I’d be lying if I said that I remember the original Chicken Run in detail. Assuming I watched it around the time of its release, I would’ve been three years old, so that’s probably why. Still, it’s Aardman , so you know it’s going to be high quality when it comes to the animation department. The three original Wallace and Gromit films were my bread and butter growing up, bowling me over with their inventive visuals and compelling villains as well as their gentle humour and tension. The Wrong Trousers’ Feathers McGraw (genius name, whoever came up with that) kept my older brother on absolute tenterhooks as he watched the bad guy with fear and fascination, and there’s camcorder footage to prove it.
Luckily, the opening scenes provided me with a quick synopsis of previous events, so I was back up to date. After their successful mission to escape the clutches of death and becoming chicken pies at the hands of evil Mrs Tweedy, Ginger and Rocky enjoy a life of peace and quiet with their saved chicken brethren. But it’s not long before their curious daughter Molly is keen to leave the nest, and danger and adventure ensues when she escapes to explore Ginger and Rocky’s old stomping grounds. Like the later seasons of Prison Break, the main guys are breaking into the institution they were trapped in. Unlike Prison Break, their escapades are actually entertaining and high quality.
The eclectic range of voice acting in the Wallace and Gromit shorts is one of key elements that brought the intricate animation process to life, and the standard remains high. Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi have been brought in to replace Julia Sawalha and Mel Gibson as the titular chicken couple, while Bella Ramsey provides a spirited performance as new chick Molly. Having played a leader of men, a damaged orphan and a disturbed drug user, Ramsay’s impassioned tones are a perfect match for the newest arrival. The animators also do a fantastic job of making the chicken’s world look unique, a daunting task considering the range of styles available with modern technology. The dystopian Fun-Land Farms is a particular visual delight as malfunctioning chickens trudge around a series of Squid Game-like childish settings. The bright colours also evoke a Barbie aesthetic of fun and escapism, but as some of the victims start to mechanically walk towards the processing room (it’s a children’s film as with the original, so the word ‘kill’ is never mentioned, even though this is explicit to the younger audience), there’s more of a Cloud Atlas dread as the animals walk to their deaths below a happy yellow sun.
Okay, hefty film and TV referencing done for now. As in the original, Dawn isn’t afraid to shy away from its message about the meat industry, pushing the idea of nuggets as a quick way to fit the needs of a fast-moving populace with little regard for the damage happening around them. The title also seems more than a sly jab at the zombified way that food is eaten and disregarded, with Ginger’s earnest declaration that ‘No chicken is an island’ representing a nice message of community that doesn’t get too preachy. Showcasing some particularly inspired moments of animated genius as fireworks boom brightly underneath popcorn and a Toy Story 3 homage with a tense escape scene, Dawn is a joyful adventure, and a clucking fine time.