It’s been 23 years — yes, 23! — since the original Chicken Run dashed onto movie theater screens. Now all your favorite characters (and some of the original voices) from the original film have a sequel coming to Netflix: Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.
The first teaser for the new film is below; it promises a break in to a chicken farm this time, rather than a break out. The returning voices include Miranda Richardson as Mrs. Tweedy and Imelda Staunton as Bunty. The new lead voices of Ginger and Rocky are Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi. Check out the teaser below:
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There was enormous excitement when this sequel was announced, followed by a minor controversy when it was revealed that the original voice of Ginger, Julia Sawalha, was replaced by Thandiwe Newton, with Sawalha claiming she wasn’t even allowed to audition to reprise her role due to “ageism.” As disappointing as it is not having the original voice, the cynic in me suspects most viewers will not even notice the difference.
Here is Dawn of the Nugget’s official synopsis:
From the multi Academy and BAFTA award-winning Aardman (Creature Comforts, Wallace & Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep), and Academy Award® and BAFTA-nominated director Sam Fell (ParaNorman and Flushed Away, respectively), comes Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the eagerly anticipated sequel to the beloved and highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time, Chicken Run. Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger has finally found her dream – a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world. When she and Rocky hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk – this time, they’re breaking in!
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget will premiere on Netflix on December 15.
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