The 2000 film ‘Chicken Run’ became an instant family hit as soon as it hit the big screen. This family classic is also another popular film that I haven’t seen (until just recently). So, for my Family Movie Night Series, I took a look at both the 2000 film and its Netflix sequel.
‘Chicken Run’ tells the story of a band of chickens doomed to a life of egg-laying on a Yorkshire chicken farm. When an American rooster arrives on the scene, the hens hope he can teach them to fly to freedom.
However, when a chicken pie making machine is installed, their need becomes urgent and they must devise other means of escape.
This 2000 stop-motion animation classic is an amazing story that can be delightful fun for the whole family. The humor in the film really delivers and there is a good amount of British wit scattered throughout.
There are quite a few scenes throughout the film where you could possibly tell it was partly inspired by the classic film ‘The Great Escape’ (mainly in the first opening minutes). The Aardman production also features beautiful animation and we can see that the filmmakers put a lot of hard work into this film.
‘Chicken Run’ also features many memorable characters and a nice simple story that gives us a good amount of comedy, plus a tiny little bit of thrills, especially when the chickens try to make their big escape at the end. For the younger audience, the chicken’s big escape shouldn’t be too tense for them!
The 2023 sequel, ‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nuggets,’ having escaped from the farm, Ginger and Rocky welcome a new little adventurer into their lives. Back on the mainland, the whole chicken-kind faces another terrible threat.
Even though ‘Dawn of the Nuggets’ does deliver some decent laughs and, of course, more great Aardman animation, the 2000 film is the better of the two.
The ‘Chicken Run’ sequel does have moments that give us some fun silly moments that will give us a little chuckle. The Netflix sequel sort of parodies spy films (mainly ‘Mission: Impossible) during the latter half of the movie.
We do get to see how a few of the characters have been affected after the events of the 2000 movie. Ginger (the mother) becomes very over-protective of her and Rocky’s daughter as she wants to discover what’s outside the island.
Now, the sequel does have some interesting, fun ideas. Yet, it just doesn’t have the same feel of the original movie. It’s definitely some good family entertainment, but the 2000 film is definitely the better of the two.
You can find both ‘Chicken Run’ and ‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nuggets’ on Netflix!
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