Chicken Run ***** (2000, voice of Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha, Miranda Richardson, Tony Haygarth, Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton, Phil Daniels, Timothy Spall) – Classic Movie Review 1,558

Producer/story-writer/directors Nick Park and Peter Lord’s adorable 2000 Aardman film feature-length animation film Chicken Run stars the voice of Mel Gibson as Rocky Rhodes, the Rhode Island rooster.

This lovely, adorable, delightfully funny smash-hit British animated adventure features the Plasticine chickens of Nick Park, of Wallace and Gromit fame.

With its screenplay by Karey Kirkpatrick, the yarn, set on a creepy 1950s English chicken farm, successfully parodies Steve McQueen’s The Great Escape, as Rocky and Ginger (voice of Julia Sawalha) lead a breakout from the evil Tweedy family’s Yorkshire farm, where they are repressed and face certain death.

Miranda Richardson (Mrs Tweedy), Tony Haygarth (Mr Tweedy), Jane Horrocks (Babs), Imelda Staunton (Bunty), Phil Daniels (Fetcher), Timothy Spall (Nick), Benjamin Whitrow (Fowler) and Lynn Ferguson (Mac) provide the other star voices.

This one will run and run!

Aardman’s first feature-length film is written by Karey Kirkpatrick, based on an original story by Peter Lord and Nick Park.

And it did run and run, though it took a long time. A sequel called Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget was released on Netflix on 15 December 2023. Aardman said that Mel Gibson was not asked to return as Rocky, instead recast with Zachary Levi. Julia Sawalha is also recast as Ginger. She said Aardman alleged that her voice now sounded too old: ‘I have officially been plucked, stuffed and roasted.’ Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton and Lynn Ferguson reprise their roles as Babs, Bunty and Mac.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1,558

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Ginger (voice of Julia Sawalha).

Imelda Staunton is Bunty.

 Jane Horrocks is Babs.