You'll believe a chicken can fly!

Rating: 10/10 (18 June 2000)

By now you probably already know the rough synopsis for this movie ("The Great Escape" with chickens) so I won't dwell upon that aspect of it. What I will say is that it has been a long time since I came out of a movie feeling so joyously happy and utterly satisfied with what I had paid my five bucks for. This movie is everything you could hope for and more: funny, sad, scary, tense, beautiful, fresh and vital. The chickens are all fully-fleshed (feathered?) out characters and so you care deeply for them. The surprise is how powerfully the movie conveys their plight, whilst at the same time perfectly balancing the needs of young and old audiences to be given a constant diet of humor and excitement. There is so much detail in this movie that I think I will need to see it at least a half-dozen more times to take it all in. It will make you feel like the first time you saw "Toy Story" or even "Star Wars". Pure, undiluted cinematic joy.