Chicken Run, the beloved 2000 claymation film, has cemented its place in animation history. Directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park, Chicken Run tells the story of a group of chickens trying to escape from an oppressive egg farm. Through its witty dialogue, lovable characters, and painstakingly crafted stop-motion animation, Chicken Run has won the hearts of both critics and audiences alike. But how exactly was this quirky chicken caper brought to life? Let’s take a closer look at the origins, production process, and legacy of Chicken Run.
The Inception of Chicken Run
Nick Park and Peter Lord came up with the idea for Chicken Run in 1995. Park and Lord, who helped start Aardman Animations, wanted to make the company’s first full-length movie. They thought of Chicken Run as a funny take on The Great Escape (1963), but instead of Allied prisoners of war, they used chickens.
Aardman had already established itself as a leader in claymation with Park’s Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit shorts. Chicken Run would allow them to expand the potential of stop-motion animation into a full-length movie. Once Park and Lord settled on escaped chickens as their protagonists, the punny title Chicken Run was born
Bringing Onboard DreamWorks and Pathé
With the story idea in place, Aardman secured financing and distribution partners for Chicken Run They brought the project to DreamWorks in 1996 After a lengthy courting process, DreamWorks officially came onboard in 1997. Chicken Run would be their first animated film.
Pathé agreed to co-finance Chicken Run soon after DreamWorks. Their financing allowed Aardman to start development and design. With financing and distributors sorted, the next task was crafting a script that would do justice to the eccentric concept.
Crafting the Story and Script
Peter Lord and Nick Park developed the story and characters. Then in 1997, they brought on American screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick to write the script. Kirkpatrick added some key elements that gave the story more Hollywood structure, including the romance between chickens Ginger and Rocky. However, the film retained the very British sensibilities of Aardman.
The script evolved over time, even during production. Additional input came from Mark Burton and John O’Farrell. The result was a story that balanced madcap eccentricity with emotional depth.
Assembling the Vocal Talents
A unique ensemble of vocal talents was assembled for Chicken Run. The lead role of Ginger went to British actress Julia Sawalha, known for her role on Absolutely Fabulous. Mel Gibson took on the role of Rocky, providing his first voice acting role.
Other prominent British actors like Miranda Richardson, Timothy Spall, and Jane Horrocks rounded out the cast. Their vocal performances allowed the plasticine chickens to come to life with humor and humanity.
The Laborious Production Process
Once the story and characters were set, Aardman began the long process of making the movie. Animal House worked on Chicken Run for 18 months at their studio in Bristol, England. The characters and sets were made out of clay by more than 30 animators who worked on the movie.
The animators went through a painstaking process for each second of footage. First, they would shape the pliable clay character models into a specific pose. Then they would take a picture of that frame. Then they would slightly adjust the models into the next pose and take another picture. When the thousands of incremental photos were played in sequence, it created the illusion of continuous movement.
On average, the animators only completed around 2-3 seconds of footage per week. So every minute of the final 84 minute runtime represented weeks of delicate and meticulous work. Some complex sequences like the pie machine scene took months to film.
Achieving a Distinct Visual Style
Chicken Run has a distinctive visual aesthetic that sets it apart from previous Aardman productions. The animators used brighter, more saturated colors in the character design. The plasticine models also had more stylized, exaggerated shapes and features compared to the subdued look of Wallace and Gromit.
These bolder stylistic choices helped Chicken Run translate into a compelling full-length cinematic experience. At the same time, the tactile nature of the claymation still retained the hand-crafted charm of Aardman’s signature style.
John Powell’s Sprightly Score
The soundscape of Chicken Run was crucially important for accentuating the hijinks on screen. John Powell provided the lively orchestral film score, assisted by Harry Gregson-Williams. Powell incorporated percussion and even kazoos at points to punctuate the plucky chicken energy.
The upbeat soundtrack matched the triumphal tone as the chickens rebels fought for their freedom. It lent kineticism to the action while underscoring the spirit of the characters.
Reception and Accolades
When Chicken Run hit theaters in June 2000, audiences clucked along merrily. The film earned rave reviews for its humor, storytelling, and technical artistry. Critics praised Chicken Run as a brilliant feature-length debut for Aardman that expanded the potential of claymation.
Chicken Run won several awards including a BAFTA for Best British Film nomination. It took home the Broadcast Film Critics Association award for Best Animated Film. For DreamWorks, Chicken Run became the studio’s most successful film at the time. It remained the highest-grossing stop motion animated film ever for two decades, until the release of 2020’s Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train.
Lasting Legacy
People will always remember Chicken Run as a great example of stop motion animation. Along with the Wallace and Gromit shorts, it made Nick Park one of the best claymation artists of all time. It also helped establish Aardman as a world-class animation studio.
And of course, Chicken Run continues to entertain families and animation fans. Over 20 years later, Ginger and her poultry pals still have devoted followers. The film’s mix of absurdity and heart is timeless.
The legacy of Chicken Run persists in 2023 with the upcoming release of its sequel Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. Over two decades later, moviegoers are ready to flock back to the delightfully eccentric world of Chicken Run.
Behind its miniature scale and plasticine medium, Chicken Run was a massive undertaking. Through creative vision, technical mastery, and copious patience, Aardman produced an animated marvel. For any fans eager to learn about the magic behind the scenes, the story of how Chicken Run was made reveals the myriad talents required. It serves as a testament to the wonders that can be achieved one frame at a time.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/m8dchru_ec001-2000-7cefb2cd6cf54136a5f051402dcdaf63.jpg)
Plot[]
Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy is in charge of a failing British chicken farm in Yorkshire. The chickens are kept in cages with a high fence and barbed wire that look like a prison camp from World War II, and two dogs walk around the grounds to keep an eye on everything. Chickens that fail to produce enough eggs are slaughtered for food. Frustrated at the generated by the farm, Mrs. Tweedy comes up with the idea of converting their farm into the automated production of chicken pies. Ginger, a chicken, has long dreamed of getting away with the help of her hen friends Babs, Bunty, and Mac, as well as two shady rats named Nick and Fetcher who help her get things from the Tweedys to help her plans. However, she is always caught and put into solitary confinement. While thinking of a new plan, Ginger witnesses a Rhode Island Red cockerel fly over the fence and crash into one of the coops, spraining his wing. Ginger and the other chickens help to hide him from the Tweedys and care for his wing, learning that his name is Rocky. Ginger is particularly interested in Rockys ability to fly and begs him to help train her and the other chickens to do the same. Rocky is coy, but proceeds to try to help train the chickens, unable to fully demonstrate due to his broken wing. Meanwhile, Mr. Tweedy begins assembling their pie-making production line, and the chickens food ration is doubled to fatten them. After Rocky and Ginger fight, Rocky throws a dance party to boost morale. It is during this party that Rocky’s wing is healed. Shortly after, Mr Tweedy finishes assembling the machine, and puts Ginger in it for a test run. Rocky sneaks into the machine to save her. The two of them eventually get out and break the machine, which gives the chickens more time to get away from the farm. The next day, Ginger, much to her devastation, discovers that Rocky has left, leaving behind part of a poster that reveals he is in fact part of a “chicken cannonball” act with no ability to fly on his own. When Ginger thinks there is no way out, old rooster Fowler’s stories about his time in the Royal Air Force (RAF) give her the idea to build an airplane and leave the farm. All the chickens, with help from the rats, secretly assemble the required parts for the plane from their coops while racing against Mr. Tweedys repairs. While travelling the countryside, Rocky sees a billboard for Mrs. Tweedys Chicken Pies and is inspired to go back to help. With the machine now fixed, Mrs. Tweedy insists that Mr. Tweedy gathers all the chickens, but the chickens are ready to escape. They knock Mr. Tweedy out and tie him up long enough to complete the assembly of their plane. As the plane approaches the take-off ramp, Mr Tweedy is able to knock over the ramp before being knocked out; Ginger races to reset the ramp, but a now-alerted Mrs Tweedy attacks her. Rocky calms down Mrs. Tweedy and then leaves with Ginger while holding on to the runway lights that were caught by the plane that was taking off. Whilst taking off, Mrs. Tweedy chases them down and catches onto a Christmas light strand snagged in the wheels. Mrs. Tweedy climbs the strand, intent on chopping Gingers head off, while Ginger races to sever the strand. Ginger manages to trick Mrs. Tweedy into cutting the strand with her hatchet, which sent her straight into the pie machine’s safety valve and plugged it. This caused the machine’s gravy line to build up pressure and explode, damaging both the machine and the barn. Mr Tweedy reminds her of his warnings that the chickens were organized and, now fed up with his wifes aggressive and abusive behaviour towards him, pushes the barn door down on top of her. The chickens celebrate their victory after defeating the Tweedys while Ginger and Rocky kiss each other. Later, as the film concludes, the chickens have found a quiet island, which they call Chikin Sanctuary, where they can enjoy their freedom and raise their chicks, while Ginger and Rocky have developed a romantic relationship. They both want to start their own chicken farms to get eggs, but they can’t agree on whether the chicken or the egg came first.
Sequel[]
A sequel to Chicken Run was announced on April 26, 2018, Aardman Animations will reunite with Pathé and StudioCanal for the sequel though unlike the first film, DreamWorks Animation will have no involvement as they had ended their partnership with Aardman after the release of Flushed Away in 2006. Sam Fell is attached to direct, with Paul Kewley producing. The original Chicken Run writers Karey Kirkpatrick and John OFarrell will return for the sequel, though no story information has been revealed. Aardman co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton will be the executive producers.
The Making of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget | Netflix
FAQ
Is Chicken Run animated or claymation?
Hailing from the animation house that brought us such jems as Morph, the Wallace and Gromit series and Rex the Runt, Chicken Run is the first ever feature length claymation ever attempted.
How was the Chicken Run created?
Peter Lord, co-founder of Aardman, and Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit, came up with the idea for Chicken Run in 1995. According to Park, the project started as a spoof on the 1963 film The Great Escape. Chicken Run was Aardman Animations’ first feature-length production, which would be executive produced by Jake Eberts.
How did they animate Chicken Run?
‘Chicken Run was a giant step for us as a studio. To tell a feature-length story with our technique of stop-motion clay animation required us to move from our little cottage industry to this industrial scale. ‘.
How was the Chicken Run filmed?
The film was shot in the 1. 85:1 aspect ratio. Barnes said that the framing area was cut off at the edges, so rigging, supporting models, and the edges of sets could not be shown in a deeper format. The crew made considerable use of motion-control rigs on Chicken Run.