Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget - here's what reviewers have been saying about the long-awaited sequel

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget has arrived 23 years after the first film was released. Here’s what reviewers have been saying so far.

Picking up where the first Chicken Run left off back in 2000, Dawn of the Nugget is a long-awaited sequel to the film which introduced Aardman Animations to the world.

The film remains Aardman’s biggest box office hit and its 2023 sequel has a lot to live up to. At the end of Chicken Run, audiences celebrated as Ginger, the plucky heroine, led her friends to freedom and away from their end as pie filling.

After pulling off their great escape, Dawn of the Nugget revisits the chickens who have found a peaceful sanctuary for the whole flock. Ginger and Rocky, the former circus performer, have hatched their daughter Molly and seem to be enjoying their happy ending. However, the whole of chicken-kind faces a new threat on the mainland, which means that Ginger and her friends must put their freedom at risk.

The film should be a welcome return to the Chicken Run universe, especially as Aardman's signature stop-motion, clay animation remains front and centre.

But with the original boasting a score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, what do critics think of Dawn of the Nugget? Here’s what the reviews are like so far.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget reviews

The Scotsman’s own reviewer Alistair Harkness said: “Even accounting for the laborious process of making stop-motion animation, 23 years seems like an unusually long time to wait for a sequel. Frustratingly Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is hardly worth it.”

However, he awarded the film three stars for “moments of great wit and invention” and praised the film for its use of Cliff Richard’s Summer Holiday, stating that it’s “a reminder of what distinguishes Aardman from its international competitors”.

NME’s reviewer said the film was “‘Mission: Impossible’ meets ‘Squid Game’”, with the former battery hens this time heading on a trip to break into the nugget factory in order to rescue Molly, voiced by The Last of Us’ Bella Ramsey.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget will be available on Netflix.

Ultimately, he gave the film four stars, saying: “Dawn Of The Nugget might have a bit too much Netflix polish in places, and the spark of the original film doesn’t ever burn as brightly here, but there’s still a lot to love…”

Also giving the film a four star rating is the BBC’s reviewer. Though commenting on the “distracting” recast of Ginger and Rocky, from Julia Sawalha and Mel Gibson to Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi, they said: “Dawn of the Nugget is buoyant family entertainment, with far more jokes and more silliness than its predecessor”.

However, other reviewers were less pleased with the film.

For Roger Ebert, Brian Tallerico was disappointed by the film awarding it 2.5 stars saying: "Outside of a few inspired sight gags, “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” just isn’t as funny as it should be or could have been with a sharper script."

The Observer also gave the film 3 stars, saying: "Disappointingly but perhaps not surprisingly, this sequel fails to match the original on any level whatsoever."

The Independent are mostly in agreement also awarding Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget 3 stars, though the reviewer does highlight Bella Ramsey's performance which "really carries the film".

While not quite as well-received as the first, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is currently sitting at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes.

When is Chicken Run 2 coming out?

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget was released in select cinemas on December 8th, however it will be released on Netflix at 8am on Friday, December 15th.