Bristol-based studio Aardman is releasing the sequel to ‘Chicken Run’ (2000) in cinemas across the country today.
Director Sam Fell says “Rocky and Ginger are now parents… We’re moving on to the next chapter of their story”.
“We’re shifting into the early 1960s… into a world of industrial food production, industrial farming, and fast food – and chicken nuggets. It’s a satire about… how food like that is sold as being all fun and colourful”.
Chicken Run (2000), directed by Nick Park and Peter Lord, was Aardman’s first full-length theatrical feature film, and remains the highest-grossing stop motion animation film of all time.
The independent Bristol film studio is home to iconic characters including Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep.
“Something I like about stop motion animation is that it’s timeless – and it’s a very old technique” says Sam Fell.
“There’s a tradition of comical British filmmaking and Aardman fly that flag”.
“The movie speaks for itself now. We’ve done so much work on it.”
Aardman Animations co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton began the company in Bristol in 1976.
“It’s an independent British film studio making one great film after another and has been for years.”
Their creations decorate the city, with the ‘Gromit Unleashed’ statues continuing to be Bristol landmarks, with the characters raising funds to support sick babies and children at Bristol Children’s Hospital since 2013.
The next Gromit Unleashed trail will take place in Summer 2025.
‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget’ hits cinemas on today, and is available for streaming on Netflix from 15th December 2023.
