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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
After nearly twenty-four years, Aardman Animation returns with a sequel to its 2000 awards-winning stop-motion film, Chicken Run. Subtitled Dawn of the Nugget, the new adventure comedy takes its lovely chickens on a mission unlike anything they have experienced before. Not only that, but the characters face new changes in their lives, both on-screen and behind the screen.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is written by Karey Kirkpatrick (James and the Giant Peach, The Little Vampire; also executive producer), John O’Farrell, and Rachel Tunnard, with a story by Kirkpatrick and O’Farrell. The film is directed by Sam Fell (also executive producer) and is co-directed by Jeffrey Newitt.
In this review, I will discuss Netflix’s Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. As the title of this article suggests, there will be no spoilers present here. References to the previous film and other animated and/or adventure feature titles may be made!
Netflix’s Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget Synopsis
According to Netflix, here is the synopsis for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.
From the multi Academy and BAFTA award-winning Aardman (Creature Comforts, Wallace & Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep), and Academy Award and BAFTA-nominated director Sam Fell (ParaNorman and Flushed Away, respectively), comes Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the eagerly anticipated sequel to the beloved and highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time, Chicken Run. Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger has finally found her dream — a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world. When she and Rocky hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk — this time, they’re breaking in!
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Discussion
Living up to the success of Lord and Park’s original film is no easy challenge. Fell’s Chicken Run sequel has much to work off of, from inventing an original conflict, to thinking of jokes unspoken before, to introducing unfamiliar faces to the Aardman world. The film occurs briefly after its predecessor, where the main chicken characters—the poultry protagonists? the poult-agonists?—and their surviving group now reside on a small island resting in the middle of a river. Embarking on their next adventure happens all too soon, resulting in seldom time to savor the landscapes of the island. While 2000’s Chicken Run is a product of the early years of Pixar and DreamWorks animated cinema, Dawn of the Nugget appears to be a celebration of that era as it seeks what future lies ahead.
Dawn of the Nugget‘s music and sound editing aid in signaling the new changes that the world undergoes. For example, tracks performed by Paloma Faith as well as Cliff Richard and the Shadows accentuate that the characters are in a transitional period. Part of the score pays homage to films like Mission: Impossible, while another part involves a religious organ-like tune. For most of the time, the soundtrack is what one would expect from an Aardman production, which is pretty good.
Screenwriters Kirkpatrick and O’Farrell, now joined by Tunnard, help deliver some amusing comedy. There are laughable moments throughout, including witticisms invoking puns related to chickens, which is to be expected. Yet, it is rare to come across the authentically hilarious bits. These moments strive to balance with the more grave portions of the narrative. Namely, those portions comprise the feat of topping the “concentration camp” circumstance of the first film. This predicament isn’t as tenebrous, but it can be appreciated upon a second viewing.
Poultry in Motion
Head of story Richard Phelan and supervising art director Matt Perry lead a magnificent team of animators and storyboard artists. Production designer Darren Dubicki creates a glorious set piece for the chicken island, which is photographed beautifully by DP Charles Copping. The view of the civilization on the island is such a nice shot that the whole film could have just taken place here alone. Copping shoots memorable imagery, and even from the opening act, it is edited seamlessly by the editorial team when transitioning from scene to scene.
Some sequences that Dawn of the Nugget possesses feel all too real when it comes to stop-motion animation. In one scene by the end of the opening act, Copping tilts the camera sideways as his camera creepily captures the bright and colorful aspects of the Fun-Land playroom. The “uncanny valley” production design of this location setting juxtaposes wonderfully with the pure picturesque look of the chicken island. It’s almost like peering into Barbieland and contrasting it with the more aesthetically appealing facets of reality. Another scene finds the animals interacting with a pile of corn feed. Animating this sequence from the dive—as if into a pool of water—to the string of events that follow had to have been worth the effort.
If anything, the Fun-Land set piece demonstrates the fact that there is no playing god here. There is no re-creating Heaven and Earth, nor light and darkness. Still, the darkness that is present reveals a truth that the other elements cannot straight away. The storyboard artists do a fantastic job of portraying both the haunting moments of the story along with the more thrilling ones.
Cracking the Formula
As per the director, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget takes inspiration from heist films, early James Bond films, The Truman Show, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and James Cameron’s Aliens. I did not see the film much from those angles. Instead, I found several moments that paralleled and/or poked fun at the world of Pixar, particularly the original Toy Story trilogy.
Fell’s film played out like a fine rescue film, watching two newfound friends bond at a petrol station; the chickens blending in with their new environment during this primary mission; some characters discovering themselves doomed to descend into the fiery depths of Hell; some venting as a means to overcome adversity; and their rise to the occasion via… elevator (or lift, depending on your region’s lingo). Interestingly enough, it seems Dawn of the Nugget wanted to take the route of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey without directly addressing it.
The Crew Behind Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Charles Copping serves as the director of photography for the film.
Stephen Perkins and Sim Evan-Jones serve as the editors. Tom Doggart and Dan Hembery are the associate editors.
Harry Gregson-Williams (The Prince of Egypt, Shrek) produces and conducts the score for the Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget soundtrack. Jonathan Keith and Halli Cauthery score additional music. Tony Lewis serves as the music editor.
Dillon Bennett is the supervising sound editor. Grace Averbuch, Axel Steichen, and Matt Waites are the sound effects editors. Sean Miller is the assistant sound editor.
Lucy Rands (Ready Player One, Star Wars: Visions) is the casting director for the voice actors. Patsy Pollock is the original casting director.
Aesthetics
Richard Phelan is the head of story. Darren Dubicki serves as the production designer. Matt Perry is the supervising art director.
Ian Whitlock and Loyd Price are the animation supervisors. Suzy Fagan Parr serves as the additional sequence director.
Michael Salter, Rob Stevenhagen, Luis Zamora Pueyo, and Sanna Myllykangas are the senior storyboard artists. Kartika Mediani, Andy Janes, and Andrea Simonti are the storyboard artists.
Ashley Boddy, Andrew Brooks, Matt Jones, Carlos Lutterbach, Tom Parkinson, and Sharon Smith are the additional storyboard artists. Clara Cornish is the junior storyboard artist.
Richard Edmunds, Simon Farrell, Sarah Hauldren, and Matt Sanders are the art directors.
Grace Mahony is the assistant art director for the art of the film. Kitty Clay and Lorna Cashmore are the assistant art directors for the set and prop making.
Felicie Haymoz and Michael Salter serve as the character designers. Andrew Spradbery is the lead sculptor. Debbie Smith is the sculptor.
Jon Biggins is the visual effects supervisor. Kirstie Deane is the VFX producer. Stuart Bruce is the VFX editor. Jon Bousfield is the VFX assistant editor.
Jim Lewis is the on-set VFX supervisor. Nick Miller serves as the VFX sequence producer.
The Voice Cast Behind Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Thandiwe Newton (The Pursuit of Happyness, HBO’s Westworld) voices Ginger, the lead adult hen of the film. Newton replaces Julia Sawalha, who voiced the character in the original film.
Zachary Levi voices Rocky, the lead adult rooster. Levi replaces Mel Gibson, who voiced the character in the original film.
Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us) voices Molly, Ginger and Rocky’s firstborn child.
Imelda Staunton (the Harry Potter film franchise, the Paddington film franchise, Netflix’s The Crown), Lynn Ferguson, and Jane Horrocks voice hens Bunty, Mac, and Babs, respectively. David Bradley (the Harry Potter film franchise, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio) voices Fowler, an elderly rooster.
Romesh Ranganathan and Daniel Mays voice Nick and Fetcher, two rats, respectively. Josie Sedgwick-Davies voices Frizzle, a young hen who befriends Molly.
Peter Serafinowicz (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy) voices Reginald Smith, the manager of a Sir Eat-a-Lot family restaurant. Nick Mohammed voices Dr. Fry. Miranda Richardson voices Mrs. Melisha Tweedy, the primary antagonist of the Chicken Run films.
Julia Sawalha is credited as the voice of Ginger in a flashback scene.
David Brooks voices a burly guard. Dan Williamson voices a van driver.
Associate editor Tom Doggart voices a 2D narrator & male guards. Director and executive producer Sam Fell voices a 2D animated boy & dying moth. Naomi McDonald voices a 2D animated mum, beryl & chicken 314. Kate Harbour voices a biscuit chicken & female guards. Tim Bentinck voices a gate guard.
Sophie Smith voices a snail who tries to run from Fowler.
Ramanique Ahluwalia, Abigail Andjel, Timothy Bentinck, Sudha Bhuchar, Angela Christofilou, Sarah Counsell, Nicole Davis, Alison Dowling, Lillie Flynn, Matthew Gammie, Rebecca Gethings, Rebekah Hinds, Shobu Kapoor, Amy McAllister, Harry McEntire, Willow Nash, Dami Olukoya, Tamaryn Payne, Elizabeth Price, Will Vanderpuye, Joan Walker, Sam Wilkinson, Dean Williamson, Becky Wright, and Amina Zia also contribute their voices.
Voice Performances and Character Developments
Newton as the new voice behind Ginger makes an interesting addition. This casting choice is the result of a risky sacrifice that could not have happened without interference from the animation studio, who decided to replace Julia Sawalha with younger talent. There is some development from Ginger where she, at times, suffers from post-traumatic stress primarily caused by former farm owner, Mrs. Melisha Tweedy (voiced by Miranda Richardson). Despite this, the main hen—the protag-hen-ist?—of the film continues to be a strong leader type who is confident about her decisions. With that, Ginger holds wise philosophies about being situated in an oppressed group, in this case, chickens who are prone to farmhouse slaughter.
Ramsey as Molly is a voice who is congruous with the rest of the roster. The actor adds new credits to their filmography following the controversial albeit well-deserved success of HBO’s The Last of Us Season 1 at the beginning of this year. Ramsey’s voice acting is sweet, breathing life and a soul into a character who would otherwise be two-dimensional. Their character plays the archetype of the naïve child curious enough to break boundaries, similar to the titular character in Pixar’s Finding Nemo. With that said, there is so much more about Molly that the screenwriters could invest development into, such as the autonomous decision to change their name.
Final Thoughts on Aardman and Netflix’s Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Sam Fell’s film is almost as impeccable as that which came before it. Whereas the first Chicken Run told a tale to mirror and highlight the tragedies of history, Dawn of the Nugget is representative of the post-modern world controlled by capital. It is filled with upbeat stop-motion animation and entrancing production designs, a resonating soundtrack—not to mention the Wilhelm scream that is inserted in quite a timely manner—, and a sufficiently decent screenplay come to life that deserves to be seen twice, yet it showcases character progression that long-time fans are already too familiar with.
4/5
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget streams via Netflix starting next Friday, December 15th!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
