Chicken Run Review

Rating: 8/10 (15 February 2018)

Chicken run is in the details. What starts and ends as a parody of "The Great Escape" continuously picks up unique elements along the way, developing its own reputation as a solid, feel-good movie.

Both Chicken Run and The Great Escape feature a collection of prisoners, summoned to roll call, living in numbered shacks in captivity. Both feature one character repeatedly trying to escape. Both feature the escaping character repeatedly being caught. When caught, both characters are put in solitary confinement, where both characters pass the time by bouncing a ball off the opposite wall. Both feature stealing bed slats to construct a tunnel as an attempt at escape. Both use a wood stove as the cover to the secret tunnel. Both feature the British Royal Air Force - In The Great Escape, all the prisoners are captured airmen; Chicken Run only features one RAF member. In a subtler reference, The Great Escape shows a character using his pants to sneak dirt out of the tunnel - Chicken Run shows a character using their pants to smuggle bolts and supplies in for the chicken's final escape attempt. The tunnel escape, However, is where Chicken Run begins to take on an identity of its own. The Chickens, unlike the captured british airmen, do not manage to escape.
Some plot points are fairly obvious to older viewers (Rocky can't fly) or unoriginal (Rocky's decision to return); however they provide clues that younger viewers will delight to find on their inevitable re-watches. The Hen House transforming into a plane, meanwhile, is a surprise I doubt many saw coming. Looking back, clues were provided - no view of the project during the construction montage but walls of the house - but the cinematography setup the surprise very well, showing construction without raising suspicion of what was being constructed.
The film accomplishes something very unique in terms of suspense. Younger audiences will realize the characters are risking death, and will be riveted. In most films targeted towards children, suspense will decrease as the viewing age increases. However, in Chicken Run, the older audiences realize just how gruesome the danger is. Suspense in Chicken Run, as a result, does not decrease with age. I found myself just as terrified at the pie machine as I was when much younger. As a child, death was constant - being trapped in the oven, falling into the blades, being crushed by the roller - all ended in the same result. As an adult, Roasting to death, being drawn into a woodchipper, and being trapped as a steam-roller draws nearer are all as if not more terrifying. Mrs. Tweedy being trapped in the gravy tank as the gravy level rose was particularly fear-inducing. In terms of suspense, Chicken Run provides something for all age levels.
The small details presented in the film are what takes Chicken Run from a simple story to a beautiful piece of art. Most obviously are the numerous references to The Great Escape. Less obviously are little things, like the drive shaft of the delivery truck that brings the pie machine. Placing the camera on the ground pointed upwards to show the rotating parts underneath is an unnecessary item that helps keep the already engaging stop motion even more visually attractive. The two black market rats are named Nick and Fetcher respectively. "Nick" in british english means to steal, and "Fetcher" means ones who procures. The rats do exactly that, stealing items from the Tweedy's household to sell. Nick's character wears a suit jacket that zips up, with the zipper displayed prominently on the front. At first glance, it looks exactly like a tie. Inside the barn, an incredible amount of detail work went into the backgrounds and the pie making machine. Shovels lean against the walls, tools hang from boards, work benches accumulate dust. Gears and pipes span left and right, Metal supports have holes in them exactly as a real structure would. Chicken Run's small details make it a visual masterpiece, with every scene hiding something to look for. If the suspense and plot don't satisfy, watching for the hidden gems in the set certainly will.