Chicken Run

Chicken Run is a 2000 stop motion animated adventure comedy film produced by the British studio Aardman Animations in partnership with American studio DreamWorks Animation, and French studio Pathé. The studio's first feature-length film, it was directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park from a screenplay by Karey Kirkpatrick and story by Lord and Park.[5] The film stars the voices of Julia Sawalha, Mel Gibson, Tony Haygarth, Miranda Richardson, Phil Daniels, Lynn Ferguson, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, and Benjamin Whitrow. The plot centres on a band of chickens who see a rooster named Rocky as their only hope to escape the farm when their owners prepare to turn them into chicken pies.

Plot
The chickens live in a farm run by the Tweedys. They try to escape, but are always caught. Frustrated at the minuscule and declining profits that the farm generates, Mrs. Tweedy conceives an idea of converting the farm to automated production and having a pie machine in the barn in order to turn the chickens into meat pies. One day, Ginger, the leader of the chickens, observes an American rooster named Rocky Rhodes crash-landing into the farm after being shot from a circus cannon. Ginger and the chickens hide him from the Tweedys. Ginger, interested in Rocky's flying abilities, begs him to help teach her and the chickens to fly. Rocky gives them training lessons in the meantime while Mr. Tweedy builds the pie machine. Later, Rocky holds a party and Ginger insists he show them to fly the next day, but Mr. Tweedy finishes making the pie machine and puts Ginger in it for a test run. Rocky saves Ginger, giving them time to warn the others of the Tweedys' plan to make them into pies and only a short time for their escape.

The next day, Ginger finds Rocky has fled, leaving behind part of a poster that shows him to be a stunt rooster, shot out of a cannon from a circus and unable to fly himself, depressing Ginger and the others. Fowler the rooster tries to cheer them up by telling stories of being an RAF (Royal Air Force) division mascot, leading Ginger the idea of creating a plane to flee from the farm. The chickens assemble parts for the plane as Mrs. Tweedy insists Mr. Tweedy gather all the chickens to put into the machine, but when he comes in, the chickens attack Mr. Tweedy, leaving him bound and gagged, as they finish the plane. Rocky returns and joins them, but while taking off, Mrs. Tweedy chases them and climbs up a strand of lights while Ginger races to sever it, managing to cut the strand, sending Mrs. Tweedy into the pie machine, which causes it to explode. The chickens continue their flight to freedom, and find an island where they enjoy their freedom, and Ginger and Rocky start a relationship.

Voice cast

 * Julia Sawalha as Ginger, a hen who is determined to save her fellow chickens from their impending doom on the Tweedys' farm. She is usually the one that comes up with ideas and is generally more intelligent than the other chickens.
 * Mel Gibson as Rocky Rhodes, a laid-back American circus rooster who crash-lands on the farm and teaches the chickens to fly at Ginger's request.
 * Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Tweedy, a greedy and cantankerous lady who decides to convert her farm into a chicken pot pie factory solely for monetary reasons.
 * Tony Haygarth as Mr. Tweedy, Mrs. Tweedy's oafish, henpecked husband. He is cruel to the chickens and, despite his unintelligence, more suspicious than his wife of their escape plans, correctly identifying Ginger as their leader.
 * Benjamin Whitrow as Fowler, a feisty elderly rooster who regularly prattles about his Royal Air Force experiences.
 * Timothy Spall as Nick, a cynical, portly rat who smuggles contraband into the compound.
 * Phil Daniels as Fetcher, a rat who is Nick's slim, slow-witted partner.
 * Jane Horrocks as Babs, the fattest of the chickens. She is a stout hen with a dim-witted innocence and a love of knitting.
 * Imelda Staunton as Bunty, the champion egg-layer and group cynic who is the most skeptical of Ginger's escape plans.
 * Lynn Ferguson as Mac, Ginger's genius Scottish assistant.

Followed by
Chicken Run 2 (2023)

Edited into
The History of the Hands (2016) Footage from this movie is used.

Spin-off
Chicken Run (2000) (Video Game)

Referenced in
Troldspejlet: Troldspejlet Special: Stop Motion (1999) (TV Episode) Jakob Steggelmann mentions Nick Park's upcoming film

Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Show No. 306 (2000) (TV Episode) After "Scenes Cut From a Movie", Drew tells Colin that his Scottish accent sounded more like the main character from "Chicken Run" instead of "Braveheart".

Goodbye 2000 (2000) (TV Movie) A picture is displayed in the opening titles

The Critic: Pokemon 2000, The Patriot (2001) (TV Episode) Jay mentions that Mel Gibson played a rooster fighting for freedom in the film

At Home with the Braithwaites: Episode #2.6 (2001) (TV Episode) A poster for the film is visible on a bedroom door behind Virginia.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?: Show No. 326 (2001) (TV Episode) Wayne in "Hats": "My loving's so good, it'll make your chicken run!"

Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

Cats & Dogs (2001)

Dil Chahta Hai (2001) Seen on movie marquee

Lizzie McGuire: Timmy Turner's First Day of HillRidge Junior High (2001) (TV Episode) Ms. Bitters discuss the film. Buttercup (from The Powerpuff Girls) mentions the chickens are building the plane out of a crate from this movie. Principal Tweedy's character is named after the character Tweedy from the movie "Chicken Run". VHS is seen on display in the video rental store at the Style Shack.

Poranek kojota (2001) poster visible

Degrassi: The Next Generation: Mother and Child Reunion: Part 2 (2001) (TV Episode) Toby refers to the film.

Rex the Runt: Wayne the Zebra (2001) (TV Episode) A Chicken Run-style chicken is rejected during the auditions

Taz Wanted (2002) (Video Game)

The Getaway (2002) (Video Game) The poster of the movie is seen in a theater in Leicester Square

Have I Got News for You: The Best of the Guest Presenters (2003) (Video) Referenced by name

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)

Finding Nemo (2003) The subplot of the fish trying to escape in the fish tank recalls the plot of Chicken Run.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) (Video Game)

Racing Stripes (2005) Mentioned in passing by Tucker.

100 Greatest Cartoons (2005) (TV Special) Talked about

A Magical History (2005) (Video) Close up on poster while introducing Peter Lord

Ban the Sadist Videos! (2005) (Video) Video case is shown.

Have I Got News for You: Episode #30.1 (2005) (TV Episode) Reference to the characters

QI: Combustion (2005) (TV Episode) One of the chickens is seen

Vecinos: Aguas Turbias (2006) (TV Episode) Mentioned by name.

Incontrôlable (2006) Poster in the room

Flushed Away (2006) This is among the DVDs on the shelf when Roddy is picking out a movie to watch.

Ratatouille (2007) The scene where the rats are cooking in the kitchen is reminiscent of a scene in Chicken Run where the chickens are building there plane.

BBC Proms: Prom 2: Music from Great British Films (2007) (TV Episode) Playing Theme & showing clips

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) The line the English penguin delivers in his safety speech on the plane is the same safety tip that the rat gives the chickens in the Aardman film

Notorious (2009) poster is seen

Community: Contemporary American Poultry (2010) (TV Episode) "Chicken run!"

Brief Film Reviews: My DVD/Blu-Ray Collection (2010) (TV Episode) DVD cover shown.

Peep Show: Seasonal Beatings (2010) (TV Episode) During the game of Charades, Jeremy decides to this instead of the book Thus Spake Zarathustra, which Mark's dad told him to do.

That Fellow in the Coat: A Look Back at Disney's Sequels (2010) (TV Episode) That Fellow seems to have a dislike for Mel Gibson, apart from his role as Rocky Roads.

Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: Arthur Christmas (2011) (TV Episode) Hewy says Aardman made this movie

Jeopardy!: 2012 Teen Tournament Final Game 1 (2012) (TV Episode) Title used as answer to question in Wheel of Movie Taglines category

Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012) (TV Episode) Hewy discusses movies made by Aardman.

Rio 2 (2014) The antagonist, Nigel, climbs the rope that binds the dynamite, just like Mrs. Tweedy

The Reviewers: So What's the Deal with Caroline? (2014) (TV Episode) Mentioned as a film about chickens.

Thatcher Joe Vlogs: Changing My Name?! - Vlogmas 2014 (2014) (TV Episode) Referenced by Joe Sugg.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Movie Taglines (2015) (TV Episode) An honorable mention goes to the tagline "Escape or die frying."

Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: the Brave Little Toaster (2015) (TV Episode) Hewy discusses on animated films on what animals and inanimate objects when people aren't around.

Late Night with Seth Meyers: Daniel Craig/Regina King/Donny Deutsch/Jon Theodore (2015) (TV Episode) Mentioned by Seth during his monologue

Josh: Wedding and Waiting (2015) (TV Episode) Kate mentions that Josh spent his 18th birthday on his own with "Chicken Run" on DVD.

Life, Animated (2016) VHS/DVD cover from Owen's collection

The Muppets.: Little Green Lie (2016) (TV Episode) Rizzo confuses the film with Logan's Run.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Ethan Hawke/Lorde/Allan Peterkin & Russell Cordeiro (2017) (TV Episode) Mentioned in a response in the Hashtags segment

Cowboy (2017) (Short) A Blu-ray cover can be seen, in a videoclub.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Jon Hamm/Emily Ratajkowski/Patrick Reed/Khalid & Normani (2018) (TV Episode) Title used in the charades game

AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Bad Hair Day (2018) (TV Episode) Mentioned in dialogue.

AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Onward to Weird Hedgehogs (2018) (TV Episode) Brought up in discussion.

PEN15: Ojichan (2019) (TV Episode) Anna suggests they lie about watching this movie to see a different one.

AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Missing Link is Missing Money (2019) (TV Episode) Mentioned in dialogue.

AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Is Maleficent Sexy? (2019) (TV Episode) Brought up in discussion.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) A poster of the movie can be seen in Molly's room

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019) Rocky the rooster makes a brief, non-speaking cameo in one scene. He is standing on a wall, holding a coffee mug with his name on it.

AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Barney's Big Blockbuster (2019) (TV Episode) Brought up as a film made by Aardman.

Granada Reports: 9 March 2020: Evening Bulletin (2020) (TV Episode) Mentioned by Caroline.

AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Ginger Snapped (2020) (TV Episode) Brought up in discussion.

Featured in
The Making of Chicken Run (2000) (TV Short)

At the Movies: Me, Myself and Irene/The Patriot/Chicken Run/The Discreet Charge of the Bourgeoisie (2000) (TV Episode) Reviewed.

HBO First Look: The Hatching of 'Chicken Run' (2000) (TV Episode) clips

Troldspejlet: Episode #24.7 (2000) (TV Episode) reviewed + footage used

Goodbye 2000 (2000) (TV Movie)

The Hatching of 'Chicken Run' (2000) (TV Short)

Troldspejlet: Episode #25.14 (2001) (TV Episode) VHS/DVD release reviewed + footage used

At the Movies: DVD Bells & Whistles (2001) (TV Episode) Clips are shown.

Chaplin Today: City Lights (2003) (TV Short) clips shown

The Ultimate Film (2004) (TV Movie) number 93

100 Greatest Cartoons (2005) (TV Special) Clips are shown

Animation Lookback: DreamWorks Animation Part 2 (2010) (TV Episode) Film is talked about, clips shown.

Animation Lookback: DreamWorks Animation Part 7 (2010) (TV Episode) Number 2 in the top 10 DreamWorks Animation films.

Animation Lookback: Pixar Animation Studios Part 1 (2012) (TV Episode) A critically acclaimed animated film, clip shown.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Stop-Motion Animation Movies (2014) (TV Episode) Chicken Run is #5.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Animated Villains Excluding Disney and Pixar (2014) (TV Episode) Melisha Tweedy is #5.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Underrated Kids Movies (2014) (TV Episode) Chicken Run is #7.

Animation Lookback: The Best of Stop Motion - The First Features (2014) (TV Episode) Clip shown during introduction.

Animation Lookback: The Best of Stop Motion - Aardman (2014) (TV Episode) Film is talked about, clips shown.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Animated Movies: 2000s (2015) (TV Episode) Chicken Run gets an honorable mention.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Animated DreamWorks Movies (2015) (TV Episode) Chicken Run is #3.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Most Memorable Movies of 2000 (2015) (TV Episode) Chicken Run gets an honorable mention.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Animated Movies to Watch as a Family (2015) (TV Episode) Chicken Run gets an honorable mention.

A Grand Night In: The Story of Aardman (2015) (TV Movie) excerpts shown

Greatest Animated Movies (2016) (TV Movie) Number 28 in the countdown

WatchMojo: Top 10 Underrated Movie Villains (2016) (TV Episode) Mrs. Tweedy gets an honorable mention.

MsMojo: Top 10 Greatest Non-Disney Female Animated Characters (2016) (TV Episode) Ginger gets an honorable mention.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Thrilling Escapes in Movies (2016) (TV Episode) Flying Out of the Farm gets an honorable mention.

MsMojo: Top 10 Cartoon Villainesses in Movies (2016) (TV Episode) Mrs. Tweedy gets an honorable mention.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Hidden Themes in Movies You Totally Missed as a Kid (2016) (TV Episode) A Metaphor for Concentration Camps is #9.

WatchMojoUK: Top 10 Greatest British Animations (2018) (TV Episode) Chicken Run is #3.

MsMojo: Top 10 Greatest DreamWorks Villains (2019) (TV Episode) Melisha & Willard Tweedy are #5.

Top 10 Best Animated Films of the 2010 Decade (2019) (TV Special) Footage used when Mat Brunet talks about stop motion.

Granada Reports: 9 March 2020: Evening Bulletin (2020) (TV Episode) A clip is shown.

WatchMojo: The Best Animated Movies of All Time from A to Z (2020) (TV Episode) Chicken Run is the best animated movie starting with C.

WatchMojo: Top 10 Terrifying Deaths in Animated Movies (2020) (TV Episode) The death of Edwina is #7.

Spoofs
Stalag 17 (1953)

Break to Freedom (1953)

The Dam Busters (1955)

A Town Like Alice (1956)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

The Great Escape (1963) The chicken yard resembles Stalag Luft III, plus several failed escape attempts and the musical score mimic those of The Great Escape. Ginger also throws a ball at a wall in solitary confinement just like Hilts.

The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) (TV Series) Scottish chicken Mac channels Scotty from Star Trek ("I cannae work miracles, captain! We're giving her all she's got!'") and there's a pun about Mrs. Tweedy being a cling-on (i.e. Klingon)

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Victory (1981)

Tenko (1981) (TV Series)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) during the escape from the oven, Ginger goes back for her hat while the door is almost closed, just like Indy does when escaping from the trap room

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Aliens (1986)

Memphis Belle (1990)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Wong Fei Hung (1991)

Silent Cries (1993)

True Lies (1994)

Paradise Road (1997)

Spoofed in
City Guys: Chicken Run (2001) (TV Episode) Episode title

The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002)

Stuart Little 2 (2002) Stuart has driving toy red car in Margalo falls down in the car.

Lizzie McGuire: Lizzie's Misadventures in HillRidge (2002) (Video Game)

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) Captain DuBois hangs on a rope hanging from a plain (and get cut), the same way Mrs. Tweedy on the final escape scene.

The Loud House: Baby Steps/Brawl in the Family (2017) (TV Episode) Lynn, Lisa, Lana, Lola and Luan whistle a not so innocent tune in this episode.