Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Chicken Run

This is topic Chicken Run in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Phil Connolly (Member # 465) on 07-05-2000, 02:28 AM:

I was very impressed with this film, it was very funny. The Animation and attention to detail was superb.

This film works on two levels, the first as a great story with strong charcters and on the second as demonstration of near technical perfection in claymation.

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 07-05-2000, 08:48 AM:

It may be interesting to know that they only produced on average 60 frames a day.

This was from the "Making Chicken Run" special that was on US TV a week or two ago.

Paul

Posted by Dwayne Caldwell (Member # 417) on 07-06-2000, 12:41 PM:

I enjoyed this movie. And anyone who's a big fan of Nick Park's Wallace and Gromit will get a real kick out of it. Got a little ridiculous at the end, but hey movie's like this aren't meant to be taken too seriously, right?

I liked the little references to The Great Escape and Stalag 17. No reference to cheese though. I really thought those rats would come through for me in that department. The characters were all very colorful, and the attention to detail as Phil mentioned is really quite extraordinary. All the chickens standing around for roll call and each of them doing something different must take a tremendous amount of patience and notetaking. Sure, the animation's a little choppy but I think these guys more than make up for it in their ability to claymate with rain in certain sequences. I don't remember though if it rained more than once. But it still boggles my mind some of the things they can pull off.

I'd kind of like to know why Mel lends his vocal talents to animated projects at about the same time he makes epic pictures. Is it planned or just coincidence? Anyway, he did a very good job as Rocky the Rooster. Those other voices sounded familiar too. Especially Ginger's, but I can't put a face or name to the voice. Oh, and I really liked the music too. Definitely gonna have to get the score for this one. All in all a good time.

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The man with the magic hands.

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 07-07-2000, 03:36 AM:

Julia Sawalha supplies the voice of Ginger. She played Saffron in Absolutely Fabulous.

Posted by Phil Connolly (Member # 465) on 07-07-2000, 05:00 AM:

Dwayne, according to what I've read, the airborne rain is cgi. The droplets of rain hitting the Chickens are made from glycerine, hand animated.

Incidentley my favorite vocal performace was Jane Horrocks (Bubble form Ad Fab and Little Voice) as Babs.

Posted by Steven Parsonage (Member # 518) on 07-14-2000, 02:36 AM:

I loved this movie. There's good animation, good character development, fun for kids, sophisticated humor for the grown ups that works on multiple levels, good voice acting, clever plot twists, and if you sit through the end credits, you even get to hear the rats call Mel Gibson a "Git Face".

At my theater, this movie has done consistently well, and is now outperforming The Patriot.

The lesson to Mel:

Do less Braveheart clones, and more Rooster movies! Ha!

Posted by Peter Berrett (Member # 672) on 12-14-2000, 06:43 AM:

Fuzzy Rodent's Film Review

Quite an impressive display of clay animation. The impressiveness is that once one is used to the characters one does not think about the technical merits of the claymation - one just follows the plot.

I think the choice of chickens as the basis for the plot was a risk - a Wallace and Gromit movie probably would have been easier to make and assured of success but the animators have made the clay characters and and plot work by creating very strong and distinct characters and adding a good dose of humor.

Not a film I would readily see a second time but still very funny and entertaining.

I do have one small criticism though. I watched this film at the Dromana Drive-in Theatre and found the film very 'dark' ie it was sometimes difficult to distinguish objects - everything looked much darker than it needed to be. Maybe this is a feature of clay animation however maybe the lighting question will need to be revisited in the sequels.

Verdict: (out of 5 stars) ****

cheers

Peter

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 02-13-2001, 04:54 PM:

Premiered this one on october, 6th - running it for the last time next sunday feb., 18th. And am i goin' to miss it.
Just great !!

Thats another one The Great Leslie can try on for size...!

Fate,
professor

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 02-14-2001, 07:13 AM:

Per --- October 6 to February 18 is quite a run! How many times was that print of "Chicken Run" shown in your theatre?

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
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