Starring: Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, Josie Sedgwick-Davies, David Bradley, Romesh Ranganathan, Daniel Mays, Nick Mohammed. Miranda Richardson, Peter Serafinowicz
OUR RATING: ★★★½
Story:
Netflix stop motion animated adventure comedy sequel directed by Sam Fell. Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget (2023) follows Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) , who having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, has finally found her dream, a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world. When she and Rocky (Zachary Levi) hatch a little girl called Molly (Bella Ramsey), Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. Committed to safeguard their freedom, even if it means endangering it, Ginger and her team are determined to break in.
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Best Quotes
Rocky: There was this farmer, see? And she absolutely hated chickens. Kept them locked up like prisoners. I guess you could say she had a real axe to grind. Got herself a machine that turned chickens into pies. But what she didn’t plan on was going toe to toe with a certain freedom-fighting chick. She was fierce, fearless, and wanted one thing, and one thing only.
Ginger: [flashback] Freedom.
Rocky: She pulled us all together, and gave us the wings to fly right out of that hen-hole. She got every chicken out of there. And got rid of that wicked farmer to boot. And you know who that freedom-fighting chicken was? Your very own mom.
Ginger: Rocky, don’t you think bedtime stories might be a bit premature?
Rocky: [as he points to the unhatched egg] Well, I mean, you’re never too young to learn where you came from.
Ginger: But those days are over, thank goodness. We’ve got our happy ending. We’re living in it.
Mac: [referring to Molly] What a bonny wee hen!
Babs: I made her a bicycle.
Rocky: Really?
Ginger: [as Babs holds up a knitted bicycle] Ooh. You knitted one. What a lovely thought.
Rocky: You know, I’d say our little island paradise just got a little more “paradisier”. Cock-a-doodle-doo!
Molly: Uncle Nick! Uncle Fetcher!
Fetcher: She just called me “uncle”.
Nick: Steady, mate. Steady.
Fetcher: But I’ve never had a family of me own.
Nick: [as they both start crying] Me neither.
Molly: What is it, Dad?
Rocky: Only the answer to all of life’s problems. Popcorn. Is that the best thing ever or what?
Ginger: It is good.
Molly: “Good”? This is great!
Ginger: Life, my girl, doesn’t get better than this.
Mac: Well, it was only a matter of time before the humans showed up.
Bunty: Ginger has that look about her. I reckon she’ll have us charging right into the fray.
'I don't want to charge into any frays. I'm fray-phobic.' - Babs (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget) Share on X
Ginger: [after revealing the trucks are taking the chickens to farms] We know from experience what that can mean. It’s something we just can’t ignore. We really only have one choice.
Babs: I don’t want to hear it.
Ginger: We’ve got to do something. We have to hide.
Fowler: Hide?
Ginger: Yes. Hide!
Chicken: You mean, pretend we’re not here?
Ginger: Exactly.
Fowler: Operation Lie Low. Jolly good.
Babs: Ooh! I like lilos. Especially the stripy ones.
Mac: Are you alright, hen? It’s not like you to shy away from danger.
Ginger: I know. But I have Molly to think about now. And I, we can’t risk our freedom by venturing into a world that finds chickens so delicious.
Ginger: Given our new situation, maybe you shouldn’t crow anymore.
Rocky: Don’t crow? What? But that’s like my thing.
Ginger: Maybe you could do a different thing. A quieter one?
Fowler: Careless squawks cost lives. We have to lie low. I’m running a camouflage lesson at noon. If you can find me.
'Sometimes, you've just got to take a leap.' - Ginger (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget) Share on X
Rocky: Maybe I could crow on weekends. You know?
Rocky: Oh! Oh. How about just half a crow? Like a “cock-a” or “doodle-doo”? You know, something that’s a little shorter.
Molly: Well, I’m going over to see those trucks, because I am a Lone Free Ranger. Like Dad was.
Ginger: Molly, you are not leaving this island.
Molly: You can’t make me stay here. You’re not the boss of me.
Ginger: Actually, I am. Look, Molly, you’ve got everything you want right her.
Molly: Except for one thing.
Ginger: And what’s that?
Molly: Freedom.
Rocky: [to Ginger as Molly stomps off] You know, she is a lot like you.
Mrs. Tweedy: [as Ginger is having a nightmare] Your daughter is going to be delicious!
Frizzle: [after Molly leaves the island] What were you doing? Have you got a death wish?
Molly: No. Wait. What’s a death wish?
'The best thing about going on holiday is getting back home, isn't it?' - Babs (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget) Share on X
Frizzle: Wherever that truck’s going, it’s going to be cooler than a penguin’s toenails.
Molly: What’s a toenail? What’s a penguin?
Frizzle: Oh! You have got so much to learn.
Rocky: You know, if you had it your way, she’d still be in her shell.
Ginger: Well, better in her shell than out on the open road.
Frizzle: You get to sit in a bucket. What chicken doesn’t want their own bucket?
Molly: What is that?
Frizzle: You’ve never seen a human before? We had them back at the farm. They’re kind of stupid. They fed us and tidied up after us. They’re basically like waiting staff.
Fowler: [as Rocky is pulling on his feather tail] Oh. There go the goujons!
Rocky: Hang on, Fowler!
Fowler: What do you think I’m doing?
Rocky: [as they see the poster for the Fun-Land-Farms] Well, hey. That doesn’t look so bad.
Rocky: [as they see the actual farm] Oh, that looks so bad.
Bunty: We mustn’t panic. No. No panicking.
Fowler: It’s a perfect time to panic. The enemy has the upper hand.
Mac: We must keep our heads!
Babs: Where should we keep them?
Ginger: Last time, we broke out of a chicken farm. Well, this time, we’re breaking in.
Ginger: Listen, everyone. We can do this. We just need a really clever plan.
Rocky: Ooh. Ooh. Okay. Okay. I’ve got this. I’ve got this. I’m going to go in there, and I’m going to bust Molly out.
Bunty: And just how the blooming heck are you going to do that?
Rocky: Well, by, you know, going in there, and then busting her out.
Bunty: That’s not a plan. That’s just saying what you wish would happen.
Mac: Aye, and twelve herrings and a bagpipe are just a pile of mince if you havnae kent the rules.
Rocky: You know, that sounded a little negative to me.
Nick: That place is impenetrable.
Fetcher: Yeah, and you can’t get in neither.
Nick: It’s an impossible mission.
Fetcher: Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
Nick: Don’t be a ‘nana, Fetch.
Nick: So, only the small matter of this electric fence.
Fetcher: All these guards.
Nick: The camera-driven gun-toting moles.
Fetcher: And the laser-guided exploding ducks.
Ginger: We can do this, everyone. Bunty, with your strength, my love, we can move mountains. Mac, you’re the brains. Babs, you’re our wool specialist. Nick and Fetch, you’re the sneakiest little toerags this side of the Dales.
Nick: Oh. You’re too kind.
Fetcher: Flatterer.
Ginger: And, Fowler, with your wisdom and vigilance… Fowler?
[we see Fowler asleep snoring]
Ginger: Actually, Fowler, we need to find something special for you.
Fowler: Ah, right.
Ginger: How about getaway man?
Fowler: Getaway man, eh? Sounds important. I like it.
Ginger: Who knows what horrors Molly is dealing with in there.
Frizzle: It’s the most amazing place ever.
Molly: And my mum said that’s where we live.
Frizzle: Yeah, right. Are the streets paved with marshmallows where you live? Can you bounce on them?
Molly: No! They’re paved with dirt.
Frizzle: Can you lie around doing nothing all day?
Molly: Actually, my dad can.
Frizzle: I’ve heard of this, but I never knew it actually existed.
Molly: Cool. What is it?
Frizzle: All-you-can-eat buffet.
Molly: Cooler than a penguin’s toenails.
Ginger: Okay, everyone. It’s go time.
Babs: It’s alright. I went before we left.
Fowler: “Getaway man,” she said. More like taxi driver for a couple of rats.
Rocky: [muffled] Get off of me.
Fetcher: Oh. Uh, ooh. Nick, I don’t want to worry you, but I think your bum just spoke.
Fetcher: We’ve come to rescue you.
Rocky: Rescue me? No. No. I’m doing the rescuing. I’m not being rescued. I am rescuing Molly.
Nick: How’s that going then?
Rocky: Look, don’t take this the wrong way, but you guys are just going to hold me back. I tend to work alone.
Nick: Oh, yeah?
Rocky: [as they start getting closer to fire in the incinerator] Yeah, the Lone Free Ranger. Right? And I am close. I can feel it. I’m getting warm, boys. Really warm, actually.
Fetcher: Can anyone smell roast chicken?
Dr. Fry: Ah, Sir Eat-a-Lot! Welcome. What an honor to have a knight of the realm with us.
Rocky: This place is a maze. How am I ever going to find Molly in here?
Fetcher: There she is.
Rocky: Huh?
Advert Narrator: A happy chicken is a tasty chicken.
Dr. Fry: Allow me to introduce my wife. Melisha Tweedy.
Mrs. Tweedy: Welcome to the future.
Ginger: It’s her.
Mrs. Tweedy: I see you’ve met my current husband, Dr. Fry. Was I attracted to his large inheritance and vast acres of land? No. It was his mind. You probably can’t tell by looking at him, but he’s a genius.
Mrs. Tweedy: Now you’ve had the appetizer. Time for the main course.
Babs: Oh, look. Rocky and the rats are on telly. Looks like a real cliffhanger.
Mrs. Tweedy: Behold. The dawn of the nugget.
Reginald Smith: Fast food. I like it. This could be big.
Mrs. Tweedy: No. It will be huge. And Melisha Tweedy will have her revenge.
Reginald Smith: Revenge?
Mrs. Tweedy: Revenue. That’s what I meant.
Mrs. Tweedy: [as she catches Ginger] Well now, the little escape artist. You won’t ruin this. Not again.
Fetcher: I ain’t been this knackered since I took that hamster wheel for a test-drive.
Mrs. Tweedy: [referring to Ginger] Here she is. The miserable, malcontented chicken that escaped Tweedy’s Farm and ruined my life.
Babs: [referring to the guard] Ooh! He’s laddered me knitting.
Mrs. Tweedy: Must I do everything myself? Husbands and chickens, the bane of my life.
Nick: There is nothing Fetch don’t know about electrics. He could chew through wiring before he could walk.
Nick: [to Rocky] Goodbye, cuz. Or should I say, “au revoir.”
Fetcher: It’s more likely goodbye, to be honest.
Molly: We have to find Frizzle, and Dad, and get out of here.
Ginger: But why?
Molly: Because I say so.
Ginger: Well, you’re not the boss of me.
Bunty: I can’t believe we’re back up against that horrible woman.
Ginger: What? Mrs. Tweedy’s the best. I love her.
Molly: Bunty. Mac. It’s this collar. It’s making Mum act weird.
Molly: How did you find us?
Fetcher: We just fell down the air vent.
Nick: Love, Molly. Love showed us the way.
Babs: [as they fall into the silo] It’s like being inside a giant biscuit tin. But without any biscuits.
Ginger: What happened? Where are we?
Bunty: Don’t know, but there’s no way out.
Ginger: There’s never no way out.
Ginger: Find a ledge or a crack to grab hold of!
Fetcher: Righto.
Nick: Ooh! Not that crack.
Bunty: Face the facts, duck. We need a miracle to get out of here.
Rocky: Hey! Anyone down there?
Molly: Dad!
Ginger: Rocky!
Bunty: Do not tell him he’s our miracle. There will be no living with him.
Ginger: This is on me. I used to hate being fenced in. So why did I expect you to be any different? I guess I was afraid you were so much like me.
Molly: What’s wrong with being like you?
Rocky: Nothing. Because your mom is the best. And she always has a plan.
Ginger: Not this time.
Bunty: I think there’s a grinder at the bottom of this thing.
Mac: On the plus side, though, we will all probably drown before we’re ground into tiny, wee pieces.
Fowler: Ye gods. It’s raining popcorn? Good old British weather. Unpredictable. You never know what’s coming.
Ginger: Just because where we live is cut off from the world doesn’t mean we are too. No chicken is an island.
Rocky: Hey, Molly, are you sure you’re ready for this?
Molly: I was hatched ready, Dad.
Ginger: She is a lot like me.
Reginald Smith: Actually, Melisha, I have a little something for our big day.
Mrs. Tweedy: Why, Reginald, this is all very sudden. Ketchup?
Reginald Smith: Oh. No. No. Something completely new. I call it “the dip”.
Mrs. Tweedy: It’s sweet.
Reginald Smith: And sour.
Mrs. Tweedy: Aren’t we all, Reginald?
Mrs. Tweedy: Dr. Fry?
Dr. Fry: Yes, my beloved? Say those words I am longing to hear.
Mrs. Tweedy: Get on with it, you idiot.
Rocky: See you on the flip side, egghead. You get it?
Mrs. Tweedy: Dr. Fry! Where are my nuggets? Honestly, that man is about as much use as a headless… Chicken!
Babs: Come on, everybody. We’re going on holiday.
Bunty: No, Babs. They’re going to turn everyone into nuggets.
Molly: Frizzle, this isn’t the best place ever. You only get your own bucket when they’ve chopped you up and cooked you.
Frizzle: And you came back for me?
Molly: Of course. It’s me and you, kidda. All the way.
Reginald Smith: What’s taking so long? So much for fast food.
Nick: [as they’re trying to drive the truck] What gear are you in?
Fetcher: Oh, I call this “smart casual”.
Reginald Smith: Melisha? Why are you dressed like a nugget?
Frizzle: [as they Tweedy looking like a nugget] I think they’re going to need a bigger bucket.
Fowler: T.I. Fowler, Getaway Division. Reporting for duty.
Ginger: Where would we be without you, Fowler?
Nick: [referring to the collar] This makes you happy and brainless, apparently.
Fetcher: Oh, yeah. I feel it. It’s amazing.
Nick: Mate, I haven’t turned it on yet.
Rocky: Well, it looks like we’ve finally got our happy ending.
Ginger: Ah, let’s just call this our happy beginning.
Rocky: [as they’re rescuing chickens from another farm] I’ve just got one question. Is crowing back on the agenda?
Ginger: Oh, definitely. Ready, everyone?
Chickens: Ready!
Babs: Ready!
Chickens: Cock-a-doodle-doo!