Rocky (L) and Ginger become parents in “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugger”. Photo courtesy of Aardman/Netflix
Rocky makes a valiant rescue attempt while mice Nick and Fetcher watch nervously. Photo courtesy of Aardman/Netflix
From left, Bunty, Mack, Rocky, Molly, Ginger, Fowler and Babs star in Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. Photo courtesy of Aardman/Netflix
From left, Dr. Fry, Mrs. Tweedy and Reginald Smith have wicked plans for the chickens. Photo courtesy of Aardman/Netflix
Fowler is distracted from his mission by a snail. Photo courtesy of Aardman/Netflix
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 (UPI) — The fans of the 2000s Chicken Run they can now have their own children. the sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nuggetwhich screened at the Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles, is a charming sequel with appeal to both generations of fans.
Ever since they escaped from the Tweedy Chicken Farm, the chickens Ginger (Tandiu Newton) and Rocky (Zachary Levy) have been living in a paradise isolated from the threat of humans. Ginger lays an egg, which hatches into their daughter, Molly (Bella Ramsey).
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When developers encroach on the chickens’ happy habitat, Ginger offers to hide from them. It shows how having children can change a parent.
Ginger is no longer the rebel who will lead a coup from the hen house. Molly’s safety comes first to her.
Of course, Ginger must also learn what all parents must, that the safety of micromanaging is unsustainable. Molly pursues her mother and rebels by exploring the outside world.
Unfortunately, Molly meets another young chicken named Frizzle (Josie Sedgwick-Davies) and the two are taken to the Fun-Land Farms chicken factory.
The first one Chicken Run it was a prison break. The dawn of native gold is a rescue mission organized by Ginger, Rocky and their chicken friends.
It’s just that using the usual action movie tropes is automatically funnier with the hens. Beyond that, The dawn of native gold also accepts the perspective that these heroic standbys won’t always work.
The chickens have to complete a complex mission to escape the guards, cameras and electric fence. Rocky’s attempts to torture himself fail in hilarious slapstick fashion.
Many action movies show top secret equipment that scans eyeballs for entry. The dawn of native gold suggests that these retinal scanners may not be as sophisticated as the movies lead us to believe.
The best joke, however, is a dramatic reveal of the ultimate villain, mocking the ridiculous build up to the very obvious reveal. Little jokes are funny too.
The dangers in the factory get bigger and bigger, so the action broadens the scope as it satirizes such adventures. The message also expands to show Ginger that it is not enough to save her own friends and family. She also needs to share freedom with the greater hen community.
Chicken Run movies are animated using 3D models moved frame by frame. The dawn of native gold you move your characters through beautiful environments.
Chicken heaven looks huge and complicated. The Fun-Land Farms factory highlights the difference between the old chicken coops of the first film and the industrial processing plant.
Fun-Land Farms Truck Track Chase conveys the speed of the vehicles in animation.
The ending suggests that these animated chicks could have more adventures. Based on the success of the first two films, these chickens are welcome to run as many times as they want.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget premieres December 15 on Netflix.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI film entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Association since 2023. Read more about his work in Entertainment.