Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

It has been 23 years since the original Chicken Run graced cinemas worldwide; the film was met with critical acclaim and impressive box office numbers to match. Now it is December of 2023, and its sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is attempting to do the same on Netflix.

Chicken Run was a beloved product of its time: with Aardman Animations claymation creations like the Shaun the Sheep series and the Wallace and Gromit collection riding the same success, the 2000s provided a newfound love for this unique production style and silly storylines. But does this hold up over two decades later?

Our protagonist, Molly (voiced by Bella Ramsey), is the child of Chicken Run heroes Rocky (Zachary Levi) and Ginger (Thandiwe Newton). Rocky, Ginger and friends from their previous escapades made a humble life for themselves on an island sanctuary for chickens. Molly is instructed to never leave the island, is never properly told why, and, of course, leaves anyway. Molly ends up in a utopian poultry plant that is run by Chicken Run antagonist Mrs Tweedy (Miranda Richardson). After a bit of eavesdropping, Molly discovers Mrs Tweedy plans to turn all the chickens in the farm into fried nuggets. Luckily, Molly is saved from a potentially gruesome fate, but this squad of apparently cunning clay chickens cannot be at ease. Saving Molly was not enough: now they must spoil Mrs Tweedy’s masterful itinerary once and for all. In about an hour and 30 minutes, the Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget cast achieved the unfathomable. 

This film does not take itself too seriously, which is a positive, but many significant plot points and scenes are eerily similar to others that came before it. Pixar’s Toy Story franchise is an obvious source of inspiration, but characteristics found in utopian movies like The Giver are evident as well. Luckily, these are good inspirations to have.

It may be strange to say that beautifully executed animation is part of the downfall of a film, but in this case, it is; the contrasting regular animation and claymation styles were once charming, but now feel off-putting due to technological improvements. The water may be glistening in the sun and the trees may sway wonderfully with the wind, but the characters are chunky, slow-moving and somehow maintain imperfection despite being of higher quality, thus making everything seem out of place. The animation critiques may be too nit-picky; the majority of the movie is stunning, after all. 

Overall, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is lighthearted and fun despite its flaws; claymation fans may have struck gold with this new and improved look.

Taryn Crowley

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is released on Netflix on 15^th December 2023.

Watch the trailer for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget here: