Chicken Run Review
by Chad Polenz (ChadPolenz AT aol DOT com)August 10th, 2000
Chicken Run
Every once in a while a so-called children's movie comes along that's NOT some wicked preachy/ goofy
musical/promotion for a line of toys and video games. That's what "Chicken Run" is - a beautifully
animated lighthearted comedy that will pretty much be considered a kid's movie but you don't have to be
eight years old to like it.
Instead of employing computer animation this movie instead uses the seemingly forgotten art of
claymation. Not that there's anything wrong with cartoon and computer animation but this gives the film a
refreshing appeal in today's movie market.
The story revolves around a large group of chickens on an egg farm in England. The story is told from the
chickens' point of view so of course we sympathize with their plight of trying to escape. They are lead by
Ginger, who dreams of freedom but whose repeated escape attempts always fail. One day an American
rooster named Rockey Rhodes ends up in the pen with them and claims he can teach them to fly out of
there.
For the most part, the "story" is predictable, but the way it's told has such a smooth style it's very
enjoyable. There's a lot of comedy here, both the generic slapstick but there's a lot of layers to satire that
appear upon closer inspection. It's not the most thematic movie ever made, but there's nothing wrong with
it either.
GRADE: B
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/ChadPolenz/">Chad'z Movie Page</A> is back! New reviews of the latest movies in easy-to-swallow capsule form with the trendy, Entertainment Weekly-style of letter grades instead of the old star system. Have I sold out? Visit my page and decide for yourself ;-)
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