Chicken Run (Animated) (Wide Screen) > Reviews > My opinion on Ginger and Mrs Tweedie - Chicken Run

Author's product rating:   

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

Advantages:	Interesting characters and an easy to follow story line
Disadvantages:	i found none !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

There is so much going on in this film that I would be hear for ever telling you about the whole film. So I decided to look at two contrasting characters. These characters give a good perception of the film.

The originators of Chicken Run use numerous presentational techniques to portray the good and evil characters. I am going to concentrate on the use of costume, setting, camera shots, music, sound effects, lighting, body language and intervention. I am going to investigate how these elements affect the audience’s perception of the characters Ginger and Mrs Tweedie.

Ginger, (the main character-a chicken) is shown dressed in a dark green army style beret, introducing the military theme, a floral scarf secured around her neck with a knot. Her attire is very simple, but the way in which she is dressed reveals certain characteristic she possesses. She stands out as a motherly, caring character, just from the endearing way in which she is dressed. However Mrs Tweedie, the farmer’s wife is dressed in a very different fashion. Mrs Tweedie is shown in two contrasting costumes. She is first seen wearing a pink hair net, a pink fluffy dressing gown, pink fluffy slippers and a yellow nightdress with matching socks. This soft elegant look contrasts with her daggering look and her evil eyebrows. Later, Mrs Tweedie is observed in clumpy, black German Jack boots, her hair is tightly drawn back into a sinister looking bun, with again, low menacing eyebrows. A ghastly, maroon floral dress buttoned right to the top, revealing no skin. She also has a broach at the top ensuring no skin can be exposed. When inspecting the chickens for an egg check, she strides aim fully into the coop, slashing menacingly a deep red pair of gloves against her palm with evil intentions. The red shade of gloves symbolizes danger, and she has a stern, evil look on her face.

The chicken coops, where Ginger is situated are assembled in rows. These rows resemble a prisoner of war camp, high fencing surround it, secured tightly by chains and locks. Circling the fence there are ream of barbed wire. The coops are continuously patrolled by two savage guard dogs and a very cold and bored, but also angry Mr Tweedie. The coops are dull regimental cells and the chickens are almost like a colourful army troop. However inside the coops is a very contrasting atmosphere, the chickens seem to form a light-hearted, cosy, bright, busy, organised community. It is a well-lit space and the chickens are playing darts and drinking tea, despite the outside prison. When Ginger presents them with yet another crazy escape plan, the others respond with enthusiastic team spirit, all the chicken’s works as a team to fabricate the idea. When the farmer comes to check on them during a social meeting, they cleverly transform the coop back to normal.

On the other hand however, the farmhouse is quite the opposite. As the camera guides us through the window, we hear depressing music, we then see the stripped carcass of Edwina the chicken (who was earlier killed for laying no eggs) surrounded by potatoes and gravy, sitting on a white plate, in the centre of the table. The room is decorated in drab colours, like brown, grey and dark green. These colours make the room feel cold and unwelcoming. The room is lit lowly producing shadows, there is a negative, argumentative and tense atmosphere, making the characters appear icy and heartless. The room is comfortably furnished, but some how not inviting. There is paper sprawled across the desk in an unorganised fashion. Compared to the size of the chicken huts, the farmhouse appears as a castle, towering above. In spite of the contrasting atmospheres, there is however aim full talking from both characters, Mrs Tweedie, due to making money, and Ginger’s attempts to escape.

I shall now turn my focus towards the camera shots used. The makers use a varied number of camera shots throughout the film, when Ginger I on screen she is often seen from a close up shot to show the intense emotion on her face. The majority of the film is shot from the chicken’s point of view, this technique is used to make the audience sympathize with their situation and also formulate you to automatically take their point of view and their perspective. For example, when Mrs Tweedie enters the chicken yard to do the egg check, we firstly view her feet, and the camera moves up to reveal her horrifying face. This shows the chickens point of view as they would have to look up to see her face just as the camera did. When Edwina is killed Ginger is seated on the roof, the camera zooms in on some wild birds flying over the yard, the camera follows the birds as Ginger would be doing with her eyes, until the chicken farm comes into focus. All the fences, barbed wire and chain help you relate to how lonely and trapped she feels. When Ginger is running from the horrific guard dogs, she is chased up the farmhouse steps. The guard dogs draw nearer and the point of view shot reveals the sheer intensity as her eyes widen and she begins to look vulnerable. When Mrs Tweedie peers down on the characters it makes the chickens and audience appears vulnerable.

Music and sound effects contribute immensely top the audience’s perception of the film. The theme tune is a remittance of the theme tune to the hit film “The great escape,” before we know what the film is about we can recognize the music and begin to form a view on the film. The theme tune is played with a piccolo, some how relating to the light, brisk atmosphere in the chicken coops.

When the chickens are prancing about the yard, they make soft flapping sounds, whereas Mrs Tweedie sounds firm, snappy and crunchy, quite the opposite of the innocent chickens. In the morning the music is up beat, light, with long pauses, emphasising the light hearted friendly atmosphere. Whilst the chickens are digging to escape, the music builds up a tense ambience. There is a climax when Mrs Tweedie enters, then it softens into a nimble instrumental whisper. When the chickens bang into the railings and fences, we can hear the chains and locks clank, making the film even more lifelike. Mrs Tweedie’s sound effects and music differs however, she is loud, evil, and mysterious, the music is scratchy and snappy. There is also marching music when she out on a money making scam.

Lighting is a clear depiction between good and evil. Shadowy figures represent evil, and light full on shots are friendlier and convey the good characters. Ginger, being a good character, has full on lighting, this exposes all her expressions and emotions. Her face is lit openly and softly making her out to be the kind and friendly character that she is. We can easily sympathise with her. When the chickens are creeping around, they are coated in shadows. This lighting technique is usually to show the bad characters, this is revealing their mischievous side. Mrs Tweedie is however lit from the back producing shadows making her seem dark and mysteriously evil. When she is killing Edwina she is drowned in shadows. Her silhouettes are dark and gloomy revealing no emotion, making her remorsefully menacing.

Ginger is very much the dominant chicken; this is shown through the way that the filmmakers enable us to see her as the leader and the motherly personality on the group. She is shown to never give up hope when her escape plans constantly fail, and she gives inspiring lessons to the other chickens. She is full of ideas, certain of her self and concise. She is purposeful and knows what she wants. She is also confident and inquisitive. When she uses the spoon to escape under the yard fence, she hides behind the farmhouse wall, a bit like the good character in action films like James Bond. She then goes back to help her friends, even though she has a good chance of escaping, and she knows that if she goes back she has an even better chance of getting caught. She is focused, to the point and confidant when she presents the group with yet another bizarre idea. She is caring, this is shown when Edwina gets caught not laying any eggs, she asks her friend why she didn't give her any of hers, and is overly concerned for her friend. Ginger also has open body language and open friendly lighting. She is educating and over powering to the other chickens, but in a good way, taking the motherly role once again.

All these things contribute to the way the film makers portray her to be good. How do they make Mrs Tweedie seem so bad and evil though? To start with, she is shown with her hands on her hips in a purposeful fashion, she towers over the chickens and is firm and aggressive with Mr Tweedie and the chickens. She is very load and bellows her orders and demands. She is a masculine character and she is overpowering over everyone, even Ginger. All her movements are snappy and quick. Her low sinister eyebrows emphasize the fact that she is the heartless character. All Mrs Tweedie cares about is making money and she shows her determination by some of her actions, for example, when she gets an idea she roles up a book as if to use it in an aggressive way. Again following the military theme, she orders Mr Tweedie and the chickens, just like a sergeant would. She talks in a low slow tone, but sharply, not gently. She walks as if on a deadly mission and not at all like a lady. All these aspects make Mrs Tweedie the evil character.

The originators of chicken run have cleverly used the techniques I have explained to produce an amazing life like cartoon. Each aspect contributes to the audiences perception of the film and the individual characters, for example, if Mrs Tweedie was lit from the front and in full view constantly, then we would begin to sympathize with her and she would not seen so evil. The soft lighting and gentle sound effects enable us to correspond with Ginger and perceive her as the good, kind character. I personally like the way the originators use the camera angles to depict the two different characters, and how the help us to see the characters for who they are.

Chicken run is animated, it is a comedy but also in places it could be told as a romance or even an action. The sound effects and music effect this the most, because the fast music is during the action and the slow gentle music is used during the romance scenes. This film is cleverly disguised from being a child film, to appeal to the older generation. The film “The Great escape” was an adult’s film so some adult may like it as it resembles this in some places. It is also very entertaining and easy to follow, but not so easy that it’s boring. A film like this may bring out the inner child in some adults!

As all the characters are made of plastacine, the can cleverly be remoulded to show different facial expressions and postures. Plastacine has become very popular aver the last few years and has been used in many different films and in some adverts. For example, the PG tips advert and the toy story films. The characters are made with extreme care and excellent detail, they all have intricate teeth and petit little clothes, which add to the character personality. Although we know that chickens don't actually wear clothes or speak, we readily accept this, as they are so life like.

I really like the way the filmmakers portray the good and evil characters, it makes the film so life like and easy to follow and adapt to. I accepted it straight away and I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

Thank-you for reading my opinion on Ginger and Mrs Tweedie, I hope you enjoyed it, loz :)