‘Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget’ Review: A Cluckingly Good, Colourful And Upbeat Heist-style Movie

Twenty-three years after Chicken Run, our beloved, feathered, animated friends are now returning to our screens in Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. This latest Sam Fell movie (Flushed Away) has a different format (as the sequel is released on Netflix and barely in cinemas), a few absentees (including Julia Sawalha and Mel Gibson) and a few new voices (such as Josie Sedgwick-Davies and Bella Ramsey), but the same old fun, colourful and upbeat scenes.

The typical Aardman vibrant colours and the wide and welcoming shots by DoP Charles Copping (Shaun the Sheep Movie) transport you straight to the idyllic and remote little island where Ginger the chicken (Thandiwe Newton), her husband/rooster Rocky (Zachary Levi) and their friends are residing after creatively escaping from the Tweedy’s farm. From the get-go, you can tell that Aardman again pushed the boat out when creating stunning stop-motion animations. You have the traditional clay figurines and maquettes, the straightforward linear shots on one hand, the modern razor-sharp digital cameras, and the more kooky shots on the other. The former is used much more at the beginning when you see what the hens and cockerels are up to.

They now live in peace and won’t be turned into a chicken pie. That is until Ginger and Rocky’s curious and adventurous girl, Molly (Ramsey), decides to spread her wings to go on the adventure of a lifetime. Her curiosity takes her and her friend Frizzle (Sedgwick-Davies) to the Fun-Land Farm factory. From the outside, the factory could have easily been mistaken for the HQ of a murderous villain. However, once Molly and Frizzle step into it, they’re immersed in a Barbie-like giant playground. After the initial excitement of enjoying the swings, spring riders and all-you-can-eat feeding stations, Molly notices something strange.

The collars aren’t a fashion statement but a controlling device that dupes the chickens into believing they’ve found paradise. Instead, they’re living in hell as the owners of the Fun-Land Farm factory have much more sinister plans. Just like her mother, who’s already hatching a plan to break into the factory to save her daughter, Molly decides to save the imprisoned chickens from being turned into nuggets.

When watching Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, it becomes clear that Aardman took a lot of inspiration from their 2000 original work, which is both a blessing and a curse for this sequel. The curse is that the chickens sadly still don’t have a lot of personality. Yes, they each have their recognizable personality trait, but neither of our feathered leads is memorable, even more so because Ginger is now voiced by Newton (Rogue).

While Newton does a beautiful job, she’s no Sawalha (Press Gang), who initially voiced the courageous and witty hen. Sawalha was excluded from this movie because the filmmakers wanted “someone younger to voice the inspiring leader as Sawalha’s voice sounded too old”. This decision would be understandable (still not justified, though) if it weren’t for the fact that Sawalha is only four years older than Newton and that Ginger herself has also matured since 2000. She became a wife and mother, after all.

What is a blessing for this feature, though, is its extremely high level of entertainment. The Mission-Impossible style heist Molly and Frizzle pull off to get into the factory, the many frantic chases involving the chicken nugget-making machinery and the numerous dad jokes ensure that this sequel is constantly amusing. Of course, this film wouldn’t be complete without the many background jokes only adults will get.

What also makes Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget such a delight is the many returning actors. Apart from the Sawalha-Newton mishap, the voicing cast is top-notch. Despite Rooster being less present in this movie, as we see much more of the heroic chickens instead, Chicken Run newcomer Levi (American Underdog) gives the cockerel the perfect, powerful and rock ‘n roll voice. Ramsey (The Last of Us) and Sedgwick-Davies are upbeat and lively additions to the on-screen group of hens. David Bradley (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio) excels as the nostalgic war veteran Fowler.

Also, Imelda Staunton (The Crown) and Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous) are pitch-perfect again as the power duo Bunty-Babs. While the naïve Babs still delivers many excellent moments, her iconic line, “ I don’t want to be a pie”, doesn’t have the same effect anymore. This is because it has been used way too many times. That over-usage of nostalgic references to the original Chicken Run also doesn’t do this film any favours. Instead of focusing on creating a completely new and refreshing storyline, which is (partly) why the 2000 feature was so popular, the filmmakers decided to re-use what they had already made many years ago. Therefore, the storyline feels a bit thin and unoriginal.

While Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget isn’t perfect, as the casting choices are questionable and the storyline falls flat, it’s still a charming and entertaining film that will be adored by young and old.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is now available on Netflix