---
title: "Chicken Run"
year: 2000
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/chicken-run"
fi1m_id: "chicken-run"
imdb_id: "tt0120630"
tmdb_id: 7443
wikidata_id: "Q156401"
fi1m_score: 84
critics_score: 80
critics_reviews: 11
published: "2026-09-14"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:06.733158+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Chicken Run (2000)

Directed by Peter Lord, Nick Park · 1h 24m · MPA G · Animation, Comedy, Family

## Identity

Chicken Run

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/chicken-run
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** chicken-run
- **IMDb ID:** tt0120630
- **TMDB ID:** 7443
- **Wikidata ID:** Q156401
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120630/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/7443, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q156401

**Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 80 from 11 reviews

*In a sentence:* We came to laugh at chickens organising a prison break and ended up fretting about their chances

> Peter Lord and Nick Park turn a chicken coop into a prison camp and make us care about the inmates. The escape-film jokes occasionally stretch thin, but the expressive animation and voices earn our warm recommendation.

## Synopsis

On a Yorkshire farm, a group of chickens tries to escape the coop. Ginger, voiced by Julia Sawalha, is at the centre of their efforts, while Mel Gibson voices Rocky. Their attempt to get out takes the shape of a prisoner-of-war escape story, with the farm standing in for a camp. Imelda Staunton voices Bunty, Jane Horrocks is Babs and Lynn Ferguson is Mac. Miranda Richardson and Tony Haygarth provide the voices of Mrs Tweedy and Mr Tweedy in this stop-motion family comedy directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park.

## Review

Peter Lord and Nick Park treat a chicken’s wish to leave the farm with exactly the seriousness an escape film demands. That seriousness makes *Chicken Run* funny, and gives us a reason to care beyond finding the chickens amusing. We recommend it warmly, with a small reservation about how far the prison-camp routine can stretch. The stop-motion animation gives each inmate enough personality to keep the idea alive when the script gets comfortable. At 84 minutes, it still has a few stretches that could move faster.

Karey Kirkpatrick’s screenplay borrows the structure of a prisoner-of-war escape film, with a Yorkshire chicken coop serving as the camp. The debt to [*The Great Escape*](https://film.one/film/the-great-escape) is clear, but recognising it is not a condition of entry. Ginger has enough determination to make the situation intelligible without a working knowledge of war films. Lord and Park allow these birds their own concerns, rather than making every exchange a nudge towards another film. Much of the humour comes from how seriously the chickens approach getting out.

Phil Lewis’s production design makes the coop convincing as a place of confinement, which gives the escape plans something solid to work against. Cinematographers Tristan Oliver, Dave Alex Riddett and Frank Passingham make the models look substantial enough for us to worry about their safety. The chickens look capable of being hurt, however comical their shapes. More importantly, the faces remain readable: a small change around the eyes can carry a thought without another line of dialogue. The care taken over those expressions matters as much as the larger set pieces.

Julia Sawalha gives Ginger the firmness the film needs at its centre, without making determination sound like a lecture. We were surprised by how much we worried about her. The anxious eyes on that model did it; the face makes the wish to escape feel urgent even when the surrounding scene is funny. Mel Gibson’s Rocky brings a useful dose of self-satisfaction, and his vocal ease gives Sawalha something to push against. Neither performance needs to crowd out the other characters to hold our attention.

Imelda Staunton’s Bunty and Jane Horrocks’s Babs are just as valuable, with sharply different voices that help distinguish the flock. Horrocks is especially good at giving a line its own unhurried pace. That leaves room for a laugh to arrive without everyone competing to announce it. John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams provide music that takes the escape seriously, supporting the tension without apologising for the poultry. Their score helps the action feel consequential even when the premise is at its silliest.

The limitation is that the script sometimes asks another round of escape-film business to do the work of a fresh joke. A little of the early material feels stretched, and the familiarity becomes more noticeable when the laughs are further apart. Editors Mark Solomon, Robert Francis and Tamsin Parry keep the set pieces clear, but cannot quite disguise those thinner passages between them. A sharper cut would help, though haste would also cost some of the voices their individual rhythm. The opening is where that balance needs the most adjustment.

As a family comedy, it trusts the audience to enjoy a slightly peculiar world without having every peculiarity explained. The escape story works because the chickens have become characters whose safety matters to us. There is pleasure in watching their faces even when nobody is speaking, which gives the quieter passages something to offer. Give it an evening when children and adults need to agree on something, and allow the opening a little patience.

*Fi1m score 84, published 14 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics greet Chicken Run warmly, with praise clustering around its expressive stop-motion animation, distinctive characters and witty treatment of prison-escape films. The reviews repeatedly credit the models with conveying personality and feeling, while the voice performances add humour and pathos. The ingenious set pieces draw particular approval, and several critics find enough warmth in the chickens’ predicament to make the film more than a collection of references.

Reservations centre on whether the escape-film premise sustains a feature, rather than on the animation itself. The AV Club admires the invention but suggests the story might work better as a shorter sketch. The Guardian finds it charming but modest and a little twee, while Time Out considers the laughs slow to arrive and the film closer to pastiche than parody. The spread runs from enthusiastic praise to qualified approval; even the cooler reviews acknowledge the craft.

## Straight answers

**Is Chicken Run worth watching?**

*Chicken Run* is worth watching for families who want a comedy that treats a chicken coop escape as seriously as a prison break, and we scored it 84. Peter Lord and Nick Park's stop-motion gives the flock faces expressive enough that we found ourselves worrying about them. The escape-film routine stretches thin in the opening, so allow it a little patience.

**How long is Chicken Run, and what is it rated?**

*Chicken Run* runs 1h 24m and is rated G by the MPA in the US. It is an animation and comedy film.

**Where can I watch Chicken Run in the US?**

*Chicken Run* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does Chicken Run compare to The Great Escape?**

*Chicken Run* borrows its prison-camp planning from [*The Great Escape*](https://film.one/film/the-great-escape), then turns the structure into a family comedy set in a Yorkshire coop. Sturges's film is the more absorbing account of escape itself, with its hardships softened but still felt; the chickens play the same business for laughs and for worry about the birds. Families should choose the coop; anyone wanting the war adventure should start with McQueen. Knowing the earlier film is not required to enjoy the later one.

**What should I watch after Chicken Run?**

After *Chicken Run*, try [*The Great Escape*](https://film.one/film/the-great-escape) (1963, Fi1m 82): For the prison-camp planning that the chickens borrow and make their own. Then [*Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit*](https://film.one/film/wallace-and-gromit-the-curse-of-the-were-rabbit) (2005, Fi1m 87): Patient model work and another scheme that becomes considerably harder to manage; and [*Fantastic Mr. Fox*](https://film.one/film/fantastic-mr-fox) (2009, Fi1m 84): Another animal community tackles human enemies, with ingenuity and plenty of difficult personalities.

### Reviews we read (12)

- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (4/4): The critic praises the film as a magical, charming animated feature that uses animals as surrogates for human hopes and fears, with a whimsical and sometimes darker view. He singles out the observant take on character and nature, along with the kind, sweet, and visually inventive stop-motion work by Lord and Park. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/chicken-run-2000)
- **Empire**, Angie Errigo (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a remarkably well-sustained POW camp parody that is very funny and imaginative. They single out the hilarious set-piece inside the pie-making machine for particular praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/chicken-run-review/)
- **Evening Standard** (85/100, inferred): The critic hails it as a witty, ingenious and imaginative original that is a real winner and the freshest addition to the summer's entertainment. They single out the spectacular large-scale sequences, especially the white-knuckle ride through the chicken-pie machine, for praise. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/chicken-run-7433722.html)
- **The New York Times**, Elvis Mitchell (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it a brainy, confident parody of prison escape films that makes clever use of Mel Gibson's voice and stands out from bland animated features. He praises the wistful, fable-like quality and the plucky heroine Ginger. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/21/movies/film-review-on-flying-the-coop-with-plenty-of-yolks.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (80/100, inferred): The critic finds it a gleeful, charming parody of prison movies with the unmistakable hallmarks of Wallace and Gromit-style wit and cleverness. He highlights the individuality and playful humor that make it a standout stop-motion achievement. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jun-21-ca-43050-story.html)
- **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (4/5): The critic calls it an awesome achievement with plentiful funny nods to classic films, a strong British voice cast adding humour and pathos, and exhilarating, ingenious set pieces. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-miv9rh/chicken-run/)
- **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the inventive stop-motion animation and the film's clever extended riff on The Great Escape, recast in a Yorkshire chicken coop. The level of invention in the models, figurines, and characters is astonishing, though the story might work better as a shorter sketch. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/chicken-run-1798192417)
- **Variety** (75/100, inferred): The review describes it as a delightfully clever feature debut that is technically superb and witty in a veddy British way, though it doesn't quite reach the heights of the team's shorts. It singles out the marvelous stop-motion work, nuanced characterizations, and outstanding voice performances. [Read](https://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/chicken-run-1200462982/)
- **The Guardian** (60/100, inferred): The film is a cheerful pastiche of The Great Escape featuring plucky chickens escaping a farm, offering solid family entertainment. It is charmingly conceived but modest and a little twee compared to Pixar films like Toy Story. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/jun/30/culture.reviews)
- **Time Out**, GA (60/100, inferred): The review finds the film slow to take off in laughs and gags, feeling more like pastiche than parody of POW films, but credits the craftsmanlike stop-motion technique as a triumph. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/chicken-run)
- **Sight and Sound**, Kim Newman: Kim Newman praises the film as an ingenious homage to wartime escape movies brought to life through expressive stop-motion animation, singling out an inventive narrative device in the scene revealing the truth about Rocky. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/small-masterpiece-cinematic-storytelling-chicken-run-reviewed-2000)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a refreshingly old-fashioned and peculiarly English stop-motion feature that trusts its idiosyncratic style over Hollywood conventions. He singles out its refusal to embrace modernity in favor of nostalgic Yorkshire surrealism and the expressive character work through the models' eyes. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/chicken-run-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Details

- **Director:** Peter Lord, Nick Park
- **Director:** Peter Lord, Nick Park
- **Screenplay:** Karey Kirkpatrick
- **Writer:** Mark Burton
- **Story:** Peter Lord, Nick Park
- **Cinematography:** Tristan Oliver, Frank Passingham, Dave Alex Riddett
- **Editor:** Robert Francis, Tamsin Parry, Mark Solomon
- **Music:** Harry Gregson-Williams, John Powell
- **Production design:** Phil Lewis
- **Producer:** Peter Lord, Nick Park, David Sproxton
- **Cast:** Julia Sawalha as Ginger (voice); Mel Gibson as Rocky (voice); Imelda Staunton as Bunty (voice); Jane Horrocks as Babs (voice); Lynn Ferguson as Mac (voice); Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Tweedy (voice); Tony Haygarth as Mr. Tweedy (voice); Benjamin Whitrow as Fowler (voice)
- **Runtime:** 1h 24m
- **Certificate (MPA):** G
- **Release (the US):** 23 June 2000
- **Genres:** Animation, Comedy, Family
- **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 2000)
- **Budget:** $45 million
- **Box office:** $225 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUSoF2nwPw8

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy $12.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-14.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, ES, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IN, JP, KR, MX, MY, NZ, PA, PH, PL, RO, RS, SG, SI, TH, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Annie Award for Best Animated Feature 2000: Annie Award for Best Animated Feature (nominated)
- BAFTA Film Awards 2000: BAFTA's Children & Young People Award - Feature Film (nominated)
- Critics' Choice Awards 2000: Best Animated Feature (won)
- European Film Award for Best Film 2000: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Great Escape* (1963), Fi1m 82: For the prison-camp planning that the chickens borrow and make their own. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-great-escape.md)
- *Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit* (2005), Fi1m 87: Patient model work and another scheme that becomes considerably harder to manage. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/wallace-and-gromit-the-curse-of-the-were-rabbit.md)
- *Fantastic Mr. Fox* (2009), Fi1m 84: Another animal community tackles human enemies, with ingenuity and plenty of difficult personalities. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fantastic-mr-fox.md)
- *Ernest & Celestine* (2012), Fi1m 84: A gentler animal partnership, drawn with warmth and alert to the trouble outside. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ernest-and-celestine.md)
- *The Ladykillers* (1955), Fi1m 86: Criminal plotting in cramped British surroundings, with an equally particular sense of humour. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-ladykillers.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/chicken-run