Chicken Run is still a record breaker as long-awaited sequel Dawn of the Nugget lands
Millennials everywhere will be rejoicing as a treasured movie from their childhood finally gets a sequel.
2000 classic Chicken Run is being brought back to life by Netflix with a second outing 23 years in the making.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget drops on the streaming platform on 15 December – the perfect Christmas gift for fans of the original.
But it sure has some big shoes to fill.
Even after all these years, the film retains the record for highest grossing stop motion animated film.
The story of Rocky (Mel Gibson) and Ginger (Julia Sawalha)’s escape from a chicken farm pulled in more than $227 million worldwide.
The film’s box office gross far surpasses the one in second place - 2005’s Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, another Nick Park movie, which made $197 million.
For all the stats fans out there, the top five in full is:
• Chicken Run (2000) - $227,793,915
• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) - $197,593,152
• Coraline (2009) - $131,777,210
• The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012) - $123,054,041
• Corpse Bride (2005) - $118,090,836
The long-awaited sequel to Chicken Run sees Ginger and the gang living peacefully on their very own island sanctuary.
But when the whole of chicken-kind back on the mainland faces a new threat, they decide to break back into the farm to help.
The film has sparked a bit of controversy due to the re-casting of some of the main roles.
In Dawn of the Nugget, Ginger is voiced by Thandiwe Newton and Rocky is portrayed by Zachary Levi.
They’re joined by Game of Thrones and The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey, who voices their daughter Molly.
Despite the excitement over the long-awaited sequel, some fans were upset that Gibson and Sawalha weren’t returning to reprise their roles.
Director Sam Fell, who took over from Park and Peter Lord, said he saw the movie as more of a reboot than a sequel.
He explained to Metro: “So while we were there, I thought it’s [been] that much longer, it seems fair to consider the whole picture and just think, is this still the best fit for this new story?
“The characters are evolving, certainly the central characters, and Ginger’s evolved in this film. It’s a new chapter. It’s a new challenge.
“And in these lists the casting director put forward, Thandiwe Newton just popped out to me personally as an amazing choice. I love the sound of her voice, the music.”
Dawn of the Nugget does have some returning actors though.
Jane Horrocks is back as Babs, Imelda Staunton returns as Bunty and Miranda Richardson will once again voice the formidable Mrs Tweedy.
But the question is, will this movie be a record breaker too?
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