'3BlackChicks Review...'
CHICKEN RUN (2000) Rated G; running time 85 minutes Genre: Animated IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0120630 Official site (US): http://www.reel.com/chickenrun/ Official site (UK): http://www.chickenrun.co.uk/ Written by: Mark Burton, Karey Kirkpatrick, Jack Rosenthal Directed by: Nick Park, Peter Lord Cast: Voices of: Mel Gibson, Julia Sawahla, Miranda Richardson, Anthony Haygarth, Phil Daniels, Timothy Spall, Lynne Ferguson, Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton, Benjamin Whitrow
Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2000 Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamschicken.html
Like many of My Fellow Americans, my only real exposure to British Humour has been through the occasional transplanted TV series made over for an American audience, and through shows like BENNY HILL and PRISONER: CELL BLOCK H (yes, I know it was Aussie, and a drama. Hey, work with me here). All the more reason why I enjoyed CHICKEN RUN so much: I didn't have the added burden of having the ready comparison to its kin WALLACE AND GROMMIT or THE WRONG TROUSERS, for better or worse. Without hesitation or excuse, I could (and did), in my Anglo-virgin eyes, enjoy CHICKEN RUN for what it was.
The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**):
Life on the farm is anything but fun for dese hea' chicks.
Tired of being cooped up for her purchase of eggs (and of living in fear that the axe will fall the day that her egg-production days are over), Ginger (Julia Sawahla) dreams of freedom Somewhere Out There, away from her oppressors, evil chicken farmer Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) and her henpecked husband Mr. Tweedy (Anthony Haygarth). Ginger gets little help from her fellow cacklers, featherbrained Babs (Jane Horrocks), rough-and-tumble Bunty (Imelda Staunton), the scholarly Scotschick Mac (Lynne Ferguson), or the old cock Fowler (Benjamin Whitrow), since most of them are caught up in the slave mentality that tells them they are destined to live out their lives in captivity. But Ginger ain't havin' it; and with the help of packrats Nick (Timothy Spall) and Fetcher (Phil Daniels), and Rocky (Mel Gibson), a cocky flying Rhode Island rooster who falls out of the sky and into their roost, Ginger believes she and her chick friends might soon gain their freedom after all...
The Upshot: Loverly. Simply loverly.
CHICKEN RUN got the adult-to-children entertainment ratio right, even moreso than TOY STORY 2 did--and TS2 was one of my top ten flicks of 1999, so you know that's saying a lot. A good mix of clever allusions to war flicks of the past (especially THE GREAT ESCAPE and STALAG 17), plus quick nods to the likes of COOL HAND LUKE and Gibson's BRAVEHEART, "Chicken" didn't forget to play for the kiddies as well--and it did so without patronizing the children or insulting its older audience's intelligence. For every adult-type inside joke that went over the wee tot's heads ("bend over and kiss your bum goodbye!"), there was a message that could be easily grasped by the young ones. Would that DINOSAUR had been scripted by this team of folks; it might've been a much different flick.
But that's too heavy a statement to make here. The beauty of CHICKEN RUN is that it was fun to watch, even with its non-bright colors (done purposefully, I'd say, to denote a World War II-ish time period, as well as the comparative bleakness of the setting). In fact, not having seen the aforementioned WALLACE AND GROMMIT yet (though I'll be remedying that right soon, I reckon), I can easily compare it to another animated favorite of mine, A BUG'S LIFE, in its attention to detail and surrounding environment. And, like "Bug" in its climax, "Chicken" addresses the concept of teamwork, another good lesson for kids to take away. Not a shabby one for us adults either, come to think of it.
The animation technique used in CHICKEN RUN - claymation - worked beautifully; there were only a few moments (primarily when the camera was pulled back for a long shot) that the "drawings" seemed transparent and the scene didn't look natural (as if a chicken with teeth, and hands instead of wings, could possibly look natural). Still, it was head-and-shoulders above the schizo animation mix in TITAN A.E. with the added benefit of looking less polished (and therefore, even more believable) in its backgrounds.
But as good as the animation was, the voice characterizations were even better; again, a welcome improvement over "Titan" and "Dinosaur" before it. Here, the characters were convincing in their chickdom (and let us not forget about Nick and Fetcher's ratitude), and more important, the actors seemed in-touch with their characters; they seemed to be having fun with them. From the sweet airheadedness of Jane Horrock as Babs (her "How did you enjoy your Holiday?" as Ginger was brought back from time in The Hole, had more sincerity in its English lilt than the same line from an American Gen X actress could ever hope to deliver), to Phil Daniels and Timothy Spall's delight in playing a couple'a rats, to Lynne Ferguson's Mac and her playful nod to Scotty of STAR TREK fame, Julia Sawahla's dogged determination as Ginger, and the overall image of chickens running around like their heads were cut off - the actors and their characters almost all worked for me.
Especially, much to my surprise, Mel Gibson. After his mugging of the camera in "Lethal Weapon"s 2, 3, and 4, I was ready to write off his cute butt as one of those grossly overpaid movie stars who have more money than talent. As much as the producers balked at an American "stealing the show" (it's been reported that the production team insisted that the Yankee Rocky not be the hero here), that's exactly what happened in any scene where Gibson laid on his considerable charms as cocky Rocky. It wasn't so much that the other actors were lacking--they weren't--but Gibson just shined a wee bit brighter than the rest, and most surprising of all, he didn't work that last nerve in doing so. But on the other end of the spectrum was Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Tweedy; I know Richardson has the stuff of a good actress, but in "Chicken", I just wasn't feelin' her. Here, she was not only mean enough, she also wasn't given enough lines, making her character seem more a supporting player than the lead the story suggested. A minor quibble, to say the least; even at its worst, CHICKEN RUN just daggone fun to watch.
The one head-scratcher I came away with was the attitude of the chickens to their eggs. One has to wonder if these chickens grasped the "where do little chickens come from, mommy?" concept. This, however, was counterbalanced by the snicker-funny "which came first?" discussion between rats Nick and Fetcher--which reminds me to remind you: never leave an animated movie before the credits are over, or you might miss something "special".
CHICKEN RUN is one of those flicks I look forward to seeing multiple times with different age groups, to see the different vibes folks of all ages get from it. Can't wait to see it with my young cousins--and with my mother.
Bammer's Bottom Line: A clever, funny flick with a good sense of Brit style, and a surprisingly good (without being overbearingly cloying) vocal performance by Mel Gibson. Claymation sure has come a long way since "The California Raisins", eh?
CHICKEN RUN (rating: greenlight): Now, who's up for a 2-piece and a biscuit?
Rose "Bams" Cooper /~\ Webchick and Editor, /','\ 3BlackChicks Review /','`'\ Movie Reviews With Flava! /',',','/`, Copyright Rose Cooper, 2000 `~-._'c / EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com `\ ( http://www.3blackchicks.com/ /====\
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