It would be understandable, as much as easy to forgive, were one to have allowed the existence of 2000’s “Chicken Run” to slip from that mental space reserved for cinema’s finest animated offerings; indeed, despite co-director Nick Park (having shared the credit with Peter Lord) helming franchise successes “Wallace & Gromit” and spinoff “Shaun the Sheep,” “Chicken Run” has, for the past 23 years, remained a somewhat unique, solitary hit in the world of stop-motion animation, still the highest-grossing stop-motion film and a critically acclaimed classic begging for a follow-up. Fortunately, the decades gone by have been well worth the wait, as “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” succeeds in continuing the excellence of its predecessor while raising the bar just enough to more than justify its presence.
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For those in need of a refresher, the original revolved around a downtrodden farm, entirely occupied by chickens and with the intention to use all in the production of eggs, all under the watchful eye of the tyrannical Tweedys. When Ginger (Julia Sawalha), a particularly defiant chicken, takes it upon herself to devise repeated escape attempts with assistance from new arrival/daredevil Rocky (Mel Gibson), the stage is set for a story as timeless as any great prison break thriller, all beautifully told through stop-motion which still holds up and powered by a screenplay loaded with enough wit, humor and seamless pacing that keeps the action perpetually surging ahead.
“Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget,” meanwhile, picks up essentially where the original left off, with Rocky delivering a needed piece of narration from the jump to those who might have forgotten or be otherwise unfamiliar with its early-2000s ancestor, following said summary, and now having relocated to a plot of land far from the constant threat of humans, Ginger and Rocky find themselves new parents to Molly, an energetic youth possessing more than a bit of her mother’s adventurous spirit when a new menace arrives, posing another danger to their new way of life. Will the couple again rise to the challenge and save the day? Will Molly follow in her mother’s footsteps? Will yet another sequel find itself teed up as the credits roll?
There’s no question that the journey to find the answers is as enjoyable an experience as one will likely find in any film of this ilk. With Park and Lord handing over directorial duties to Sam Fell (“Flushed Away,” “The Tale of Despereaux”) but remaining on staff as executive producers, the 98-minute runtime flies by thanks to a well-oiled script, committed cast of voice actors, and the animation itself, again owing everything to the consistently superb team at Aardman Animations and the distinct style seen throughout roughly their entire body of work thus far. Decades since the original and even more time passed since Aardman first began producing this particular class of inoffensive stop-motion, “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” is a clear upgrade from the visuals seen prior while still giving its predecessors the pedestal they so richly deserve.
With the exception of Miranda Richardson, who returns from the original as the diabolical Mrs. Tweedy, the remaining cast has been rebuilt superbly, with Thandiwe Newton taking over for Sawalha as Ginger and Zachary Levi replacing Gibson as Rocky. Though hearing Sawalha again in the role would have been an absolute pleasure, Newton does deliver well, while Levi, in particular, seems to have found a near-perfect outlet for his post- “Shazam!” energy and in a comparable fashion Bella Ramsey as Molly holds her own; any interaction any of these three have with one another at any given moment throughout overflows with chemistry. In a similar way, Romesh Ranganathan and Daniel Mays, respectively, Nick and Fetcher, two rat companions to the flock, enjoy a knack for playing off each other as skillfully as any comparable onscreen comedic duo, living or animated, identical to the manner in which Timothy Spall and Phil Daniels played the same characters previously. It’s here that the screenplay and direction work in complete balance with one another; it never feels as if anyone, even the supporting cast, has any less screentime than the leads, allowing even those with a scant few lines or memorable side characters such as Fowler (David Bradley, substituting for Benjamin Whitrow) a rooster with no shortage of anecdotes and Reginald Smith (Peter Serafinowicz), who uses some of the film’s most dry British dialogue to great benefit. It might be tricky to pick a favorite character when such a film possesses as many deserving candidates, all of whom make a lasting impression, but in the end, it truly does not matter; the sum of “Dawn of the Nugget’s” parts is, truly, all that matters.
It’s hard not to smile as “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” wraps things up, even if said smile comes unexpectedly; admittedly, this is the sort of surprising delight that serves to both remind an audience why the original remains such a gem while acting as a worthy successor. Rarer still is the sort of conclusion that could warrant additional sequels while still feeling like a proper ending, one that never feels like another trip back into the world of Ginger, Rocky and Molly is in any way necessary. The imagination can conjure up any number of escapades for the trio to embark upon next, but if any such idea finds its way before the eyes of the public, it promises to in no way feel unwelcome. Let’s just hope that, next time, it arrives a bit quicker. [A]