History YMMV / ChickenRun

* AnimationAgeGhetto: ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun'' is a semi-mature film, but was billed as a children's film. The producers attempted to avert this by dropping a character from the early scripts named Nobby (who was supposed to be Ginger's little brother, and thus the KidAppealCharacter) in order to avoid being excessively cute.

* {{Applicability}}: Ginger's RousingSpeech has been interpreted as pro-libertarian, their blight being a metaphor for how human lives improve when completely divorced from an inherently obstructive government. Others have read it as Marxist, that the chickens are the proletarians to the Tweedy's bourgeoisie, if not as a direct criticism on [[CapitalismIsBad the inhumanities of capitalism]] -- the chickens are being led to their deaths in the name of minuscule profits, after all. It can also be read as [[UsefulNotes/Anarchism Anarchist]] in that the chickens represent the people who create and maintain the anarchist society with the Tweedy's standing in for the state who run everything; the film even ends with the chickens [[spoiler: running their own society in a bird sanctuary.]]

* {{Applicability}}: Ginger's RousingSpeech has been interpreted as pro-libertarian, their blight being a metaphor for how human lives improve when completely divorced from an inherently obstructive government. Others have read it as Marxist, that the chickens are the proletarians to the Tweedy's bourgeoisie, if not as a direct criticism on [[CapitalismIsBad the inhumanities of capitalism]] -- the chickens are being led to their deaths in the name of minuscule profits, after all.

* FreezeFrameBonus: During the roll call scene, if one pauses at the right time, it's possible to see what the clipboard with the egg record says when Mr. Tweedy hands it to Mrs. Tweedy. Notably, when we see it on that slight moment, chicken no. 282 has several ticks for the week on the record, indicating that that hen had been laying pretty consistently that week. However, it turns out that chicken no.282 is actually Edwina, who as we all know hadn't laid any eggs that week, and is taken to the chop as a result. Also, even though we see ticks and zeroes to indicate hens laying and not laying during the close ups, when we see it being handed over there are only ticks on there - everything else is just a blank space.

** Did [[spoiler:the door fall on Mrs. Tweedy by accident as a result of the gravy explosion]]? [[TheDogBitesBack Or was Mr. Tweedy finally tired of the abuse she constantly put him through and]] [[spoiler:[[TheDogBitesBack pushed the door down himself deliberately?]]]] [[WhatCouldHaveBeen This was the case in an early cut of the film]], and it's not helped by how awkwardly the scene was edited.

* FreezeFrameBonus: During the roll call scene, it's possible, if one pauses at the right time, to see the clipboard with the egg record. Notably, chicken no. 282 has several ticks for the week on the record, indicating that that hen had been laying pretty consistently that week. However, it turns out that chicken no.282 is actually Edwina, who as we all know hadn't laid any eggs that week, and is taken to the chop as a result.

* BlinkAndYoullMissIt:

* BlinkAndYou'llMissIt:

* AcceptableEthnicTargets: Americans. Naturally the one American rooster is lightheartedly made fun of in an English setting.

* {{Woolseyism}}: In the original version, when Mac speaks to Rocky for the first time, he asks "Was that English?" to reference her heavy Scottish accent. In the Swedish dub, he instead asks "Was that Norwegian?" when she speaks heavily in a Jämtland accent. The joke is that while Swedish and Norwegian are similar enough, the differences in grammar/vocabulary they ''do'' have can make communication tricky at times, hence Rocky's response.

* DesignatedVillain: While Mrs. Tweedy averts this by being a generally unpleasant person,[[note]]For example, the [[SlasherSmile evil grin]] on her face just before Edwina gets the chop shows that, yes, Mrs. Tweedy ''[[ForTheEvulz enjoys]]'' [[AxCrazy killing them.]][[/note]] Mr. Tweedy counts as one to an extent since he is just following his wife's orders rather than doing so of his own free will (then again, [[HenpeckedHusband it's not like he could have any free will anyway]]). His pettiest moment is that when Mrs. Tweedy orders him to bring a live chicken for the pie machine, he gives a little EvilLaugh and says that he knows which one will do the job. Gloating to Ginger about her impending fate and grabbing her by the neck makes him more of a villain.

* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: The game based on the movie is a pretty good stealth game (''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' [[RecycledInSpace with chickens!]]) with exciting levels and funny mini-games.

* HilariousInHindsight: After TheStinger, Fletcher says "The rats are the stars, actually." Come five years later and Creator/{{Aardman}} would make [[WesternAnimation/FlushedAway a film focused on rats]].

** Following their triumph with the ''WesternAnimation/{{Antz}}'' score, John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams made this score, possibly the best score to ever feature a 15-piece ''kazoo'' choir. Seriously, ''Chicken Run's'' OST is one of the most memorable, entertaining and at times even epic music you'll ever hear in an animated feature, and deserves a listen ''alone'' even if you should never watch the film! Take [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_Hl9Vune6A Main Titles]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apsrbm_PJa8 Building the Crate]] for example.

%%* OvershadowedByControversy: Fan's delight at the greenlighting of a sequel quickly turned to anger due to casting issues. Dropping Creator/MelGibson as Rocky ruffled a few die hard fans feathers but was largely seen as inevitable due to the very controversial reputation he's developed since the first film came out. However dropping Creator/JuliaSawalha as Ginger for being "too old" (despite her pointedly demonstrating that she could easily reproduce the same voice she used in the original film) in a callously worded email ignited a firestorm of controversy due to the blatant ageism, implied sexism and tone deaf way the decision was handled and communicated. It remains to be seen how this will affect the sequels reception.

* {{Woolseyism}}: In the original version, when Mac speaks to Rocky for the first time, he asks "Was that English?" to reference her heavy Scottish accent. In the Swedish dub, he instead asks "Was that Norwegian?" when she speaks heavily in a Jämtland accent. The joke is that while Swedish and Norwegian are vastly different, if you speak slow enough, both parties can understand each other.
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* AnimationAgeGhetto: ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun'' is a semi-mature film, but was billed as a children's film. According to Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}, the producers attempted to avert this by dropping a character from the early scripts named Nobby (who was supposed to be Ginger's little brother, and thus the KidAppealCharacter) in order to avoid being excessively cute.

* AcceptableTargets: Americans. Naturally the one American rooster is lightheartedly made fun of in an English setting.

** Does Babs truly have some severe lack of understanding of the circumstances she and the other hens are in? [[SadClown Or is she making lighthearted, and sometimes inappropriate jokes about their imprisonment as her coping mechanism?]]

* AwardSnub: Despite critical acclaim, a determined campaign from Aardman and preference by a number of Academy voters, the movie failed to gain a Best Picture nomination. This would result in the creation of the Best Animated Feature category the next year.

%% All Memetic Mutation examples must explain how they're used as memes. * MemeticMutation:
%% ** "In the quite likely event of an emergency, put your head between your knees and kiss your bum good-bye!" So much so that one TV spot jokingly [[{{Bowdlerise}} bleeped out the %% word "bum"]].
%% ** Also, Mrs. Tweedy has made it VERY clear what her motivation is: being sick & tired of making minuscule profits.
%% ** "Those chickens are up to something."
%% ** '''Babs:''' ''(Scared)'' "I don't want to be a pie! ''({{Beat}}, then smiles)'' I don't like gravy!"

* BrokenBase: Creator/MelGibson's presence after a series of controversies soiled his image has some people disowning this film as a result, while others are more forgiving because the movie is just so damn good.

* HarsherInHindsight: You know how this movie has the concentration camp metaphor? You know how Creator/MelGibson is in this movie? [[RuleOfThree You know how]] Gibson made anti-Semitic comments that one time?
* HilariousInHindsight:
** Creator/TimothySpall became more famous a few years later playing [[Franchise/HarryPotter another rat]].
*** Even better, [[Creator/ImeldaStaunton Bunty]] and [[Creator/MirandaRichardson Mrs. Tweedy]] are Dolores Umbridge and Rita Skeeter respectively.
** Co-director Creator/NickPark's first professional animation job was on Music/PeterGabriel's "Sledgehammer" video, animating (wait for it) two dancing chickens.
** [[WesternAnimation/DangerMouse This wouldn't be the last animated project Miranda Richardson would appear in that included a Scottish bespectacled smart hen.]]
** Fetcher says near the end of the credits "The rats are the stars." during how he and Nick are badmouthing Rocky. Six years later, Nick and Fetcher's kind receives the spotlight in [[WesternAnimation/FlushedAway 2006]] and [[WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}} 2007]].

** As noted above, the top of [[spoiler:Ginger]]'s head can still be seen after Mrs. Tweety attempts to decapitate it, making it obvious that it, well, wasn't. [[NightmareFuel Unless one interprets it as bloody bits from a messy cut...]]

* {{Narm}}: [[spoiler:Ginger]]'s DisneyDeath can lose its shock pretty quickly, especially when you [[SpecialEffectFailure notice that the top of her head is still slightly visible]], making it glaringly obvious what really happened.

* {{Expy}}: What with his pompous personality and his long-winded war anecdotes, Fowler is pretty much [[WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook Colonel Hathi]] as a chicken.
** Likewise, Mrs. Tweedy's greed, bossiness, lack of concern for animal welfare, and decidedly short fuse lend easy comparisons to [[WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians Cruella de Vil]].

* MemeticMutation:
** "In the quite likely event of an emergency, put your head between your knees and kiss your bum good-bye!" So much so that one TV spot jokingly [[{{Bowdlerise}} bleeped out the word "bum"]].
** Also, Mrs. Tweedy has made it VERY clear what her motivation is: being sick & tired of making minuscule profits.
** "Those chickens are up to something."
** '''Babs:''' ''(Scared)'' "I don't want to be a pie! ''({{Beat}}, then smiles)'' I don't like gravy!"

* DesignatedVillain: While Mrs. Tweedy averts this by being a generally unpleasant person,[[note]]For example, the [[SlasherSmile evil grin]] on her face just before Edwina gets the chop shows that, yes, Mrs. Tweedy ''[[ForTheEvulz enjoys]]'' [[AxCrazy killing them.]][[/note]] Mr. Tweedy counts as one to an extent since he is just following his wife's orders rather than doing so of his own free will (then again, [[HenpeckedHusband it's not like he could have any free will anyway]]).