Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is the new film from Aardman Animation. From Morph, Wallace & Gromit, to Arthur Christmas & The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! There’s a long list of stop-motion hit movies that all come from Aardman Animations. The company was founded in 1972 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. Ever since their creation, the studio has been an animation force to be reckoned with within the movie industry. When you see their work, you instantly know that it has come from their creative genius.
Another gem that I failed to mention is the 2000 war prison escape-like scenario Chicken Run! The movie is the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film in history. Chicken Run is the underdog story that captured the hearts of everyone who watched. The movie tells the story of rebel Ginger (Julia Sawalha). We see Julia and a flock of chicken attempt to escape an egg farm (That feels like a war camp!). The pressure is on for the gang when Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) starts to build a chicken pie machine. Joining them for the ride is Rocky (Mel Gibson). Rocky is an American rooster that Ginger relies on to help get them out of the farm.
In the same vein as Disney & Pixar, Aardman Animations likes to keep all of their projects top secret, and we’ve only really started to discover small details about Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget this year. After its premiere at the 67th London Film Festival this October 14th the movie will be hatched via Netflix on December 15th. The anticipated sequel will see many of your favourite characters return, however, there is indeed a major casting shift this time around. Taking on the legendary role of Ginger is Thandiwe Newton (Westworld / Mission Impossible), and continuing the confident personality of Rocky is Zachary Levi (Shazam! / Tangled). Adding on to that we see Bella Ramsey voice Molly and Romesh Ranganathan as Nick. Basically, it’s a really stacked and highly talented cast. Like their incredible approach to stop-motion, Aardman Animations has always brought in a superb cast to respect that.
The plot initially sees Ginger living a peaceful life alongside Rocky and their new family addition Molly at a bird sanctuary after the successful escape from Mrs. Tweedy’s farm in the first movie. However, when a threat for all chicken-kind brews on the mainland, Ginger assembles her team to break in and save the day once more. Not to mention that Mrs. Tweedy. is returning to cause havoc again. Looking at the trailer, and as a huge fan of Aardman Animations myself, I know that this is going to be a brilliant watch. The heist-themed trailer sees a whole host of exciting new characters joining the gang, whilst showing off that incredible stop-motion detail that made Aardman Animations so well-known worldwide in the first place. The attention to detail is always high. Overall, it looks like it’ll be a nostalgic movie, that’ll bring further depth to the Chicken Run legacy. So, what’s your favourite Aardman Animations movie, and how excited are you for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget?
