While there are certain directors or actors whose movies I will watch as soon as they are available, I am less loyal to film studios. The one exception is Aardman Animations. I have the utmost respect for any stop-motion animation, and Aardman is the best at it. Combined with the humor and wit of Nick Park and Peter Lord, I will always make time to watch something from Aardman. Even though Park and Lord were producers rather than directors, I was excited to see Sam Fell’s movie, “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget,” premiering on Netflix.
Our heroes Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (Zachary Levi) are still safe with their friends in their chicken sanctuary, and the couple is welcoming a new chick, Molly (Bella Ramsey). But no matter where the chickens go, the humans are quick to follow, and when Molly is out exploring against the wishes of her parents, she meets a quirky friend, Frizzle (Josie Sedgwick-Davies), and they board a truck headed for “Fun-Land Farm.” Frizzle assures Molly that each chicken will get their own bucket. When they arrive, it does seem as though this is a chicken paradise run by Dr. Fry (Nick Mohammed). But Molly slowly realizes that the chickens are being primed for something much more sinister by her parents’ nemesis, Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson). Now Ginger and Rocky must rescue their daughter before it’s too late.
I was so disappointed in this movie. It is a retread of the 2000 “Chicken Run” but without the charm of the original. Without even a new villain to fight, I found myself wondering why I was watching this new movie rather than the original. There was only one joke that really struck me as laugh-out-loud funny, with the rest merely garnering the odd half-smile.
While I don’t mind some of the shake-ups in the voice acting, I honestly didn’t feel like anything stood out as particularly memorable or interesting. Mohammed, as Dr. Fry, was a fun addition, as was Ramsey as the spunky Molly, but Newton and Levi seemed flat to me. Even the returning voices of the other chickens felt off, missing something of the spark I was expecting.
One area that did not disappoint was the animation. “Dawn of the Nugget” has a slicker animation than the original while still maintaining everything that makes Aardman one of the most impressive stop-motion animation studios around. The colors are more vibrant, and the look is more engaging. I believe children and adults alike will be wowed by the craftsmanship of this movie.
I don’t feel like it’s a big shock to say that Mrs. Tweedy doesn’t succeed with her plans for fame and riches once again, because the chickens know what is coming. What the writers seemed to forget is that using the same story in a another movie doesn’t really fare any better than Mrs. Tweedy.
ALISE CHAFFINS is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions, as well as a member of the International Film Society Critics Association. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one newly in theaters every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.
