(rated G, 83 mins.) Wow! A triple whammo! A movie rated G, (not often), a movie about Chickens (since when), that stars Mel Gibson (wow) and it works! Dreamworks “hatches” this funny, witty and even touching tale of “fowl” play in claymation (best since ‘Toy Story’) pecking away at the Disney competition! British native Nick Park (best known for his epic “Wallace and Gromit” mini-adventures and Academy Award winning 1989 short “Creature Comforts”) bring this first full-length feature about prisoner chicks trapped behind bared wire, fearing for their lives of becoming chicken nuggets! But Ginger (Julia Sawalha) and her fellow flock are determined to break out before they meet their KFC fate! Time is running out as the greedy owner of the farm, Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson), finds a new way to feather her own nest – turning chickens into pot pies. Now, with the help of Rocky (Mel Gibson), “the lone free ranger” the chickens hatch their most spectacular plan to fly the coop. It’s poultry in motion and it’s a delightful period piece with references to WWII, “The Great Escape” and Steve McQueen. There’s even a chicken who looks like Dustin Hoffman did in “Papillon” and a Mel Gibson-ish Mad Max in “The Road Warrior.” For an otherwise lame bird species, this movie gives chickens something to squawk about right to its full steam ahead ending!
