Chicken Run
User Score
7.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 97 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 82 out of 97
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 97
  3. Negative: 9 out of 97

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  1. Shashatha8601
    Mar 2, 2013
    10
    This is too good. Excellent voices, suspense, hilarious.. A must watch to anyone of any age... you will never get bored by it's Plot twists... etc....
  2. cameronmorewood
    Nov 12, 2012
    4
    The joke only works for about 10 of the 84 minutes.
  3. Halfwelshman
    Jun 25, 2012
    10
    I hadn't seen Chicken Run for a few years and had honestly forgotten how much there is to it - it's far more than a film for kids about rebellious poultry! It's like a weird hybrid of The Great Escape, The Shawshank Redemption and Spartacus, but with animated chickens. It really shouldn't work, but thanks to the genius of co-writers/directors Nick Park and Peter Lord it somehow does. The premise is truly fantastic, after all what animal would dream more of freedom than a farmed chicken? The film has a great cast of interesting characters - Ginger the hyper-intelligent idealist (Julia Sawalha), Bunty the cynical and bad-tempered pragmatist (Imelda Staunton), Babs the constantly knitting, rather dim eternal optimist (Jane Horrocks), Rocky the charming con-artist (Mel Gibson), Mrs Tweedy the wealth-hungry social climber (Miranda Richardson) and the farmer Mr Tweedy, who is convinced he is losing his mind for suspecting that "those chickens are up to something" (Tony Haygarth). Though the stop-motion animation quality is such that you can tell what each character is thinking without the need for dialogue, the whole cast give great vocal performances, particularly Sawalha, who gives the story its dramatic weight, Horrocks who is hilarious as always and Richardson who is just plain terrifying. The film has some pretty big themes for an animation about talking chickens - liberty vs. slavery, mechanisation of agriculture, American vs. British politics and the shallowness of modern celebrity culture. Chicken Run is also incredibly funny, with humour ranging from visual gags (an Aardman speciality), puns ("the lone free ranger"), pop culture references (Braveheart, Indiana Jones, Star Trek) and quintessentially British comic sensibilities. There's also an exhilarating and visually clever set piece that takes place inside a pie-making machine and a few particularly affecting and surprisingly dark moments such as when the chickens contemplate their own mortality and Babs starts to knit herself a noose. Finally, Chicken Run is an affectionate love-letter to the North of England. Looking at the characters' accents and mannerisms, and especially the beautifully re-created landscapes of the film, you could say that if Wallace and Gromit is Aardman's tribute to the county of Lancashire, then Chicken Run is the studio's tribute to the county of Yorkshire. We've seen so much brilliant examples of animation from all over the world in the last two decades, but even so, I would suggest Chicken Run is not only the best film Aardman have produced, but that it is also one of the finest examples of British animation the world has ever seen. It's a tragically rare occasion in this day and age that live-action filmmaking is this entertaining, smart, well-balanced and emotionally rewarding. Chicken Run ticks all the boxes, and does so using funny-looking plasticine chickens, a real achievement indeed.… Expand
  4. aaronpaul121
    May 24, 2012
    9
    Certainly not the best animated film of all time, but this is a great movie. I love the suspense, the excitement, the diversity of the characters and everything.......
  5. spielbrick90
    Oct 23, 2011
    9
    Certainly one of the best animated films ever. Wonderfully based on 'The Great Escape' and I think it was easily as good as 'Wallace and Gromit'. A fabulous family movie, Nick Park is a genius.
  6. grandpajoe6191
    Oct 4, 2011
    9
    Simply one of the greatest, daring claymation movies of all time.
  7. TheGorilla
    Aug 14, 2011
    10
    Wow, what a movie. So much references and ideas many people can relate to. Dreaming of freedom. What more can you ask than freedom? The story is about chickens who want to get out of the prison of their own, the Tweedy's Chicken farm. Soon after, a rooster comes to give them hope and establish a dream to leave the torture and fear behind, by flying. The movie is so inspirational and gives a nice message: Don't give up. Besides the serious message, there are some funny lines like when Ginger asked the old rooster: 'You mean you never actually flew the plane?' and he was like 'God heaven's no, I'm a chicken'. He was a chicken as an animal and as a scared little douche bag. Also the funniest one: 'Mi life flashed before mi eyes ....... It was really boring'. There are also some scares that little children wouldn't stomach. But otherwise, it has some harmless jokes and fun. I can't describe how much I love this movie. It's beyond amazing and entertaining.… Collapse
  8. gm101
    May 31, 2011
    10
    The best movie made by Aardman Animations ever! You have to admire the work that went to making this stop-motion movie, which don't exist anymore these days, unfortunately.
  9. Film_Fanatic_15
    Nov 19, 2010
    8
    Chicken Run is a smart, funny, intelligent, movie full of pure entertainment for the entire family. Oh the irony! How a civilized adult and a child can be amused by this at the same time. That basically sums it up.
  10. MovieLonely94
    Nov 4, 2010
    7
    not my favorite, but perfect performances make this movie so good for kids.
  11. PerM
    May 11, 2008
    8
    A very good movie that contains jokes and interesting scenes for kids and adults alike. Sure, there are things that could be done in other ways, but it is certainly entertaining, funny and clever enough as it is.
  12. Connor
    Jan 2, 2006
    9
    A fun, entertaining film with plenty of uniquely English humor.
  13. PanhandleM.
    Nov 5, 2005
    10
    I ate a sandwich this morning and I was reminded of Chicken Run...what a spectacular film that was. It seems so far away now. Everything was simpler then.
  14. PatrickD.
    Sep 10, 2005
    8
    A great movie.
  15. ScottJ.
    Aug 9, 2005
    10
    Chicken Run is a wonderful movie for both children and adults. It is from Aardman Studios, the makers of the delightful British clay-mation Wallace and Gromit short films, about an eccentric inventor and his dog. These guys have mastered clay-mation and turned it into a form of art, winning 3 Academy Awards so far. Chicken Run keeps both the style and the heart of the Wallace and Gromit series, but features chickens as the main characters. They are prisoners in a POW-style chicken coop and desperately want to escape from their increasingly evil owner, Mrs. Tweedee, when a handsome stranger (voiced by Mel Gibson) lands in their midst and offers them hope. The youngest children (like my 4-year-old) might be scared by an off-screen beheading of one of the chickens and some of the tense chase scenes, but other than that the movie has lots of harmless fun and several gently-applied messages about perseverance and loyalty. Adults (like me) will appreciate the amazing humanity that the artists bring to these lumps of clay, and marvel that an entire movie can be made, and made very well, by such a labor-intensive manual technique.… Expand
  16. AndrewM
    Jul 26, 2004
    7
    Chicken Run is very entertaining. It is also very original. And it is very distinctive. But unfortunately it doesn't quite reach its potential. I think its brought slightly undone in, and by, its more earnest moments; it just loses some magic, seems more ordinary. It shines more in the madcap nature that permeates through most of the story...the crazy antics in the coop are endlessly more enjoyable than, for eg, the sensitive, poignant moments shared between the 'lead chooks'. The story itself makes big promises; there are periods, no doubt, when you feel that the film is about to really lift off and take you on a wonderful journey...but at best it only ever flies as competently and comfortably as the lumbering mechanical 'bird' at the end. In the main though, this film is a wonderful achievement and will leave you feeling pretty well treated afterwards.… Expand
  17. Grace
    May 22, 2004
    0
    Oh man, how much worse could it get??
  18. KatieP.
    Dec 22, 2003
    0
    I hated this movie.
  19. NateG.
    Jul 16, 2001
    9
    This movie is very funny. It had to be considering it came from the creator of "Wallace and Gromit!"
  20. StevenS.
    Mar 19, 2001
    10
    Poultry in motion, this chicken is no turkey!
  21. CharlesY.
    Feb 2, 2001
    9
    Good movie, great characters.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    Not only funny and wicked, clever and visually inventive, but . . . kind and sweet. Tender and touching.
    Read full review
  2. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Sean Means
    90
    That rare movie, a clever and unabashedly fun adventure that has as many winning moments as it has hen's teeth -- which is quite a lot.
    Read full review
  3. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    100
    It's aimed at adults as much as children, with jokes that work on multiple levels, and contraptions.
See all critic reviews »