Chicken Run (G) ★★★
You will believe that chickens can fly ... with the proper aviation
equipment.
Story
When greedy Mrs. Tweedy turns her egg farm into a chicken pie factory,
the resident hens concoct a desperate, last-ditch plan to escape their
fate behind the chicken wire. Farmer Tweedy knows the chickens are up to
something, but his tight-ass wife insists that it's all in his 'ead.
Acting
You know Mel Gibson plays Rocky the Rooster, the would-be
action-chicken, but chances are you've never heard of any of the
wonderful British thesps who play the other poultry. Julia Sawalha of
the Brit sitcom "Absolutely Fabulous" is the voice of Ginger, the heroic
hen who leads the chickens to freedom. Jane Horrocks ("Little Voice,"
and also of "AbFab" fame) plays a dim-witted egg-layer, and Phil Daniels
and Timothy Spall are brilliant as Fletcher and Nick, a pair of rats
with a penchant for thievery.
Direction
Co-directors Nick Park (of "Wallace & Gromit" fame) and Peter Lord (a
founder of Britain's acclaimed Aardman Animation studio) have created an
animated film that's visually inspired and entertaining throughout --
for adults, that is. You gotta wonder if the dreary chicken farm, with
gray skies looming and a concentration camp-like atmosphere (not to
mention all the thick Brit accents), will be a bit off-putting to the
kiddies.
Bottom Line
It's "The Great Escape" a la Colonel Sanders. It's (relatively) low-tech
claymation with all the heart and humor of the high-tech "Toy Story"
flicks. It could be this summer's sleeper, or this summer's "The Iron
Giant."
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