Chicken Run
Chicken Run is a 2000 British-American stop-motion animated adventure comedy film directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park and produced by Aardman Animations in partnership with DreamWorks Animation and Pathé.[1] The story centers on a flock of chickens at Tweedy's Farm who plot a mass escape to avoid being processed into chicken pies by the farm's ruthless owners, Mrs. Tweedy and her bumbling husband Mr. Tweedy; their hopes rise with the arrival of Rocky, an American rooster claiming to know how to fly.[1] Featuring voice performances led by Julia Sawalha as the determined hen Ginger and Mel Gibson as the boastful Rocky, the film parodies the 1963 war film The Great Escape while showcasing Aardman's signature claymation style and meticulous craftsmanship, involving over 120 puppet animators working on the production for three years.[1][2] Upon release, it achieved critical acclaim for its humor, animation quality, and family-friendly appeal, earning a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and became a commercial blockbuster, grossing $227 million worldwide against a $42–45 million budget, establishing it as the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time.[3][4][5]Narrative and Characters
Plot Summary
On Tweedy's Chicken Farm in rural Yorkshire during the 1950s, a flock of anthropomorphic chickens faces execution for failing to lay eggs, as enforced by the farm's owners, Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy.[1][6] Ginger, a persistent hen, leads multiple unsuccessful escape attempts, including tunneling and improvised flights, resulting in solitary confinement for the group.[6] An American rooster named Rocky crash-lands on the farm after being propelled from a circus cannon, claiming he can fly.[1][6] In exchange for hiding from his pursuers, Rocky agrees to teach the chickens to fly, but his methods prove ineffective without mechanical aid.[1] Meanwhile, facing declining egg sales, Mrs. Tweedy installs a massive pie-making machine to process the chickens into pot pies, testing it fatally on one hen.[6] Inspired by Rocky's bravado, the chickens, aided by inventor hen Mac and rats Nick and Fetcher who smuggle parts, construct a makeshift airplane from scavenged farm materials.[6] Parodying prisoner-of-war tactics, they dig decoy tunnels, forge distractions, and stage a diversion during a nighttime roll call to launch the plane down a slope.[6] As the overloaded plane struggles to gain altitude with the flock flapping wings for propulsion, Mrs. Tweedy pursues in her truck, but becomes entangled in the pie machine's gravy hose, destroying it.[6] The airplane finally lifts off, allowing the chickens to escape to a distant island paradise, where Rocky and Ginger reaffirm their bond.[1][6]Voice Cast
The principal voice cast for Chicken Run (2000) included Mel Gibson as the American rooster Rocky, providing a contrasting accent and charismatic bravado drawn from his action-hero roles in films like Lethal Weapon (1987) and Braveheart (1995).[7][8] Julia Sawalha voiced the determined hen Ginger, leveraging her experience in British comedy such as Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2002) to deliver a resolute, leadership-oriented tone.[7][8] Miranda Richardson portrayed the villainous Mrs. Tweedy with a sharp, authoritative edge, informed by her prior dramatic performances in The Crying Game (1992).[7][8]| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Mel Gibson | Rocky |
| Julia Sawalha | Ginger |
| Miranda Richardson | Mrs. Tweedy |
| Tony Haygarth | Mr. Tweedy |
| Jane Horrocks | Babs |
| Imelda Staunton | Bunty |
| Lynn Ferguson | Mac |
| Phil Daniels | Fetcher |
| Benjamin Whitrow | Fowler |
| Timothy Spall | Nick |