Review of Chicken Run (2000) by Jay P — 28 Jul 2011

"Birds of a feather flop together.".

Synopsis: Greedy farm owner Mrs. Tweedy runs her 1950s Yorkshire poultry ranch like a prisoner-of-war camp, pushing the resident chickens ever closer to unrest.

The actual concept behind the story isn't terribly original, Chicken Run is essentially a prison break film, and a relatively uninspired one. But once you realize how wonderfully executed the picture is, you won't really notice, or care. There's so much charm that comes from Aardman production's stop-motion animation; the objects onscreen are near impossible to look away from, it's a shame that Aardman productions has seemingly moved on from molding clay figures to the digital realm.

Besides the dashing animation, Chicken Run has some fantastic acting. Sure, the voices fit the characters, allowing you to forget the voice behind the creature, but many lines are delivered with such perfect timing and uncanny conviction, you may have to remind yourself that the chicken at your ranch can't understand english.

Though the concept behind the picture is nothing new, the witty script, charming animation, and superb acting make for a perfect animated kids' film.