critics[22] Best Animated Feature Won
Best Family Film Won
Best Original Score (John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams) Nominated
Satellite Awards[23][24] Best Motion Picture - Animated or Mixed Media Won
Best Sound Nominated
Southeastern Film Critics[25] Best Film Nominated

Soundtrack

John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams composed and produced the music for the film, which was released on 20 June 2000 under the RCA Victor label.[26][27][28]

All music composed by John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams, except as noted.

No. Title Length
1. "Opening Escape"   3:39
2. "Main Titles"   3:24
3. "The Evil Mr. Tweedy"   4:22
4. "Rats!"   1:09
5. "Chickens Are Not Organized"   1:01
6. "We Need a Miracle"   2:03
7. "Rocky and the Circus"   3:51
8. "Flight Training"   3:39
9. "A Really Big Truck Arrives"   5:56
10. "Cocktails and Flighty Thoughts"   1:58
11. "Babs' Big Break"   1:40
12. "Flip, Flop and Fly" (composed by Charles Calhoun and Lou Willie Turner, and performed by Ellis Hall) 2:09
13. "Up on the Roof"   3:08
14. "Into the Pie Machine"   3:10
15. "Rocky, a Fake All Along"   3:28
16. "Building the Crate"   3:32
17. "The Wanderer" (composed by Ernest Peter Maresca, and performed by Dion) 2:47
18. "The Chickens Are Revolting"   2:45
19. "Lift Off"   3:41
20. "Escape to Paradise"   4:59
Total length:
 62:21

Video game

Chicken Run is a stealth-based 3-D platformer based on the movie. The game is a loose parody of the film The Great Escape, which is set during World War II.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rex Weiner (10 April 1997). "Aardman on 'Run'". Variety. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Cox, Dan (3 December 1997). "D’Works’ feat of clay". Variety. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Spall, Timothy (2000). Fowl Play: The Making of Chicken Run. Picture Production.
  4. ↑ "Chicken Run (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "Chicken Run Movie Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  6. ↑ Income weekend - 23-25 June 2000, Box Office Mojo
  7. ↑ Income weekend - 30 June – 2 July 2000, Box Office Mojo
  8. ↑ DeMott, Rick (22 November 2000). "Chicken Run Flies Into Stores". Animation World Network. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "28th Annual Annie". Annie Awards. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Bigger Better Baftas". Empire Online. 31 January 2001. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Armstrong, Mark (19 December 2000). "Broadcast Critics Eat Crowe". E! Online UK. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  12. ↑ Reifsteck, Greg (8 January 2001). "Dallas crix pick ‘Traffic’". Variety. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "Billy aims to conquer Europe". BBC News. 8 November 2000. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "Traffic is Florida favourite". BBC News. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, February 27, 2001". E! Online UK. 27 February 2001. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  16. ↑ DeMott, Rick (21 December 2000). "Chicken Run Lays A Golden Globe Nom". Animated World Network. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  17. ↑ "KCFCC Award Winners – 2000-09". Kansas City Film Critics Circle. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  18. ↑ Scherzer, Barbara (26 December 2000). "Las Vegas critics fete ‘Erin,’ ‘Gladiator’". Variety. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  19. ↑ King, Susan. "'Crouching Tiger' Wins Top Prize from L.A. Critics". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 September 2014. 17 December 2000
  20. ↑ King, Susan (7 December 2000). "'Quills' Named Best Film by National Board of Review". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  21. ↑ "Traffic wows New York critics". BBC News. 14 December 2000. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  22. ↑ "Flashes From the week of January 18, 2001". Phoenix New Times. 18 January 2001. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  23. ↑ Reifsteck, Greg (18 December 2000). "‘Gladiator,’ ‘Traffic’ lead Golden Sat noms". Variety. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  24. ↑ Minotta, Mauricio (31 July 2011). "'Traffic,' 'Betty' Are Golden". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  25. ↑ "2000 SEFCA Best Films of the Year". Southeastern Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 13 June 2004. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  26. ↑ "Chicken Run [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] - John Powell | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  27. ↑ "Amazon.com: Chicken Run: Music". Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  28. ↑ "Chicken Run Soundtrack (2000)". Soundtrack.Net. Retrieved 11 October 2014.

External links