Search results
Dec 14, 2023 · Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget Rated PG. Running time: 1 hour 41 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
- 101 min
- Alissa Wilkinson
- Bargain Buckets are never the best idea
- Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget Gallery
- Which of these stop-motion classics is your favorite?
- Verdict
- Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget Review
- More Reviews by Martin Carr
- IGN Recommends
By Martin Carr
Updated: Dec 15, 2023 3:49 pm
Posted: Oct 21, 2023 2:00 pm
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is now streaming on Netflix. This review is based on a screening at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival.
More than two decades after Chicken Run, screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell (with newcomer Rachel Tunnard in tow) reunite with Aardman Animations for an inversion of their record-setting escape caper. But putting Ginger, Rocky, Bunty, and Babs back in action without the original's full cast onboard feels like the first in a long line of mistakes being made in Dawn of the Nugget. The result is a paltry sequel that only highlights what audiences loved about its predecessor.
Comparisons with the first film are unavoidable, and Dawn of the Nugget feels more like a Bargain Bucket than any type of stop-motion Happy Meal, as a very slim story gets padded out to feature length. Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi do their best to fill in for Julia Sawalha and Mel Gibson in the roles of Ginger and Rocky, but Sawalha and Gibson’s absence is felt throughout a film whose stakes feel threadbare. With their daughter Molly (Bella Ramsey) providing an essential kick start to the story, Dawn of the Nugget falls back on formula fast to create obstacles for this plucky teenager to overcome.
Beyond the disappointment of a pedestrian plot – which sees the intrepid chickens attempt their own smash and grab – this sequel succeeds in packing movie references in at every opportunity, from the obvious Mission: Impossible nods to any number of throwbacks to Bond villains’ lairs, where complicated security measures are overcome by common sense and a smart catchphrase. With the freedom to fashion household objects into weird and wonderful contraptions, Dawn of the Nugget also trades in Chicken Run nostalgia, as crude catapults create a stop-motion spectacle sending our feathered friends into a fortified factory farm packed with peril.
Highlights amongst the returning cast include Miranda Richardson and Jane Horrocks, who breathe life back into Mrs. Tweedy and Babs with some inspired voice work that elevates every moment of screen time they’re given. In the case of Mrs. Tweedy, that sense of pantomime villainy has been cranked up to 11, as the overbearing farmer injects Dawn of the Nugget with a sense of childlike terror alongside some psychedelic visuals that feel more Austin Powers than 007 by design. Babs, on the other hand, might be a few seconds behind everyone else, but Horrocks has perfect comic timing and knows how to deliver a punchline on cue, armed with nothing but a pair of needles and writers who can pull solid-gold sight gags from her knitting.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
My Life as a Zucchini
Kubo and the Two Strings
Coraline
With an uninspired story and original cast members missing, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget rarely delivers. Although the top-tier animation distracts from a lack of chemistry between Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi, this latest addition is never better than average.
Review scoring
okay
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is a bargain bucket destined to disappoint.
Martin Carr
- Martin Carr
Dec 15, 2023 · Aardman’s original Chicken Run revolutionized animation back in 2000. A new, Netflix-produced sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, can’t match the original, but it’s still fun.
Dec 13, 2023 · By Nicholas Barber. Netflix. The Aardman animation sequel combines quirky British humour with emotional depth to create a faster, zanier caper with more ambitious action set pieces, more...
Oct 14, 2023 · Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget just had its world premiere at the BFI Film Festival in London, and fortunately, some affordable seats were still available a few months ago. As a result, here are my thoughts ahead of its December 2023 release.
- 2 min
Oct 14, 2023 · ‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget’ Review: The Flock from Aardman’s First Flick Hatches a Plucky Mission Improbable Reviewed at Netflix Roma Theater, Los Angeles, Sept. 24, 2023.
People also ask
Is Chicken Run Dawn of the nugget on Netflix?
Is 'Chicken Run' coming to Netflix?
Is 'Chicken Run' rated PG?
Will Chicken Run Dawn of the Nugget be released in 2023?
Dec 15, 2023 · “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” premieres December 15 on Netflix. It’s rated PG.
