CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET is a fun romp through the adventurous world of clay animation. It is the follow-up to the previous chicken action film entitled CHICKEN RUN. But don’t worry, audiences will be caught up in no time after the extensive opening montage from Ginger and Rocky’s crazy past. This sequence took six months to create. Pretty impressive.
The movie is well-produced and brightly colored. It seems “Fun Land Farms” is not all it’s cracked up to be. There are huge, moral decisions about what is the responsibility of chickens everywhere, especially when the cutest, young chickling, Molly, is involved. “A happy chicken is a tasty chicken,” says “Sir Eats A lot.” But Rocky and Ginger battle an “impossible mission” rediscovering “popcorn as a way to solve all of life’s problems while taking a leap of faith.” If only the human world were that simple…
The characters are as adorable as ever. They take on so many human traits and continuously toss out clever, silly, fresh puns for the entire family to moan, groan, and roll their eyes over. The music was upbeat and had shades of other movie-themed songs. The ensemble included great comedic talents such as Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, and Imelda Staunton. I laughed and laughed at their expressive, voice-over surprises.
I was extremely lucky to attend a screening of CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET and meet the director Sam Fell and one of the Producers, Peter Lord, of the stop-motion clay animal community. I have always been a fan of WALLACE AND GROMIT and SHAUN THE SHEEP. I was able to view the puppetry up close and exchange a happy moment with these two amazing creators. Their insights and entertaining thoughts and opinions made my day. I was fascinated by the amount of time it takes thirty animators to complete this zany, spirited, energetic sequel. Kudos to all involved who give people so much joy and keep a smile on our faces.
CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET is for audiences everywhere who can suspend disbelief and sit back to watch a highly satisfying “sweet and sour” story. It will be available to stream on Netflix on December 15th.
