Chicken Run: Amanecer de los nuggets

It could have been a hit. Or should have. But it would have had to be written by someone who understood the magic of the first film, which even after 23 years is the best Aardman feature. Dawn of the Nugget is technically top-notch, but unfortunately there’s no story that can entertain young and old alike. The first film was The Great Escape with Chickens, but you could enjoy it even if you didn't know The Great Escape. This is a mediocre sequel that, while it briefly ventures into something like Mission: Impossible with chickens, is more of a slog. Too bad. Perhaps the best way to describe the change is the soundtrack, which Harry Gregson-Williams composed himself this time without John Powell. The playfulness has disappeared from the music too, leaving filler that at best is listenable as a backdrop. (25.12.2023)

While it does not reach the quality of the first part, it is still admirable that after so many years the creators brought us the second part of our favourite fairy tale, which we all probably enjoyed quite a lot at back then. Even now, I bow to the style the creators used for this fairy tale and how many thousands of hours of work must have gone into the final result (if you believe it, watch Making of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget) came to be and see for yourself), and I appreciate that the second part is still in a fine spirit, with great creative work and occasional jokes, but now it doesn't strike me as as fantastic as it did back then. In short, it's more just another "basic" fairy tale, but for kids it's still one of the better animated films and compared to the nonsense that Disney and similar mainstream studios have been churning out lately, this is actually a gem. (28.12.2023)