Rating: Summary: The Magic of Claymation Review: This wonderful claymation story includes clever (and subtle) take-offs from various movies, some mentioned in other reviews. It has a brilliant script, with jokes aimed at every age range, although the subject material may not be suitable for the very young. The film has some US mainstream influence, but the overall feel (and humor) is approproately British, considering the location and time period (early 60s?). The chickens of Tweedy's farm are subject to World War II prisoner-of-war conditions. Mr. Tweedy has more than a suspicion that his chickens are "organized" in their escape attempts, led by the hen, Ginger. The motivation for escape is provided by the fate of those who don't lay eggs! However, Mrs. Tweedy has other plans for the hens, and the race to escape is on...Chocks away! (as Toblerone chocolate bars are pulled from the landing gear).
Rating: Summary: The Great Chicken Run Review: I happen to have introduced many classic films to my kids at an early age. The Great Escape was one of those films and to my pleasure, both my son and daughter recognized and enjoyed that parady in Chicken Run. The script to me has all of the qualities and solid construction as a Neil Simon play. If you haven't seen or shared this movie, then I say, "Run! and go get it"
Rating: Summary: The most fun I ever had without Wallace & Gromit Review: When the owner of an egg farm grows impatient with the small profits her eggs are bringing, she and her husband decide to turn to the much more valuable chickens themselves, and begin converting their unassuming little farm into a much more lucrative chicken pie operation. The chickens, sensing that this can't possibly be good for their well being, heighten their attempts to escape. One of the most eagerly anticipated films in the last few years, the debut feature from Nick Park (the creator of the beloved English claymation duo Wallace & Gromit) delivers on all counts. No, Wallace & Gromit themselves are not here, and this may be the film's only fault (along with a very slight feeling of claustrophobia), but there are plenty of new characters to meet and savor, mostly chickens (all good) and two humans (100% bad). From beginning to end, this little gem is filled with wisecracks, sight gags, and breathtaking action sequences including one nail-biting ride through the chicken pie machine very reminiscent of the final train chase of The Wrong Trousers. Those familiar with Park's work know to expect an incredible attention to detail, which is astoundingly impressive since Park and crew still do it the old-fashioned way, 24 photographs per second, the same method Wladislaw Starewicz employed at the turn of the century. This results in an animation that isn't as smooth as, say, that found in Toy Story 2 (your eyes will notice the slight jerkiness right from the start), though in the end it's more rewarding, like the appreciation of the difference in quality between an Oriental rug made by a human as opposed to one made by a machine.
Rating: Summary: Mixed reviews Review: While we did enjoy the lighter parts of this movie, there were enough grim scenes to make me wonder if there couldn't be another rating besides "G" -- maybe a "GRR" This isn't, in general, what I would call a delightful movie. It did have its moments but the general atmosphere was dark and edgy. Maybe I'm too old-fashioned to enjoy today's ideas of what makes a good children's movie. My daughter is 9 and there were some parts that she wished she hadn't seen. I definitely wouldn't recommend this movie for very young children, below age 8 and you're likely to be up soothing someone's nightmares for a while.
Rating: Summary: The Great Egg-Scape Review: If Speilberg or Lucas had tried their hands at stop-motion or clay-mation (or whatever) they'd be hard-pressed to match this opus by Park and Lord. In "Chicken Run", the poor chickens who survive in the farm of the evil Ms. Tweedy dream of life over the hill where they can live as free-range chickens. Until then, they must lay eggs. Failure to make their quota guarantees a place on Ms. Tweedy's dinner table. Persistent failed escapes continually land Ginger, the pluckiest of the coop, in the cooler. After a particularly disasterous failure, all seems lost. The unexpected arrival of an American Rooster, voiced by Mel Gibson, gives the unhappy hens a new idea for freedom and a new lease on life. Yeah, "Chicken Run" sends up the "Great Escape" (which isn't likely to get new appreciation after this film, though it should) but keeps itself from becoming a parody. Much of the "Great Escape" scenes are reserved for the credits, with the climax more of a nod to Attenborough's other masterpiece, "Flight of the Phoenix". The meat of "Chicken Run" is its own story, in which the plight of the animated pullets' is in turns hysterically funny and yet touching as well. There's even a great action sequence (a nod to "Raiders") set inside the guts of a chicken-pot-pie machine, one guaranteed to wind up as an attraction at Universal. Park and Lord know how to keep the hearstrings from getting too abruptly yanked while the humans (who seem appropriately gigantic and move in the slow and ponderous manner needed to emphasize how immeasurably they tower over their chickens) convey just enough menace to flesh out the story without it becoming too scary for children.
Rating: Summary: Chicken Pot Pie Review: Chicken Run is a claymation movie about chickens.The chikens have British accents, which I think is hilarious.The chickens live on a farm that is going broke.In desperation, the inept owners attempt to make pies out of the chickens, starting with those that don't lay eggs often enough. The chickens, led by the lead chicken Ginger, try many hilarious ways to escape from the chicken farm, but they all fail. They think they are saved when a rooster named Rocky lands on the farm, and agrees to teach them how to fly. As a preteen, I found the movie a bit childish so I dropped a star.I think that anyone who likes G movies, is under 10, or who thinks they would enjoy a movie with Brittish-accented chickens should view this movie
Rating: Summary: Coop 17 Review: I saw a preview of this movie on The Prince Of Egypt on DVD. I imediatlly wanted to see it. Now that I've seen it, it's my #1 movie! Anyways, here's my review: The chickens of Coop 17 long for a better life and have been trying to find a way out of the Tweedy's farm for some time, but when rhey finally have an escape plan, Mrs. Tweedy decides it is time to turn the entire flock into chicken pies.
Rating: Summary: SURPRISED AT HOW WELL THIS MOVIE WAS MADE Review: I really liked this movie. It is very well written and the claymation is something else. You can watch this one with the whole family.
Rating: Summary: Chicken Run is the Next Generation Review: Nick Park has done it again. One Chickens head gets cut off. Besides that, this movie is Outstanding.
Rating: Summary: One of the best films of 2000. Review: CHICKEN RUN is a great movie. It is one of the best movies of 2000. It is a film that contains a lot of humor for both children and adults. The movie is made by the people responsible for WALLACE AND GROMIT and if you enjoy those films, you will probably enjoy CHICKEN RUN. One of my favorite things about the film is to trying to figure out all the different parodies and allusions made to other films, televison, and pop culture. The basic plot line of the story is taken from THE GREAT ESCAPE. There are a couple of great scenes, and lines for that matter, stolen directly from STAR WARS and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Other films that are alluded to include STALAG 17, BRAVEHEART, SCHINDLER'S LIST, along with the television series STAR TREK. The movie's pace is fairly quick and the characters are more substantial than the normal cardboard cut-out characters of many other animated films. All in all, CHICKEN RUN is a film that gives you a run worth your time and money.
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