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The last time I was this hyped for a movie was when I went to see Gladiator.
Unfortunately that film didn't quite measure up to my expectations. I
blamed myself - I had wanted too much of the movie and it couldn't help but
let me down.
So I tried to be a bit less excited about this one. I didn't have a lot of
success, but I tried.
See, this claymation extravaganza was by the same guys who brought us
Wallace & Grommitt, Peter Lord and Nick Park. If you have seen the three
Wallace & Grommitt shorts, you would understand why I was excited.
Meticulously detailed and deliciously funny, these are some of the best
animated shorts ever made. I wasn't sure if Lord and Park could make the
transition to big screen movies, but I had high hopes.
My hopes were further buoyed by the news that Park and Lord had turned down
a five picture deal with Disney because they wanted more creative control
over their movies. Instead, they signed with Dreamworks - a studio I expect
will become the dominating force in Hollywood over the next ten years. Oh
sure, they have fired some blanks, but not many.
Then came the horrible news. My critical nemesis Lisa Scwartzbottom from
Entertainment Weekly liked the movie! She didn't just
like it, she loved it! What was I to do? I'd had so much hope for the
film!
Further bad news followed. Chris Hewitt from the Pioneer Press also loved
it
. Just last week, Chris panned my man Shaft and totally hated Titan
A.E. (which I found disappointing, but not awful). Oh no! Two people I
usually disagreed with loved the movie!
Oh sure, Roger Ebert
and Harry Knowles
loved it, too, but the odds were stacking up against the movie. I had to
get to see it, quick!
Fortunately, some tickets to the sneak preview fell into my lap, so I got my
chance.
I should not have worried.
Here is the animated film I had been waiting for. Here is a film that, like
the Iron Giant, is a perfect depiction of what animation can do and that,
unlike the Iron Giant, has a marketing machine behind it to get people into
the theatre. Mark my words, this film will beat the hell out of Dinosaur or
Titan A.E. because it is that good.
I suppose you have heard that this film is The Great Escape with chickens.
That's kind of true. It's also Hogans Heroes, Stalag 17, Star Wars, Raiders
of the Lost Ark, The Shawshank Redemption and Star Trek with chickens. The
film has such a wonderful time making subtle references to other movies (the
first line of Mel Gibsen's Rocky is "Freedom!" - get it?) that you could
spend all your time paying attention to the homages in the movie and forget
about the story.
That would be a shame, because the story is great. The reality is that
chickens are there to lay eggs and when they can't lay eggs, they are
dinner. If you accept that chickens know that, you can certainly accept
that the most important motivation they would ever have is to fly the coop.
One chicken in particular, Ginger, has had it with the egg laying routine.
She has hatched (pardon the pun) one brilliant plan after another, but the
evil farmer Mr. Tweedy and his more evil wife, Mrs. Tweedy, have seen to it
that the best she can hope for is a few days in "solitary". This will not
deter Ginger. Her goal is to get out of that coop and she WILL find a way.
When Rocky crash lands in the coop one day, Ginger has found her way. They
will fly out. Aerodynamics be damned! If Rocky can do it, so can they!
Ginger and Rocky are the central characters, but the supporting cast is a
lot of fun. Babs is a flighty busy body who is always knitting something
(like beak cozy's). Mac is an engineer with pop-bottle glasses. Two little
mice serve as chief procurers for the flock (sorry, the IMDB didn't have
their names handy). All of these characters are not swept aside as simple
comic relief or stock characters. They have their motivations and desires
as well. The film is not just about Rocky and Ginger making it, it's about
the whole bunch getting out.
The animation style is clean and intricate. You will not believe the detail
that is achieved in the character faces and in the world they live it. The
final sequence is nothing short of breathtaking. To tell you more would be
to give away too much.
The voice work (mostly by unknowns) is equally wonderful. Mel Gibson is the
perfect choice for Rocky. His suave, comfortable delivery really captures
the essence of a Rooster with a secret. Julia Sawalha brings the perfect
amount of pluck (pun intended) and control to Ginger. Miranda Richardson
makes Mrs. Tweedy seem to be nothing short of the devil incarnate - at least
where chickens are concerned.
I would love to quote you line after line from this movie. We did it all
the way home, and all the way into work the next day. The dialogue is
clever and engaging and the jokes (both visual and spoken) are wonderfully
original.
Go see this movie. Then go see it again. To steal a phrase from another
film - you will believe chickens can fly.
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