Great fun - something for (almost) everyone!

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2006)

I never used to like animated films, but over the past five years or so; there's been more and more good ones being released, and these days I enjoy nearly all the ones I see. The majority of animated films are either in 2D, or just lately; computer generated, but there's something about clay models that's more appealing. Perhaps it's the fact that you know just how much effort must have gone into every second of film. The team of Nick Park and Peter Lord; the duo behind the immensely popular 'Wallace and Gromit' have put 'Chicken Run' together, and that's completely obvious throughout. The plot line takes in numerous film tributes, including some small ones to likes of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Easy Rider - but mainly, the whole film is a tribute to the British classic 'The Great Escape'. We follow the trials and tribulations inside of a chicken coup, as the chickens try their best to escape the iron fence that keeps them prisoner. Their efforts are unsuccessful, until one day a hip chicken named Rocky flies into the pen...could he be the answer to their prayers?
Chicken Run works, chiefly, because of it's vitality, and the way that it features enough fun for children, and enough attention to detail to ensure that adults will enjoy it, too. The characters benefit from a great troop of voice actors that succeed brilliantly in bringing life to their characters. Many of the actors are lesser-known stars, but the likes of Miranda Richardson, Julia Sawalha and, of course, Mel Gibson stand out the most. The film always flows well, and even through it has a short running time (understandable, when you consider how much work goes into every frame), you really feel like you've seen a story unfold by the end of the film. The characters here are a lot more deep and detailed than in a lot of 'serious' films, that's for sure! There's a big enough range of humour on offer here to ensure that everyone watching will get a laugh, all in all making Chicken Run a very difficult film not to like. As mentioned, I'm not really into animated films; but there are exceptions, and Chicken Run is definitely one of them.