A family film in the truest sense of the word

Rating: 8/10 (25 June 2000)

A family film in the truest sense of the word. This is a movie the entire family will enjoy, not just the 5 and under set. Winking its eye at cultural diversity, and the animosity that oftentimes goes along with it, was a clever move, and makes for some of the best jokes in the film. The English covering up feelings of inferiority by denouncing the "Yanks" and the "Yanks'" cockiness (pardon the pun) and naivety of other cultures are both put on vivid display here, all for the sake of a few good laughs. Then there's the romance, the sexuality (yes, sexuality - with chickens!) and the violence. Throw in a good dash of action, an inspired scene straight out of Indiana Jones' 101, in particular, and you have the ingredients for one of the most entertaining animated movies in years. An over-abundance of failed escape scenes drag the film down a bit. Watching a few dozen chickens trying to escape from their "prison" is only amusing so many times, before it starts seeming like filler-material. This petty complaint aside, Nick Park, the claymation genius behind short-films such as "Wallace & Gromit" and "Creature Comforts", is off to a great start with his first full-length animated movie.