Barnes & Noble

A coop full of tender chickens attempt to fly for freedom in the newest claymation creation from Nick Park and Peter Lord, whose U.K.-based Aardman Animations is known for its wildly popular Wallace & Gromit series. After several unsuccessful attempts to escape the chicken farm of vicious Mrs. Tweedy (voiced by Miranda Richardson), a snappy hen named Ginger (Julia Sawalha) thinks she finds the answer to her prayers in the form of a Yankee Doodle Dandy named Rocky (Mel Gibson), who can supposedly fly. But can the charming rooster save the hens from their imminent doom -- being diced for pot pies? Intelligent execution of a witty story makes this farmhouse allegory vastly entertaining, and it's enhanced all the more by a colorful cast of characters and clever references to films like The Great Escape. Simultaneously humorous and touching, Chicken Run's visual and technical magic is wholly cinematic in scope, a perfect example of the animation niche Aardman has carved for itself. Although not always the fun-filled children's romp you would expect -- several allusions to the tragedies of World War II are made -- Chicken Run still strikes home on many levels. And after only one viewing, you may think twice before eating another chicken pot pie. Patricia Kim O'Cone

All Movie Guide

Aardman Animations, the British clay-animation studio that created a cult sensation (and won three Academy awards) with its short subjects featuring Wallace and Gromit, presents its first feature film, a mixture of comedy and adventure. Mrs. Tweedy (voice of Miranda Richardson) operates a chicken farm, where most of the birds have resigned themselves to a short and uneventful life of producing eggs and ending up as the main course of someone's Sunday dinner. But when Rocky (voice of Mel Gibson), a rooster from America, arrives on the farm, things begin to change. Rocky soon finds romance with a hen named Ginger (voice of Julia Sawalha) who longs for a better life and has been trying to find a way out of the farm for some time; together they devise a plan to escape to freedom. However, Rocky and Ginger soon find themselves racing against the clock when Mrs. Tweedy decides it's time to turn the entire flock into chicken pies. Nick Park, director of the Wallace and Gromit shorts, co-directed Chicken Run with Peter Lord, who produced several Aardman projects and created animation for the TV series Pee-Wee's Playhouse. The voice cast also includes Jane Horrocks, Phil Daniels, and Timothy Spall. Mark Deming

Time Magazine

It's a parable of plucky sisterhood: hens who endure life's drab defeats while hoping for a break. The film is funny and touching and beautifully understated; its characters earn big laughs with the subtlest wrinkle of a brow, sobs with a stifled sigh. Richard Corliss

Product Details

• UPC: 678149190427
• Source: DREAMWORKS VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled
• Time: 1:24:00
• Sales Rank: 26,272