Netflix Is Finally Gifting Us A ‘Chicken Run’ Sequel
We're also getting a brand new 'Wallace and Gromit' movie.
Aardman Studios — the home of Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run — is one of the most iconic and important artistic achievements of the last three decades.
No, seriously. With their meticulous approach to craft, sly sense of humour, and deep wellspring of humanity, the studio brings a much needed burst of beauty and light to an overcrowded content market. There are simply few animated children’s films as varied, complex, and yet astonishingly direct as Chicken Run.
There is a reason, after all, that that film has lived in the hearts and minds of an entire generation. With its subversive premise — basically, The Great Escape, but with chickens — the film undoes the capitalistic notion of factory farming, challenges the spirit of individualism and faux heroism that has defined our times, and champions resilience in the face of unbeatable odds. It’s just as successful now as it was when it was first released, too: the years have done nothing to dull its quick wit, or astonishing power.
Which makes it extremely welcome news that Aardman are teaming up with Netflix to drop not one but two animated feature films.
First off, we are getting a new Wallace and Gromit movie in 2024. Details on the plot of that new escapade are scant, save for the information contained in this short press release: “Gromit’s concern that Wallace has become overdependent on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart gnome” that seems to develop a mind of its own. As events spiral out of control, it falls to Gromit to put aside his qualms and battle sinister forces — or Wallace may never be able to invent again!”
Basically, it sounds like prime Aardman content.
The second film is the long-gestating Chicken Run sequel. That project has been buzzing around for years, but we finally have a title: it’ll be called Dawn Of The Nugget, and though neither of the original voice actors, Julia Sawalha and Mel Gibson, are set to return, it’s sure to feature the heart and zaniness that we have come to expect.
In essence: get very excited.