All yolks aside, Chicken Run is one of the best stop-motion movies of all time! And if you enjoyed the original Chicken Run, then there’s an amazing sequel too! So if you think Ginger and Rocky are the bestest in the barn then have a read of these cracking Chicken Run facts and find out more! So read on to find out what the inspirations were behind the film, and what some of the secret Easter Eggs hideen in it might be!

If you’re looking for more movie facts we’ve got loads more – take a peek at these Ryan Gosling facts, these Back to the Future facts, or for something totally different, we even have some Hot Cross Bun facts! Tasty! Ok – let’s get back to these chickens!

1. It’s a claymation!

Chicken Run was a groundbreaking stop-motion animated film, that used claymation techniques (so the chickens were made of clay, basically)! This was unusual for the time of its release (the year 2000) – and the team came up with loads of clever ways to solve problems and do things in new ways as they made the movie. Claymation is known to be one of the hardest styles of animation to pull off!

2. The Aardmans

The movie was made by Aardman Animations – a company that was founded by Peter Lord and Nick Park. Chicken Run was their first full length feature film – and must’ve been a real challenge! Aardman also made Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, so as well as their technical skills they also brought their quirky, British humor to the feathered prison-break story!

3. The Great Escape

Chicken Run is a parody of classic prison break movies like “The Great Escape.” The movie is packed full of references to old escape movies, which is great fun for the adults who watch the movie too! It’s got tunnels, scary guard dogs – the lot!

4. Chicken Run was the first of many

Chicken Run 1 was the first feature film directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park, the co-founders of Aardman Animations. It was such a success that they followed it with the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Flushed Away, Early Man, Arthur Christmas and more are still being released! For example…

5. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget!

The second Chicken Run movie came out in December 2023 – and features the chickens having another run in with Mrs Tweedy, and her new husband! Ginger and the team face an even bigger threat this time – nuggets! The second movie was also a big success, and had some great reviews! They changed quite a lot, which we’ll talk about now!

6. No More Mel Gibson

Big American actor Mel Gibson played the voice of Rocky the Rooster in the first Chicken Run movie, but eagle-eared viewers will have noticed that his voice is different the second time round! Rocky is now voiced by Zachary Levi! The reason is because number 2 is a very different kind of movie. Mel Gibson worked when Rocky was in his prime, but now the rooster is a more cautious dad. So the directors wanted a change!

7. Ginger has changed too!

In Chicken Run 1, Ginger was voiced by Julia Sawalha. Just like they got rid of Mel Gibson, Julia was also for the chop too when it came to making Chicken Run 2! In the latest movie Thandiwe Newton plays Ginger – and plays a much more heroic role. Ginger was always a hero, but the directors always saw number 2 as “her” movie.

8. Eggscruciating Production!

Creating a stop-motion film is no easy feat. The production of Chicken Run and Chicken Run 2 involved painstaking attention to detail, with animators manipulating the clay figures frame by frame to bring the characters to life. The result is amazing – and the tiny imperfections being noticeable make it all the better. CGI would’ve been much easier – but nowhere near as good!

9. Clucky Culture

Chicken Run was more than just a movie; it became a whole cultural thing! The blend of humor, adventure, and jokes about chickens worked really well with audiences worldwide, and lots of people made parodies of it. There’s even a Chicken Run themed rave party in the UK called “Farmageddon” – featuring DJs like Royal Tweedy!

10. Lots of Easter Eggs

For eagle-eyed viewers, Chicken Run 1 & 2 are both bumper packs of movie references and hidden Easter Eggs. They naturally reference other movies, but also include subtle nods to other Aardman films! The movie rewards those who pay attention to the clucky details – let’s have a look at one in more detail!

11. Return of Feathers McGraw

One of the most shocking Easter Eggs is in a scene in Chicken Run 2, where you can clearly (but only for a second) see the Wallace and Gromit character Feathers McGraw. Feathers is an evil penguin who pretends to be a chicken in the movie The Wrong Trousers. He’s a favourite Aardman character, but has been missing in action for around 30 years since the Wrong Trousers came out! Turns out he was at large this whole time!

12. Each movie has a game alongside

Each Chicken Run movie release has been followed by a game! The original had a game come out in 2000 on the Playstation, and 2024 will see the launch of Chicken Run: Eggstraction, too! There’s something about the characters that makes them perfect for a fun, party game!

13. Poultry puns a-plenty!

The film’s script is a feast of poultry puns and witty wordplay. The egg-ceptional jokes keep both kids and adults entertained, and make sure there’s something for everyone! Cracking fun!

14. It’s made money too!

A long time separates Chicken Run 1 and 2 – and Aardman have been able to take their creativity in lots of directions since. But both Chicken Run movies have been successes at the box office, and have helped keep Aardman independent and kept them making great movies!

15. Up up and away!

One of the things that’s so special about the script for Chicken Run is it covers quite scary topics but in a fun way. There is real life and death on chicken farms! But the ability to do that and still be fun for everyone is one reason why it’s so popular – and hopefully we’ll get to watch more Chicken Run movies and shows in future, even if we have to wait another 20 years!