What sad state of affairs brings one to the point where you miss Mel Gibson? Mine came at the hands of this otherwise nothing sequel. It was a distinctly sad moment when I met this revelation. How could one flub the voice of a stupid clay chicken? It isn’t even the main chicken. I didn’t mind at all that Ginger went from Julia Sawalha to Thandie Newton, but somehow, the drop from Mel Gibson to Zachary Levi –who was so good as a voice actor in Tangled– is so precipitous that I longed for Mel Gibson.
I’m neither soon going to forget nor forgive this, Aardman Animations. I want to long for Mel Gibson about as deeply as I want to long for root canal, IBS, or Rush Limbaugh. Can I just be happy Aardman decided to cut loose the problematic Aussie? I wish it were that simple.
A full generation ago, Aardman Animations completed (arguably) the crown jewel of its goofy Claymation milieu. The studio’s first feature-length film was Chicken Run, a delightful take on The Great Escape involving captive chickens choosing freedom to entrée. Twenty-three years later, the chickens returned, but the fun didn’t. Well, a little fun returned, but not enough.
Since we last looked in on Ginger and Rocky, they took to their freedom paradise by becoming parents. Parents to exactly one (1) hatchling (isn’t that just like chickens?) named Molly (voice of Bella Ramsey). Like her mother, Molly is inquisitive and strong-willed and “escapes” herself to the “mainland” away from their non-human island retreat. Here, she encounters a “cool” chicken truck from Fun-Land Farms where chickens “meet their happy 
ending.” Molly and new friend hop a ride on the chicken truck and soon become part of the electronically brain-washed chicken population all destined to be food.
Naturally, Ginger, Rocky and the rest of the gang have to save the hatchling and all the other chickens destined for dinner plates. Aardman, of course, doesn’t make films bereft of charm and it’s hard not to enjoy some of the gizmos that come into play like the laser guided exploding ducks guarding the moat surrounding the farm and the extensive “chicken playground” within. It’s a regular -what’s the place in Pinocchio where the boys turn into donkeys? Oh yes—Pleasure Island.
I can honestly say Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget tried. The picture, once again, pitted chicken against man and technology for the universal right to body autonomy. And yet, the cinematic joy proved elusive a second time around. Perhaps there isn’t as much tension in breaking in as in breaking out. Perhaps the villainy was better in the original. Perhaps the franchise took a massive hit by cutting ties with Mel Gibson. The most obvious answer is that the magic of the first film couldn’t really be captured again, which isn’t terribly surprising as The Great Escape II isn’t really a thing.
There once was a hatchling named Molly
Who wanted her own life, by golly
So she stowed after rant
In a processing plant
And now her destiny is chicken tamale
Rated PG, 98 Minutes
Director: Sam Fell
Writer: Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell, Rachel Tunnard
Genre: Unnecessary sequels
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Maybe if you didn’t see the first one … ?
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Fans of the original
