Chicken Run (2000) - The Internet Animation Database

Chicken Run

Release Date : June 23, 2000

Cumulative rating:	(1 rating submitted)

Associated Studio(s)

DreamWorks Pictures

Pathé

Synopsis

Chickens in inescapable farm owned by the heartless Mrs. Tweedy have begun to lose hope of freedom except for Ginger who finds a miracle in the form of Rocky, an American rooster who is able to fly! After saving his of life of forever performing in a circus, he agrees to help Ginger and the other chickens to fly before Mrs. Tweedy's latest money-making venture puts them all on the menu!

Characters

Ginger
(Voice: Julia Sawalha)

Rocky Rhodes
(Voice: Mel Gibson)

Babs
(Voice: Jane Horrocks)

Bunty (II)
(Voice: Imelda Staunton)

Fowler
(Voice: Benjamin Whitrow)

Mac (II)
(Voice: Lynn Ferguson)

Nick
(Voice: Timothy Spall)

Fetcher
(Voice: Phil Daniels)

Mrs. Tweedy
(Voice: Miranda Richardson)

Awards

Nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA): Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film

Nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA): Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects

Won the 2002 British Animation Awards: Best European Feature Film (Peter Lord)

Won the 2002 British Animation Awards: Best European Feature Film (Nick Park)

Nominated for the Annie Award: Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature

Nominated for the Annie Award: Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production

Nominated for the Annie Award: Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production

Nominated for the Kids' Choice Awards: Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie (Mel Gibson)

Nominated for the ASCAP Film and Television Music Award: Top Box Office Films

Nominated for the Saturn Award: Best Fantasy Film

Nominated for the Saturn Award: Best Writing (Karey Kirkpatrick)

Nominated for the Hugo Award: Best Dramatic Presentation

Won the 2001 Genesis Award: Feature Film

Nominated for the Golden Globe: Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical

Nominated for the Motion Picture Sound Editors: Best Sound Editing - Animated Feature

Nominated for the Motion Picture Sound Editors: Best Sound Editing - Music - Animation

Won the 2001 Young Artist Awards: Best Family Feature - Animated

Won the 2000 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (LAFCA): Best Animation

Won the 2001 Florida Film Critics Circle Awards: Best Animation

Distributor(s)

DreamWorks Pictures

Clips Used In:

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (Clips from the movie are used for the opening recap and flashbacks)

Milestones

The first feature-length film produced by Aardman Animations.

Trivia

Film was shot using converted 1950s 35mm Mitchell BNC cameras at 20 frames-per-second (in order to save time and money).
Although never mentioned, the film takes place in July 1959 according to a calendar in the Tweedy's farmhouse as well as being confirmed by the filmmakers.
Went into production in 1995, the same year and shortly after the Wallace and Gromit short "A Close Shave" (directed by Nick Park).
Principal photography was officially completed in 2 years.
Aardman put the plasticine through food processors in order to stiffen and color it for the characters. Ironically, these were the same kind of processors seen in the movie that the chickens were terrified to go into themselves!
Among some of the characters that were thought up of but scrapped were a pair of mute twins named Sage and Onion, a champion egg layer named Paxo, and a little brother for Ginger named Nobby (which DreamWorks suggested to leave out in order to make the film less cute).
Originally, Rocky was never meant to be an American. The decision to make him American came late in order to give Ginger and Rocky a Spencer Tracey and Katharine Hepburn feel, as well as a culture clash element.
DreamWorks pushed to get this film into the Oscar nominations for Best Picture, but failed. This failure however along with the popularity of the film among the Academy members led to the creation of the Best Animated Feature category for the Oscars starting the year after (which awkwardly would go to DreamWorks' next animated film "Shrek").