Soundtrack
Chicken Run featured only 5 songs. The only important music in the film was its score by John Powell & Harry Gregson-Williams, who would next work on Shrek. Its soundtrack article can be found on The Chicken Run Soundtrack.Plot
The film opens in a POW camp-like chicken farm somewhere in Lancashire, England. The dull-witted farmer, Mr. Tweedy, is on his watch with his dogs checking the locks, while a small group of chickens stealthily attempt to escape from the enclosure (by means of digging under the fence with a stainless-steel spoon). Unfortunately, Tweedy finds out what the chickens are up to behind his back, and a lone chicken, Ginger, the ringleader, is captured and thrown in a coal bin, while Tweedy snarls to Ginger's other friends that "No chicken escapes from Tweedy's farm!"
The farm is run by Mr. Tweedy's wife Melisha. Whenever Mr. Tweedy and tells her that the chickens are smarter and 'organized', Mrs. Tweedy doesn't believe him. Day and night pass by and the farmer takes the eggs while his nefarious, power-hungry, greedy wife checks progress. All the while, Ginger makes new plans to escape which all end in failure. A new day begins and all the chickens stand for roll call while Fowler, an elderly rooster and the camp's (presumably self-appointed) senior officer, babbles on about "his old RAF days". Mrs. Tweedy checks all the chickens, marking down the eggs they have laid. One chicken, Edwina, hasn't laid any in a week and is taken inside a shed by Mr. Tweedy to be killed.
Ginger prepares a new plan to go over the fence, calling in two rats, Nick and Fetcher, to sneak in new stuff. Inside the house, the humans have eaten Edwina and Mrs. Tweedy angrily looks over the amount of eggs and wants a new way to make money instead of making minuscule profits. An ad catches her eye about a giant pie machine, with a small cartoon character shouting "I'M RICH!". Mr. Tweedy is keeping watch outside and suspects the chickens' plot, but Mrs. Tweedy tells him that all of this notion of the escaping chickens is all in his head. The idea about going over the fence doesn't go well, but Ginger reminds them about Edwina and tells them that life is better outside the farm.
Outside, a huge blast is heard, and a rooster flies over the fence and crash lands inside the camp. The rooster introduces himself as Rocky Rhodes (a pun on the ice-cream flavour, Rocky Road), a "lone free ranger" from America. (This is a double pun on The Lone Ranger and free range, a method of farming husbandry.) Ginger asks him if he can teach them how to fly, but Rocky isn't so thrilled at the idea. Eventually, he agrees when he sees the circus has come back to take him.
The next day, training begins very bizarrely as Rocky seems to have no idea what he's doing. Eventually the day ends without a single chicken making it off the ground. A huge "Poultry Products" truck appears and unloads vast amounts of equipment. Mrs. Tweedy explains the idea to her husband and the farm will now officially become a full automated factory.
Meanwhile, Mac (a Scottish chicken) looks over her notes and concludes that chickens simply weren't built for flying. Ginger confronts Rocky about their poor progress and Mac deduces that they require thrust. Ginger warns Rocky that if they do not see progress, the deal is off and they will reveal his presence to the farmers.
The next morning, Rocky gets a cable wire and prepares to sling-shot the chickens over the fence, but that doesn't work out. Roll call begins and Babs (a dim, knitting-obsessed chicken) admits she hasn't laid any eggs. Instead of chopping Babs, Mrs. Tweedy measures her waistline and orders Mr. Tweedy to double their food rations. Ginger stops them from eating and tells them that the farmers are deliberately fattening them up for killing. Rocky intervenes and tells Ginger that the best way to motivate them is to lie, causing them to get into a heated argument and Ginger declaring that she cares about the others to much and will never care about Rocky. Rocky agrees with this. However, when he goes back outside he sees all the other chickens depressed. To help out for once, Rocky manages to bring them a radio to cheer them up, which leaves the entire coop dancing. Rocky's bandages fall off, revealing that his injured wing has healed, and Ginger eagerly announces that he can finally show them how to fly tomorrow. But before he can tell her he can't really fly, the power goes out.
Outside, a pie machine has completed construction and Mr. Tweedy brings Ginger in as the first victim for a score to settle with Ginger. Rocky breaks into the barn and rescues her, surviving the innards of the machine and sabotaging it. Fowler gives him a RAF medal and apologizes for doubting him. Both Ginger and Rocky share a tender moment on the roof, overlooking the fields. Rocky explains that life isn't all it's cracked up to be, slightly implying the fact he can't fly.
The following morning, all the chickens eagerly await the flying demonstration. Ginger goes to wake Rocky, but he's gone, leaving his RAF medal. She finds a torn piece of Rocky's promotional poster and slowly adds it, revealing her horror to everyone. Completed, the poster shows Rocky being shot out of a cannon, implying that Rocky is, in fact, part of the circus and could never fly at all.
Their plans shot,their hopes shattered and dreams crushed, Ginger gives up and denies any chance of escaping. The whole farm starts fighting. Ginger finally asks Fowler what the RAF is. Fowler tells them it is the "Royal Air Force" and shows them pictures of the airplane he flew in. Filled with hope again, the chickens still plan to fly, but now by building the huge plane. Even the rats help out as they pull apart their own huts to build the plane, racing against Mr. Tweedy who is rapidly fixing the machine. Rocky is once again on the open road, but stops when he sees a promotional advertisement for "Mrs. Tweedy's Homemade Chicken Pies". He thinks about the chickens, and realizes the error of his ways.
The chickens finish the plane just as Mr. Tweedy finishes fixing the machine. They attack and tie him under one of the houses and finish construction. Fowler, as pilot, starts up the plane as all the chickens pedal to start the string engines. Mr. Tweedy escapes from the house, closes the ramp and falls down, and Ginger gets out of the plane to put the ramp back on so that the plane will lift off and fly. Mrs. Tweedy attacks Ginger, but gets knocked out by Rocky, who arrives at the last moment to help Ginger put the ramp back on. The plane takes off and all the chickens cheer, including Ginger and Rocky, who climb up to the plane by a rope of Christmas lights. Unfortunately, Mrs. Tweedy manages to grab on, and climbs up the rope of Christmas lights, an axe in her mouth. Ginger tries to cut the rope with Babs' blunt safety scissors, while Nick and Fetcher use the eggs to fire at Mrs. Tweedy. Ginger loses the scissors, and Mrs. Tweedy, covered in egg, strikes at Ginger with her axe, seemingly decapitating her, much to Rocky's horror.
Luckily, Ginger slowly raises her head to reveal the truth: the blow just missed, and has instead severed the Christmas lights. Then, waving an ironic goodbye, Ginger lets go of the other half and Mrs. Tweedy falls right back to the barn into the pie machine, which explodes, covering Mrs. Tweedy in gooey gravy and destroying the barn. As Mr. Tweedy looks upon the wreckage, he reminds her, "I told you they was organized!". As Mrs. Tweedy growls at Mr. Tweedy, the barnhouse door falls down on her (this is seen from a distance and some believe that Mr Tweedy is actually deliberately pushing the door on to his wife). The chickens celebrate and Ginger kisses Rocky.
At long last, the chickens have reached peace in their own small haven. Mac gives some baby chickens some lessons while Fowler tells them some stories about his RAF days. There are several chicks and the rats are still trying to make an egg business - but are left arguing about whether they will need a chicken (to lay eggs) or an egg (to hatch a chicken).
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