Chicken Run (G, 2000)

CHICKEN RUN has arrived, to the joy and relief of the many fans of Nick Park's Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit short films. In his studio's first feature-length movie, a brave chicken plots an escape from a small Yorkshire chicken farm. The stern and angry Mrs. Tweedy (voiced by Miranda Richardson) and her hen-pecked husband have bullied their hens into producing eggs, but now they've set up a fierce-looking machine that turns chickens into chicken pies. Ginger (Julia Sawalha) is a smart, brave, loyal chicken who won't leave unless she can take the others with her. When an American circus rooster named Rocky (Mel Gibson) arrives, Ginger gets him to agree to teach the chickens to fly over the fence, so they can find a place where they can live in freedom.

Animator Nick Park is a master at creating a world that is enchantingly believable. The farm seems to be set in the 1950s, and every detail, down to the last nail in the last board on the hen house wall, looks exactly as it should. The chickens are highly individual, completely believable, and wildly funny, as are the side-characters. Parents and kids alike will delight in Park's Rube Goldberg-like machines and split-second action sequences.

Kids may not get all the jokes and some of the 1950s references may even escape adults. There is a wonderful variety of British accents here, but that shouldn't deter non-Brit viewers. Both kids and adults will find much to enjoy in the chickens' adventures and their incredibly creative, highly detailed, animated world.

Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Nick Park
Cast: Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Miranda Richardson
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 84 minutes
Theatrical release: June 23, 2000
DVD release: November 21, 2000
MPAA Rating: G
MPAA explanation: general audiences