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Behind the Scenes of "Chicken
Run" |
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Other Articles |
Stop-motion
animation is a fascinating process. In the production of Chicken Run,
a team of 40 animators labored meticulously to assemble the modeling
clay-sculpted "actors" into just the right position; and then
-- "CLICK!" -- the camera captured one single frame of motion
picture film. The process resumed as each figure was carefully adjusted,
by tiny increments, in order to photograph the next sequential picture
to create the illusion of movement. Consider that on film there are 24
frames per second, 60 seconds per minute, and 60 minutes per hour.
Do the math and the sum will equal movie magic! Nick Park and Peter Lord are the British animators, who created the beloved Wallace & Gromit series, which follows the adventures of a cheese-loving codger and his expressive pooch. Their production company, Aardman Studios won the Oscar® for Best Animated Short Subject three times since 1989. This prestige caught the attention of executives at DreamWorks, who offered financial backing for Chicken Run, which is Aardman's first feature-length project, because they wanted distribution rights for a film they knew would become an instant family classic. Many celebrated performers lent their voices to the claymation epic. Dubbed "alter-egos", these vocal contributors include Mel Gibson (The Patriot) as Rocky, the rooster; Julia Sawalha (Absolutely Fabulous) as Ginger, the hen; and Miranda Richardson (Sleepy Hollow) as Mrs. Tweedy, the villainous human, who diabolically plans to convert her egg farm into a chicken potpie factory! Nick Park hatched the idea from an old thumbnail sketch that he made of a chicken digging under a wire fence with a spoon. This inspired screenwriters to run with a script that cleverly spoofs classic World War II prison movies like Stalag 17 and The Great Escape. No previous movie has ever generated such affection and sympathy for poultry! Parents should be strongly cautioned: If you let your children watch Chicken Run, they will never eat chicken potpie again! |
