“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” Review

Now parents of a little girl, Rocky (Zachary Levi) and Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) go on a risky yet necessary mission inside of a high-security chicken farm in “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget”, a Netflix original film.

While the best known characters of Aardman Animations are easily the beloved duo of Wallace and Gromit, the first feature-length film that the legendary stop-motion studio created was “Chicken Run” back in 2000. I first became a fan of the film when I would visit my great-grandmother’s house and, more often than not, I would play the film on the tv she had in the basement. It’s hard for me to watch “Chicken Run” and not think of that small house. 

As a child, I loved watching a bunch of farmyard chickens trying to escape their captivity in search of freedom. However, “Chicken Run” is one of those films that gets even better when you’re an adult and that’s for one reason. The humor is still funny and the characters are still likable but, when you find out that the film is one big satire of “The Great Escape”, it’s just an even better watch. Not only are there a few visual homages to the 1963 classic but the chicken farm itself is modeled after a Nazi POW camp. After many years and several other hit films, Aardman has returned to the farm with “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” which has achieved distribution on Netflix. With the same fun characters and cute sense of comedy, this sequel is a fun watch for the family and for fans of the original film. 

After escaping the chicken farm, Ginger (Thandwie Newton) and her husband Rocky (Zachary Levi) have essentially become the leaders of a colony for freed chickens that lies on an island in the middle of the lake. Here they are safe and free to live their lives as they take on their next big step: parenting. With the birth of their daughter Molly (Bella Ramsey), Ginger and Rocky try to keep her safe by making sure she stays on the island. Like her mother, Molly yearns to know about the outside world and finds herself taken by a new chicken farm that seems like a paradise but is actually planning on turning the inhabitants into chicken nuggets. Hoping to save her daughter and all of the other chickens, Ginger, Rocky and their allies mount a brave assault to break into the chicken farm. 

When it comes to sequels made decades after the original, they don’t exactly have the best track record. Sure there are exceptions like “Top Gun: Maverick”, “Blade Runner 2049” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” but those are the exceptions. However, “Dawn of the Nugget” proved to be fairly delightful with this cynical viewer and I think the realm of animation is what lends it such kudos. Unlike most belated live-action comedy sequels, where the cast seems less energized compared to the first film, the stop-motion animation of Aardman has not slowed down with time. If anything, the two decades of advancing technology have improved the movement and emotion of the puppets without losing that handheld feeling that makes traditional stop-motion so impressive. 

Seeing these characters back in a movie was marvelous and I was so happy hearing the voices of these beloved chickens like the dim yet lovable Babs (Jane Horrocks), the tough-as-nails Bunty (Imelda Staunton), the Scottish nerd Mac (Lynn Ferguson) and the WWII vet Fowler (David Bradley), a mascot for a Royal Air Force division. With about half of the original cast returning, I was a bit skeptical about new voices but Zachary Levi and Thandiwe Newton do well at replicating the feel of Rocky and Ginger while making the roles their own. The only one that really stands out in the wrong way is David Bradley as Fowler. Not that he does a bad job and I’ve loved him in other things but it’s clearly obvious that it’s not the original actor Benjamin Whitrow. But I get it. It’s been 20 years, Whitrow is dead and I’ve seen the original more than average. Of course I’m going to notice this more. 

As for new characters, Molly is a fun addition who constantly longs for exploring but is unaware of the dangers humans pose to chickens. While this character could have been annoying for how much she doesn’t listen and how much she gets into trouble, not only does the plot get going real quick so we get to see her and the rest of the chickens in real danger but Bella Ramsey gives all of her charm to this performance. Just imagine the cool qualities of her role as Lyanna Mormont in “Game of Thrones” and combine that with the relatable adolescence of Ellie from “The Last of Us” and you can make a clear picture as to what kind of person Molly is. 

While the original film’s directors Peter Lord and Nick Park did not return for this film (instead remaining on as executive producers), director Sam Fell is more than up to the task of helming this sequel and brings the same kind of energy that his previous films (“Paranorman” and “Flushed Away”) contained. Not only can the film be zany while also having appropriately sized stakes, but there’s also nice moments for character development. “Dawn of the Nugget” isn’t afraid to touch upon the dark realities that the first film had to the point where Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson), the evil owner of the farm in the first film, returns as the chief villain with the intent to make sure no chickens escape and to achieve her revenge against Ginger. 

However, the film is sorely lacking a quality that made the original film so beloved and that’s a sense of timelessness. While there’s not a lot about “Dawn of the Nugget” that will make it age, the elements that will be are instantly noticeable. These include the use of a couple of bland pop songs that don’t hold a candle to the amazing score that Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell made for the first film. While Gregson-Williams did return for the score of this film, his music doesn’t have the same memorable quality as that first WWII-march inspired score. The film’s spy theme also feels more generic compared to the WWII spoof of the original. We’ve seen several animated films try to parody the clichés of classic spy films and shows but how many family films have successfully used a Nazi Germany allegory to the point where the chicken coops look like the bunk houses from “The Great Escape”?

“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” is quite a bit of fun and I certainly had a wonderful time watching it but it just doesn’t compare to the original. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time because there are plenty of laughs to be had. I just think that the original is still going to continue to have that special place in my heart while “Dawn of the Nugget” might be a nice film that I could see myself putting on every once in a while.