Who let the chickens out?
Animated sequel “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget,” directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sam Fell, continues the saga of the chicks behind Tweedy’s farm. After “Chicken Run” became the highest grossing stop-motion animated film of all-time, its highly-anticipated sequel picks up with Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) after escaping the slaughterhouse and finding paradise. With a new chick in tow (Bella Ramsey), Ginger is living her ideal life…that is, until her land may become threatened.
The official synopsis reads: “Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger has finally found her dream – a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world. When she and Rocky (Zachary Levi) hatch a little girl called Molly (Ramsey), Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk – this time, they’re breaking in!”
Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, David Bradley, Jane Horrocks, Romesh Ranganathan, Daniel Mays, Josie Sedgwick-Davies, Peter Serafinowicz, Nick Mohammed, and Miranda Richardson also lend their respective voices to the film.
“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” has a story by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, with both writing the screenplay alongside Rachel Tunnard. The film is produced by Steve Pegram and Leyla Hobart, with Peter Lord, Nick Park, Carla Shelley, director Fell, Paul Kewley, and screenwriter Kirkpatrick serving as executive producers.
The IndieWire review compared “Dawn of the Nugget” to a “Mission: Impossible” and James Bond-inspired action film, albeit with stop-motion chickens. “A playful strength of “Dawn of the Nugget” comes through its homages and while there is sport to be had in ringing the references, the plot is extremely simple,” the critic wrote. “The true artful allure is in the physical world-building and this is where ‘Dawn of the Nugget’ comes into its own. While the film leans more on gags than prolonged sources of wonder, there are Easter Eggs galore within Darren Dubicki’s intricate production design.”
“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” premieres December 15 on Netflix. Check out the trailer below.