Recently I've seen a handful of movies before I viewed Julie & Julia and instead of letting my thoughts on them slip away I thought I might try and grasp onto them before the need to watch them again. First up will be Chicken Run (2000), a stop animation flick from the fine people at Aardman studios, who are most famous for the popular Wallace and Gromit series.
Chicken Run is a welcome addition to the long line of escape movies such as Grand Illusion (1937) and The Great Escape (1963), and I'm quite serious about this. The movie follows a group of hens confined to lay eggs for retail sale in a chicken farm. When one of these hens begins to falter on egg production they get the axe. Ginger, the self appointed leader of these hens continues in her attempts and determination to set every last chicken free from the farm. Her attempts continue to fail though hope arrives with Rocky, a suspected flying rooster who in return for hiding and safekeeping agrees to teach the hens to fly in a way to escape their impending fate.
Like Aardman's Wallace and Gromit series, Chicken Run is full of wit and cleverly accurate comedic timing. Also, Aardman Studios has a great grasp on their animation style, it's immediately identifiable and somehow retains a casual charm yet remains professional and well crafted. I've really fallen for the style of their animation (Though I've been a huge fan of Wallace and Gromit before I ever saw Chicken Run).
The Character Progressions are not something we all haven't seen before. Ginger is a determined dreamer and the real drive of the story from a character's stand point, Rocky is a reluctant hero who in the end makes up for his deceit and faults, and the way it gradually reveals their affection for one another is nothing new as well. But the movie makes up for these slight short comings with it's execution. These characters are maturely handled and the movie is able to round them out and give them personality better than most live action films. Plus the humor is always clever and catchy, and there is even a rousing action sequence involving Ginger and Rocky escaping from an intimidating doom machine which makes chicken pies. This is really a movie I could recommend for anyone. The humor is smart and accessible and it's something parents wouldn't have to dread viewing with their children. In short, it's got something for everyone and never cheapens itself which is a welcome relief to say about any animated film that comes out today.
I have to see this just because there is a character named Rocky!
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