Chicken Run (Animated) (Wide Screen)
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Chicken Run (Animated) (Wide Screen) > Reviews > A coup for the uk dvd owner

Production Year: 2000 - Comedy - Director: Peter Lord, Nick Park - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal

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Facing imminent death while laying eggs at Tweedy's English farm, a group of chickens led by the determined Ginger (Julia Sawahla, BBC-TV's ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS) plan to escape...
more...their prisonlike coop. The situation goes from bad to worse when the sinister Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) decides to stop selling eggs and use the hens as the main ingredient in chicken pot pies. However, some hope literally falls from the sky in the form of Rocky (Mel Gibson), an American rooster who promises to teach the chickens how to fly. As the hens begin their struggle to get airborne, the monstrous pie-making machine arrives, giving the chickens precious little time to make their great escape.
Aardman Studios' first full-length feature film is a stunning showcase of stop-motion animation. Utilizing the unique Plasticine designs of the acclaimed WALLACE & GROMIT and CREATURE COMFORT shorts, CHICKEN RUN features vibrant visuals and colorful characters that are immediately endearing. (The naive and constantly knitting Babs, voiced by Jane Horrocks, is particularly hilarious.) With its clever writing, witty film references, and pitch-perfect combination of comedy, drama, and romance, CHICKEN RUN is one of those rare movies that genuinely appeals to viewers of every age.





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A coup for the uk dvd owner
A review by utero on Chicken Run (Animated) (Wide Screen)
February 4th, 2001


Author's product rating:   Chicken Run (Animated) (Wide Screen) - rated by utero

Did you enjoy it? Liked it 
Story Good 
Characters / Performances Good 
Special Effects Good 
How does it compare to similar films? Good 

Advantages: DTS soundtrack, extras
Disadvantages: none

Recommend to potential buyers: yes 

Full review
Because Chicken Run is very british it's only right that we should get a better treatment when it comes to the dvd as we get a few more extras than our american cousins.

The film is a very amusing and extremely well animated. Like Toy Story the plot and characters come first over the the look and it works.

The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The transfer is excellent and clean. It's the best you'll se the film. Sound wise Pathe have given the consumer a couple of options. The disk has the usual Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix which itself is quite lively with some good surround effects. They've also included the soundtrack in DTS which is popular in the USA but hasn't really been put to use in the UK yet. The DTS mix is better than 5.1 as it's more full and has a lot more depth picking out the slightest sounds to make a more rounded mix. If you have the necessary equipment then this is the best way to watch the film.

The menus are animated with clips from the film that blend into the menus. A very nice job. They are also backed by a music score.

Now for the real "coup"-the extras.

Directors Nick Park and Peter Lord have provided an audio commentary on the film. this is quite leisurely and gives a lot of info on the animation process but at times the pair are a bit quiet.

Next is a 25 minute making of which has interviews with the voice cast and animators. it also has behind the scenes stiff on recording the score and recording the voices for the film. It's better than most but has a bit of a promotional feel in places.

'Chickens Go In, Pies Come Out' is a featurette dedicated to animating the pie machine scene in the film. Park and Lord talk you through how the scene is acomplished. It certainly shows how tedious the process can be but also ver rewarding.

There are also the usual trailers for the film with one spoofing Mission Impossible.

The best feature here thought is the 'Aardman Archive Clips'. This is a sereis of clips that feature many examples of Aardman's animation through the years. There are a few primative examples of Parks' early work. Also some clips of Morph, Wallace and Gromit but alos the excellent Creature Comforts adverts from years ago.

Flip this bird into a dvd-rom drive and you get some great dvd-rom extras that provide an educational look at animation and creatign the film. It's more base at kids and isn't that easy to navigate but is certainly a great addition.
 
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Soundtrack Good 
How does it compare to others by the same director? Good 
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Chicken Run [2000]
As warming as a nice cup of tea on a cloudy day, Chicken Run is that charming singularity, ... more
a commercially successful British family movie
that has near-universal appeal without
compromising its inherent British pluckiness (that
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