User reviews

Aardman Animations, personally, is a hit or miss for me as in the past, they have created some great works like Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and so forth. But at the same time, they have made some pretty mediocre or pretty bad works too. "Chicken Run" is one of my favorite stop-motion movies as I really like the characters, the animation, and the narrative. With this sequel coming out after many years, it was entertaining but it was a bit underwhelming.

Throughout, the stop-motion animation, character models, and colors are amazing as Aardman continues to provide great clay animation. Aardman always provides some great animation and the models, colors, sound designs, and the movements are all excellent. We get to see the same characters from the previous movie and it was fun to see them communicate, move around and observe their actions throughout. The voice performances from the cast members were solid as they provided some good voice works, although a few voice performances weren't great. The soundtrack is pretty good and there are some decent humor moments that I chuckled at.

With the narrative continuing from the previous movie, the narrative explores some new concepts and territories within the setting and characters and there are some aspects that were interesting but some not so much. Certain new concepts that were explored I felt weren't strong enough and at times, it really feels like a rehash of the first movie. On the characters, there are new characters that are introduced but unfortunately, none of the new characters weren't really interesting since they felt a bit dull and kind of annoying at times. Because this is a new cast, I personally felt while the original characters are still fun, the chemistry and energy of what made them fun from the first movie felt a bit lacking. The soundtrack is okay and there are some solid dialogue moments while being a bit clunky.

Despite my gripes, I still was interested to see where the movie goes and for what it is, it's a decent sequel. Overall, it is entertaining and it's nice to see the characters again, but I wish it could have been better.

The stop motion is always on point. Impressive, when you think about how much time goes into it.

If you work really hard, you can probably scrape together some respect for the production, but that might be the only feeling you can evoke. The voice acting isn't great, and not just because the original actors are missing. There's a strange disconnect between the animation and the acting, it feels insincere and forced.

The story is nothing new, and it should have been. It should have broke new ground just as the original did. It really feels like they put no effort into creating an original plot and just clung to the coat tales of the first film. Seems like a bad choice.

I want to write something positive about it but I don't really know what that could be. I guess Bella Ramsey was good casting. I'm only giving it 5 stars because I appreciate the time it takes to make stop motion.

Looks like the creators didn't learn anything from the failure of Early Man (2018). A successful family animation needs to engage folks of any and all ages - the first Chicken Run did to a good extent. This one didn't. Ditto Early Man.

Audiences want to see relatable settings, characters with soul, plots that are realistically challenging (not pointlessly ridiculous). So we end up with a colourful bland bright happy island commune ... overdone, unrelatable and boring. Then we get a silly super high tech robots and gadgets filled chicken farm/factory - huh? And football matches in prehistoric Early Man? Huh?

From the short documentary on 'the making of' its immediately clear the creators and team spent a massive 99% effort on the puppeting, the sets, the lighting, the movements, the look of things - which is fine, except, where's the effort on the story, the characters, the soul of the whole thing??

The director even laughed at how fun it was to give Ms Tweedy a glam look - but hello mister - did you ask yourself what the viewers want out of a once iconic scary evil character like her? A glam up look? Really?

It does seem all the people involved in this - many very competent in their area of specialty - was more focused on putting out their best on producing their area of specialty than making an animated movie that truly relates to the audience.

For instance so much technical deal and effort was made of Tweedy walking down glass steps - if the story and plotting was better it wouldn't have mattered if she was walking down milk carton cutouts with average lighting and a less smooth gait.

Do please spend more thought and effort on plotting and characters and audience impact, and less on the visual razzle dazzle.

Not as good as the first one as the setting is a lot more fantastical and silly, but it still has the Aardman charm and style with goofy looking characters and inventive contraptions. The plot clearly shows its inspiration from classic films and whilst being a bit too long, it has lots of humour, jokes and wacky adventures to keep it entertaining. The different voice actors aren't as good and the modern pop song at the start felt out of place, but the animation is great (if less hand-made) and full of vibrant colours and it has those little touches which make it something special.

Overall score = 7/10.

There are some prequels or sequels that no one asked for, but end up being happy that they happened anyway.

This sadly isn't one one of them.

I was already upset by the fact that many of the core voice actors were being replaced. Mel Gibson I could understand for obvious reasons, but the excuse for Julie Sawalha's exclusion was not acceptable. I do believe the real reason was because Sawalha is no longer famous, while Thandi (or Thandiwe) Newton, her replacement, is a big name in the industry. This is a growing trend in modern animation where famous actors are favoured to voice cartoon characters rather than actual voice actors.

At one point Ginger fearfully says "that voice!" before the reveal of the return of Mrs Tweedy. It would have been extremely awkward if Miranda Richardson was no longer voicing the villain.

The story itself is a little too similar to the first Chicken Run and the animation looks too shiny and CGIed, despite most of it being clay-animation. The stakes were not really as high, and the characters were not as fleshed out as they were in the first film.

My favourite character is still Fowler, as he was still hilarious. And unlike the new voices for the other main characters, David Bradley does a great job here.

The humour in the first film was intelligent and witty. But despite most of the film still being proudly British (even including a chicken character with a Scouse accent) , the magic and the passion found in the first film has dampened down quite a lot here.

Kids will no doubt enjoy it. But after 23 years, I wasn't all that impressed.

For me, this sequel was a decent continuation of the original. It was based on the same concept as the original with some minor additions.

The story was simple and light hearted just like the original, the screenplay was decent, the direction was decent, the animation was unique like the original and the voice actors did a good job. The thrill elements were embedded nicely in the story which makes this normal story little bit enjoyable.

But to be honest, I think this sequel was unnecessary as it was underwhelming if we compare it to the original. Overall, this movie was a decent entertainer.

Diminishing returns are in full effect with Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, a harmless film that's filled with good messages about parenting even if they've all been done before. It's only sporadically funny but it gets away with it thanks to its stop motion claymation which is increasingly rare to see and just a gift to have.

Recasting Mel Gibson makes sense and replacing Julia Sawalha really doesn't. That being said Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi do a good job of making the swap as seamless as possible. Bella Ramsey's Molly is a welcome addition with the ideal amount of childlike wonder and yearning for more in life.

Sam Fell's direction gets so much mileage out of the claymation. This form of animation requires so much care and patience which makes everything better. The only slight issue is how clean everything is. Generally it's just really vibrant and clearly very polished which feels like it comes at the cost of losing the original's style.

It was a fresh storyline with ample reference to the first, which is super nostalgic.

I really enjoyed it! I love that it kept the original style and wasn't super modernised or impacted by modern day graphics.

It definitely met my expectations and it was a fun, light movie that's great for kids and adults! Love that the original characters were in it with a few be ones.

I did notice some of the voice actors had changed. Would have potentially liked them to be a little closer to the original, but a minor detail. Love the colour and vibrance of the set designs too!

Would recommend this one, enjoy!

Chicken Run is an Aardman classic, aimed at children but to be enjoyed by the whole family. This sequel, 23 years later, is much the same, but hindered by its connection to a film widely adored.

Ginger and Rocky, long after their daring escape from Tweedy's farm, live a settled life in their own closed community away from humans. But when their daughter, Molly, who shares the bold personality of her mother, falls astray into a new threat to chicken-kind, the audacious band of poultry step in to save the day.

Aardman's signature stop-motion claymation is still brilliant to be seen. Every scene is bright and bursting with character.

The main issue for returning fans will be the loss of the original voice cast. Its not so much of a jarring change, but a lot of nostalgia is lost. The new voice cast don't do anything wrong, but the few who do reprise their roles provide a much greater satisfaction.

Remove the nostalgia to it's predecessor, Dawn of the Nugget is a fun film that children will love and adults can turn off to. However, watch this with memories attached to it and you will be sadly disappointed.

Say what you want about the man but Mel Gibson is sorely missed, that was one of many mistakes this movie made. Flat, boring, pretty, but not fun. The original stands as a childhood favorite that I've watched with my kid many times but nugget of whatever, will be forgotten in a week. Yet another in a long list of agenda filled Netflix blunders. When will they learn? (Side note about Netflix as a production company: finally canceling my subscription after ANOTHER price hike, removing Christmas movies around the holidays, while other services put them behind pay walls is just a greedy, disgusting practice imo, streaming is out of control and people are finding alternatives)

Some time after the escape from Tweedy's Farm, Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) is now living with her husband Rocky (Zachary Levi) along with the others who escaped on their secluded island hideaway. As Ginger and Rocky welcome their daughter Molly (Bella Ramsey) into their family, Molly grows up brave, adventurous, and curious often to the worry of Ginger as Molly shows interest in the other side of the water where Ginger and company escaped from and tries to dissuade Molly's interest without success. When Molly runs away from the island she meets up with another young runaway chicken named Frizzle (Josie Segwick-Davies) with the two soon coming across a delivery truck to Fun-Land Farms that Molly and Frizzle believe is a Chicken's paradise but is in fact something far more sinister. As Ginger, Rocky and several others follow Molly in order to rescue her from Fun-Land Farms, they soon cross paths with an old enemy.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is the latest animated feature from Aarman Productions and the sequel to the studio's top grossing film, Chicken Run from 2000, which has the distinction of being the highest grossing stop-motion feature of all time earning over $200 million worldwide which has yet to be topped in the years since. Beginning development in 2018 with Netflix acquiring the distribution rights in 2020 with Aardman and the streamer having developed a relationship with the Christmas special Robin Robin as well as a forthcoming Wallace and Gromit feature. Now after 5 years of development and production, I'm happy to report that Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget has all the right ingredient for not just a strong Aardman production, but a great feature in its own right.

Needless to say Aardman's features are always rich in details and life and that's no less the case here with the opening scenes on Chicken Island creatively realized with how they've established this village with all manner of structures and mechanisms that carry with them a warm and tangible quality in how lovingly every facet of this world is crafted. The character models are nicely distinct with the main cast given distinct visual identities to compliment the voice acting and even if the movie were put on mute you'd be able to tell their personalities apart with no issue. While the producer's treatment of Ginger's former voice actress Julia Sawalha is certainly a shame, Thanidwe Newton does well stepping in for the character and brings the same level of determined energy to the character with this follow-up doing a good job of setting up Ginger being at odds with her daughter Molly who is ably played by Bella Ramsey. Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, and Jane Horrocks are all welcome returns as Bunty, Mac, and Babs respectively with Horrocks in particular scoring more than a few laughs from her charming ditziness, though I will admit their return here does feel like an indictment against Aardman's decision to recast Sawalha.

In terms of story, Dawn of the Nugget includes a nice analysis of Ginger's character in how she's protecting Molly from the real world and her attempts to leave the past behind end up driving a wedge between her and Molly that serves as the inciting incident for what happens. While to a degree there is a "here we go again" element to the story especially with the line where Ginger says "last time we broke out of a chicken farm, this time we're breaking in" it never feels like a rehash especially since Aarman have more resources on hand this time around and get creative with the Fun-Land Farms setting. If the original Chicken Run was very much modeled after World War II POW films like Stalag 17 and The Great Escape, Dawn of the Nugget takes itself to a more over the top retro sci-fi place. Fun-Land Farms is gloriously designed as it's very much a mixture of a Bond villain's lair and a 1970s dystopian sci-fi film (with the "selection scene" almost reminiscent of Carousel from Logan's Run) and the contrast of the overly warm and friendly insides of the farm with the colder and exaggeratedly brutalist exteriors make for a really fun environment. I do wish the marketing hadn't spoiled the return of a prominent character (if you've seen the trailer you know what I'm talking about), but there's definitely some good work regardless and we get a very amusing pair of villains that we love to hate.

I really enjoyed Dawn of the Nugget. While I was initially skeptical in a Chicken Run sequel 25 years after the fact, I'm pleased to say that it's probably as good if not better than its predecessor in both a technical level and a story and character level. Definitely recommended.

This sequel to 'Chicken Run' arrives after 23 years, but don't worry, being animated the returning cast haven't aged a bit! Although the story picks up where the original left off, this is an entirely new adventure and you don't really have to see the first film to follow the story, although it is highly recommended. The opening to 'Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget' recaps the events of the first film in a nutshell.

The chickens are living happily on an island away from humans, and Ginger and Rocky starts a family. Their daughter is Molly. No sooner has she become a teenager than she becomes curious about the world and what lies on the other side of the lake. When trucks arrive and start clearing the forest, the chickens devise a plan to shelter themselves from human vision, but Molly wants to explore...and so she does.

She befriends a chicken named Frizzle, and together the head to Fun-Land Farms where they believe chickens to live happy lives, according to an advert they saw. Off course the farms are not what it seems, and they soon get into trouble.

It's up to Ginger, Rocky and some of their friends to save them. Last time they broke out of a chicken farm; this time they're breaking in. A familiar antagonist from the first film returns, as well, but I won't spoil it for you.

I enjoyed the stop-motion animation, the characters, their adventures, and the humour. This is a delightful film young and old can enjoy. The film also illustrates how the younger generation are not always appreciative of what their parents went through to ensure their survival, and I don't think youngsters watching this will fully understand. These are lessons a mature audience will relate to.

As much as I enjoyed 'Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget', I enjoyed 'Chicken Run' more, because it was simpler and funnier.

I was keen to see this movie, as I loved the original Chicken Run.

It's a long time since the first movie, so naturally the voice actors have changed. This was OK, except I thought Thandiwe Newton sounded a bit too " posh" to play Ginger. I got used to it (love Thandiwe!), but I did miss Julia Sawalha and I think the original had a better cast.

The main problem for me was the way the chickens are now portrayed. In the first movie, they were hens living at a poultry farm, having to lay a certain number of eggs each day, or risk getting topped by the farmer's wife. So they were basically chickens living like chickens. What made it amusing, of course, was the hens' human qualities, and the fact that whole thing ran like the satirisation of a prisoner-of-war escape movie.

However in the sequel, all pretence at "chicken life" has gone; the chickens live exactly like humans, and are in effect just humans who look like chickens. Egg laying is a rare event; it's all farming and building and lounging in deck chairs sipping drinks. The spivvy rats with their dodgy goods are now lovable. And to make matters worse, Rocky and Ginger have a ghastly brat of a kid called Molly.

As the plot of this movie is also pretty weak, I found it hard to get involved. God forgive me, I was dying for Molly to get turned into a chicken nugget.

Didn't work for me. I find it hard to care about chickens who have turned into humans.

The film was amusing enough (lots of slapstick humour) and I enjoyed the fun details in the animations, e.g. A hot air balloon disguised as a cloud, and the factory "eye register" including a night-shift worker with very bloodshot eyes..

That being said, the storyline felt unoriginal and became flat halfway through; it was too obvious what was going to happen. Chat GPT could have written it - and given many industries' overreliance on AI, it wouldn't surprise me if that were the case.

I also have to agree with some other reviewers that the personality of main characters was watered down, especially Rocky. The original Rocky's bragging bravado was a big driving force and source of parody in the first film. The sequel's endless slapstick humour and flat characters didn't do enough for me.

After watching this movie during the day on Christmas Eve with my Mum, Dad and my brother Jordy for lunch here's my spoiler-free review of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget! As usual, I'll be talking about my thoughts, my favourite moments & comparing the other Aardman shorts and my conclusion/rating! After the 2000s original Chicken Run, we finally have a sequel all of it was claymation but there was one that wasn't! A lot of cast members from the original did not return some were recast but the voice cast that did come back were Jane Horrocks as Babs, Imelda Staunton as Bunty, Lynn Ferguson as Mac & a surprise return was Miranda Richardson as Mrs Tweedy! I waited this long to write my review so I can be honest about it earlier in 2023 I wrote a spoiler-free review for Star Wars: Visions Vol. II Episode IV: I Am Your Mother which I enjoyed very much! Comparing this to Star Wars, Early Man, Shaun the Sheep and Wallace & Gromit (which is finally getting a new film after we lost Peter Sallis back in 2017 6 years ago) it's not as good as the previous instalment! Overall I'm sure kids will enjoy this and I look forward to seeing what Aardman does next! That's why I gave this a 6/10! Go check out the other mini-movies while you wait for more & I'm certain that you, your kids and the whole family will be entertained by them! ;-)

Dawn of the Nugget is a return to form for Aardman, at least on the animation department. Though there are a few CGI touches, most of the movie is in their classical stop motion, which is rather pleasant to see especially given a certain company decided to forsake traditional animation styles.

Storywise, however, it suffers. It is essentially the plot of the DTV Little Mermaid sequel, with a few twists. At least the dub I watched had most of the original cast return, so that degree of reverence saves the film.

Also, there are numerous background jokes peppered in, which make this film rewatcheable.

Overall, not as good as the original and with less of a political commentary, but not bad either.

After the events of Chicken Run, the chicken gang finds a new island sanctuary. Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) and Rock (Zachary Levi) have a daughter named Molly (Bella Ramsey). With a new chicken factory nearby, Ginger decides to hide the community. Rebellious Molly doesn't know the real world and runs away to join the farm.

It's Aardman Animations on Netflix. They are doing a sequel to Chicken Run. It feels like a step down to show it on Netflix. Here's the thing about the new farm. It's a bit too silly. I like the mind-control happy chicken concept, but I don't like the carnival idea. I can go with the prison motif, but that can go too far. Despite the new elements, this does feel old and ultimately less. Oddly, the new voices also makes this feel less. It just feels less.

23 years after Aardman's big leap to the big screen, Chicken Run returns in a sequel that takes the chicken story to another level. The production of this film is much more meticulous and larger than the previous one. The characters now face something much bigger that the production took a long time to build. It begins when it seems like everything was over at the end of the previous film. Rocky and Ginger are now parents, but it is clear that Ginger is still affected by the events of the previous film to the point of not letting young Mollie explore the outside world. While the film respects the characters' personalities, young Mollie is a mix of her parents' personalities. She has the attitude of Rocky and the spirit of Ginger. Bella Ramsey gives Mollie an air almost similar to that of Ellie in The Last of Us. What sets off the events of the story may feel like Mollie's fault, but this is one of those stories where the parents' actions are also part of the triggering factor. Ginger's desire to protect Mollie is noble, but hiding the truth is sometimes not the right way to protect young ones. The atmosphere of the film is more technological and there are moments that are reminiscent of Mission Impossible. There is more orientation towards humor or it does not have that social allegory that the previous film had, but the concept of the chickens wanting to confront the food chain remains intact because they feel that being food for humans is an act of oppression against it. From beginning to end, there is the idea that the chickens become a resistance or rebel group, giving a nod to that social allegory that the original film has. Dawn Of The Nugget is an acceptable sequel that expands this story, even though it seems that the conclusion of the first film was definitive. It is clear that sometimes there is something more after "Happily ever after" and that they are not always the definitive conclusion. My final rating for this movie is a 9/10.

So now that our intrepid band of chickens have escaped the menacing clutches of "Mrs. Tweedy", they set up home on a peaceful little island. Thing is, their feathered brethren on the mainland are in even more danger than they were before, and when "Ginger" finds out the gang decide to launch a daring raid on a new, state of the art, factory that has one single purpose: to turn chickens into nuggets! Sneaking in, they quickly discover that the entire population are well fed and kept in good conditions - but they are also all controlled by radio controlled collars that ensure they do the bidding of... well...you can guess. Can they thwart the dastardly plan to cover the entire flock in breadcrumbs? I didn't especially like the combination of animation styles here. The traditional Aardman stop-motion characters are still there in abundance but surrounded by quite a lot of rather linear looking CGI. That rather sterilises the look of the story which, itself, is really far too strung out. The film is just half an hour too long and maybe just a little too formulaic as well. Still, it extols all the virtues of teamwork and loyalty, the script is quite entertaining at times and the gadgets and slightly slapstick nature of the humour, with a touch of "007"-style menace, does make it worth a watch. Not their best, but still quite good.

Firstly let me say, Wallace and Gromit is my childhood! I have always loved Aardman and I remember being genuinely moved and at points terrified by the original Chicken Run. It was dark, well written, funny, had genuine chemistry between the characters, and it also had genuine threat. Most importantly, it had a soul. I am very sad to say that this sequel does not have a soul. The plot is contrived and rushed, the voice acting too often feels phoned in and they too often lazily use Babs as a forced comic relief. I don't think I laughed out loud once. There are very few redeeming qualities about it other than the usual incredible animation but even that is lacking in visual puns and Aardman's typical nuance and wit. I really wanted to like this. Truly. But it is just empty and devoid of feeling and love.

I was waiting on this for a long time, as I was a kid when the first one come out, it was a bit of nostalgia, I seen bits of the trailer here and there and didn't want to spoil it for myself, but it was good, it wasn't as great as I thought it would be, jokes didn't land, there was a lot of lingering about, the first one is most definitely better, so much more could have been done with this, and the storyline, it wasn't bad as I said, but it wasn't what I'd hoped for, I'm not sure if there will be another one, maybe they can learn my their mistakes next time, but it was a little adventure and took me back to childhood.