Animation is perhaps the last frontier when it comes to studios asserting enough considerable control over the productions that they become a brand, usually indicating an unimpeachable sense of quality. Whether Pixar, Disney or Studio Ghibli, the idea that these massively successful companies would produce anything below-par is almost unimaginable. Yet, the one studio that perhaps has the most successful batting average of them all is Aardman Studios, which may produce works at a more sporadic pace, but yet in the process of being more selective have ultimately resulted in films that are of an impossible high quality, each one feeling like a major event. Their crowning achievement in the eyes of many viewers is Chicken Run, the farm-based pastiche of The Great Escape, which has charmed just about every viewer that has encountered that delightful story. Nearly a quarter of a century later, Aardman makes their illustrious return to the subject in the form of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, in which Nick Park and Peter Lord (who remain firmly in charge at Aardman) pass the reigns over to Sam Fell, who has previously directed one of the studio’s most ambitious projects, the delightful Flushed Away, a far better film than many are willing to acknowledge. They once again prove themselves to be at the very apex of artistic brilliance, retreading some common subjects but bringing the same sense of heartfulness and delight to a concept that could have very easily been considered limiting and one-dimensional, something that is almost inconceivable in the hands of such incredibly gifted filmmakers., Solidly funny and genuinely quite moving in ways we have come to anticipate, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is an absolute delight, the kind only possible through the laborious collaboration of a large team that works together to create something truly special.

The question that we ask ourselves throughout the process of watching a film like Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is about what it is in particular that makes these films so compelling and special, which is not necessarily all that easy to answer at first. By all accounts, neither of these films should have worked, since they are essentially built around a single concept, which is extended to become a feature-length story, without adding too much nuance to the already quite paltry plot, which was in turn based on a single joke. Considering Aardman was more known for their short films, which were seemingly a more appropriate medium for these ideas, it was a peculiar decision to turn this premise into a feature. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget only consolidates the overall experience by making it very clear that the simplicity of the premise is not an obstacle, but rather a welcome challenge, and that there is a lot of nuance in how this supposedly one-joke concept is developed. There is something profoundly rivetting about a film that takes a cherished classic and decides to invert the structure – whereas the first film was about escaping, this film is about breaking in, and the sequences where our protagonists work together to outsmart their human adversaries are some of the most captivating of the past year, and can rival the genuinely thrilling content of the original film, which has often been seen as the heir apparent to The Great Escape, not only in concept but also in how it replicates that same feeling of genuine excitement that we simply don’t find all that often in cinema anymore. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is solid, old-fashioned entertainment of the highest order, and there is something profoundly captivating about all the ways that it develops its ideas, which makes it much more than just a one-trick film without any depth or nuance simmering beneath the surface.

However, this does ultimately bring us to the most crucial element of the film, which is that of discussing the relevance of a sequel. Aardman is not always known for resting on their laurels, and when they do, it is usually for something that warrants a second or third project, as was the case for the two masterful Shaun the Sheep films that are amongst the best works of animation in the past decade. Chicken Run was not a film that required a sequel – it had a satisfying and definitive ending that tied up all the loose ends and made it a perfectly self-contained work all on its own. However, we soon come to realize that there is much more to be said, although not in the way we may expect. Various filmmakers have differing approaches to sequels – some subscribe to the idea that a good sequel needs to contain “more of the same”, whereas others believe it is only possible to make something artistically resonant if it goes in the opposite direction, whether in terms of tone or directorial approach. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget aligns with the former since despite some changes in terms of the story, it is mostly the same concept as the original film, which could be either delightful or frustrating depending on how one feels about essentially having the same story repeated, just from a different perspective. There is nothing offered in this film that we could not get from the previous one, outside of some conversations around family and growing up that were inserted here to make the film seem slightly more complex, which does work, albeit only to a certain extent. My belief is somewhere in the middle of the two extremes – the adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is often relevant, especially once we remove the idea that every sequel needs to be inventive in its own right – sometimes, the most interesting follow-ups are those that are so closely aligned with the original it becomes almost a mirror image. Mercifully, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget does make enough changes to prevent it from being entirely repetitive, and it does manage to stand on its own for the most part, which is more than enough for such a film.

Considering it has been over two decades since the first film, there were a few changes made when it came to casting Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, some of them logical while others were quite bewildering. The most significant change was the replacement of the two leads – Ginger, previously played with such delightful eccentricity by Julia Sawalha, was recast, with the original actor being the source of some heartbreaking commentary on the way Hollywood still views age when it was revealed that her voice was criticized for having aged too severely to play the upbeat and energetic protagonist. Instead, she is replaced by the lovely Thandiwe Newton, who does quite well, but still isn’t quite as warm and engaging as Sawalha was in the original film. Mel Gibson is replaced by Zachery Levi for obvious reasons, and while his character is not as important to this narrative as we may have expected, Levi still brings the same sense of chaotic energy to the proceedings that we initially expected from the role. There is a lot of emphasis placed on the supporting characters – Imelda Staunton and Jane Horrocks are brought back to play friends and co-conspirators of our protagonists, while the ever-reliable David Bradley replaced the late Benjamin Whitrow as the eccentric older rooster who becomes an unexpected hero of the story. Miranda Richardson proves that she is a remarkable villain with her return as Miss Tweedy, and she often comes close to stealing the film entirely, which is quite an achievement considering the wealth of talent brought on to voice this cast. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget may not be the kind of film in which the performances mean much, but the fact that there was effort put into getting the right people to play these roles does make a substantial difference and allows us to easily develop a more compelling sense of understanding of the material and everything it represents.

Reactions to Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is bound to be polarizing, at least in terms of how people compare it to both its direct predecessor and Aardman’s output as a whole. Ultimately, it all comes down to the fact that it is not the most dynamic sequel, since it essentially replicates the original in the hopes of mirroring the success, which is not entirely unfeasible or a poor decision. This kind of story has limited mileage, and the idea of a group of chickens fighting against the cruelty of someone who represents consumerism can only go so far before some of the same ideas are revisited. However, this was not made solely for the sake of nostalgia, but rather for the new generations, who would be captivated by the more polished approach to filmmaking that has occurred over the past two decades. The important elements are still present, including the sense of genuine heartfulness, and the desire to do something different with some common ideas. It’s not nearly as major an achievement as the original film, but it also never set out to be anything particularly daring or different. Instead, it plays on the fondness many viewers have for the original by bringing the same sense of artistic integrity to the production, while also introducing these subjects to a much wider audience, many of whom will be as beguiled by this film in much the same way that the previous generation was with the original. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is a delightful, irreverent and wickedly funny film with a good sense of humour and a lot of heart, which is part of the appeal of this story, and one of the many reasons it feels like such a holistic triumph in terms of what it accomplishes with a relatively simple concept.