Something fowl is happening on the Tweedy Chicken Farm, and the hens don’t like it. Birds of a feather may flock together, but the ingenious stars of “Chicken Run” have something more daring in mind. Thanks to the pluck of one hen named Ginger, the chickens are about to stage one of the most daring escapes since Steve McQueen jumped his motorcycle over a fence in “The Great Escape.”

“The Great Escape” is just but one of the films that directors Peter Lord and Nick Parks send up (and then dress down) in “Chicken Run,” an animated delight that’s as savory as a bucket from the Colonel. The first full-length feature from the creators of the Oscar-winning “Wallace & Gromit” animated shorts is also one the year’s best films.

It’s impossible not to fall under the spell of this charming comedy which skillfully blends animation and scalpel sharp humor to create an experience that everyone can enjoy and appreciate. Kids will absolutely love the simplicity of the moment, while adults will find the clever puns and topical references refreshing and funny.

“Chick Run” takes place on an English farm in the 1950s, but everything about the film suggests a German prison camp during World War II. The hen houses look like barracks, which are surrounded by barb wire and guarded by two vicious dogs. At the other end of the leash is Mr. Tweedy (voice of Tony Haygarth), hen-pecked husband of Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson).

Despite assurances from his wife, Mr. Tweedy suspects that the chickens are organizing. His suspicions are constantly raised by the numerous escapes of Ginger (Julia Sawalha), a determined hen whose attempts buy her a week in the cooler. What Tweedy doesn’t know is that the chickens are indeed organized, and hope to flee the coop on a wing and a prayer.

Their prayers are answered when an American Rhode Island rooster named Rocky (Mel Gibson) flies into their compound. Rocky’s claim to fame is that he’s a flying rooster, which may or may not be true. Doesn’t matter to Ginger, who sees Rocky as the chicken’s salvation. His arrival couldn’t have come at a better time, even if he did injure his wing.

Fed up with the poverty of being an egg farmer, Mrs. Tweedy decides to make and sell chicken pot pies. The decision couldn’t please Mr. Tweedy more, whose paranoia seems to be getting the best of him. The chickens don’t have much time, so the moment Rocky’s wing is better, it’s do or die.

Writer Karey Kirkpatrick, working from an original story by Lord and Park, has done his homework. There’s a lot of history at play here, and Kirkpatrick honors it with respect and some good natured ribbing. Anyone familiar with “The Great Escape” and “Stalag 17” will appreciate the parallels between the POW’s and the chickens.

When Ginger is sent to the cooler, she passes her time tossing a ball against the wall. The main hen house is #17, while Ginger’s escape attempts including tunneling. It’s all here and more. The jokes fly at you faster than the SST, while the visual gags are so extensive you must see the film more than once to take it all in.

Even though they are plasticine animated characters, you not only warm up to the chickens, you actually begin to believe in their plight. When Ginger is picked as the first chicken to test the new pie baking machine (shades of Rube Goldberg), Rocky swings into action to save her. We sit on the edge of our seat as the rescue attempt becomes more and more harrowing, until finally it’s almost impossible to take.

The remainder of “Chicken Run” has that same effect. You totally buy into the premise, and find yourself cheering on the chickens. Directors Lord and Park create this magic by making the chickens more human than the humans. Indeed, Mr. & Mrs. Tweedy (and the dogs) are cartoonish. The hens take on human qualities that transcend their animated roots.

Gibson injects just the right amount of rascal into Rocky, who brags about being the Lone Free Ranger but is actually on the run from a traveling circus. Julia Sawalha, always a delight on the BBC’s “Absolutely Fabulous,” is sweet and sincere as Ginger. Jane Horrocks has lots of fun with Babs, who knits when she’s nervous.

The characters are all recognizable, from Benjamin Whitrow’s stuffy Fowler, who served with the RAF, to the resourceful rat duo of Nick (Timothy Spall) and Fetcher (Phil Daniels), who breathe new life into the old argument about the egg and the chicken (hang around after the credits for more).

Animation is always tricky, especially animation not geared towards 5 year-old children. The trick is giving the images enough depth to make them interesting. Park and Lord and their amazing team of animators avoid this stumbling block by creating an animated film that is more alive than most live- action films. They fill every frame with detail after detail until you suspend disbelief and enter their world. Once there, everything they do seems appropriate and acceptable.

The technical teams complete the illusion, especially John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams’ rousing musical score that nails the genre perfectly. It’s the kind of score that demands your participation. It lures you into the personal moments, and pumps you up during the exciting ones.

I would love to see more of this type of animation and humor on the big screen. These chickens do the impossible: they never lay an egg!

COMPLETE CHECK-UP

VISION: Excellent

2.35:1 Widescreen

16:9 Enhanced

Outstanding digital transfer is like eye candy. The colors are bright and vivid, the images sharp and crisp. The attention to detail is stunning, showcasing the filmmaker’s hard work. Color saturation is excellent, never bleeding or fading. The picture quality is perfect, with no visible artifacts or compression data. Transferred from the computer, there are no source artifacts. The best possible presentation of a wonderful film.

HEARING: Excellent

5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX

2.0 Dolby Digital Surround

6.1 DTS Discreet ES

The 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack is just as animated as the film, with superior sound reproduction. All of the sound fields spring to life, pumping out vivid streams of data. The stereo separation, both front left-to- right and front-to-back are precise, making you feel like you’re right in the middle of the action. Rear speakers are in constant use, while the dialogue mix is strong. Middle and high ends are clean. Superior presentation.

ORAL: Good

Closed Captions in English for the Hard of Hearing

Subtitles in French

COORDINATION: Excellent

Full-length audio commentary with co-directors Nick Park and Peter Lord, who work through their British accents to provide enough fascinating information to make the track worth a listen.

“Poultry in Motion: The Making of Chicken Run” featurette takes us behind-the-scenes to show how the characters were developed, executed and finally voiced. There’s also fascinating information on the stop- motion process that brings the characters to life. Interviews with the talent flesh out the featurette, which runs around 20 minutes.

“The Hatching of Chicken Run” featurette contains some of the same information from “Poultry in Motion,” plus examines the history of Aardman Studios.

Panic Button: Hit the button to see one of two moments from the film featuring chickens running amok.

Read-a-long feature for young children uses clips from the film and on-screen text to tell the story of “Chicken Run.”

Easter Egg hunt that provide valuable insight into the making of the film.

Production notes, cast & crew filmographies

Theatrical trailers and television spots that are just as funny as the film. I’d hate to spoil the surprises here, suffice it to say that these spots have fun with the film’s summer competition.

“Shrek” trailer, the new DreamWorks computer animated film featuring the voices of Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy. Based on the trailer, I can’t wait to see “Shrek.”

DVD-ROM features take you to the “Chicken Run” web site, plus offer more background information on the film.

PROGNOSIS: Excellent

Once again, DreamWorks serves up one of the best films of the year as a tasty DVD.

VITALS: $26.99/Rated G/87 Minutes/Color/Keepcase

ATTENDING RESIDENT: John Larsen

PATIENT: CHICKEN RUN

BIRTH DATE: 2000

HMO: DreamWorks Home Video

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 19th, 2001 at 4:56 am and is filed under Film Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.