Chicken Run Books

What Else can be said. The book is awesome, you get to see not only the clay puppets but parts of the scenery, stroyboards, concept boards. I havent seen the movie yet, but cant wait to do so. For my students it has been a very interesting approach to Claynimation, now I just have to find the Wallace and Groomit videos to add it to my library.

Anyone who has the slightest interest in knowing how an animated movie is created will love "Chicken Run - Hatching the Movie." by Brian Sibley. Even the design of the book is whimsical in style and lush with color illustrations from the new movie as well as from other films from this animation house.

A lighthearted introduction written by Mel Gibson (who is the voice for Rocky in the movie) sets the overall tone for the book. In this overview there is a brief history of the animation process with some really slick photos of the British Aardman Studios that both Nick Parks and Peter Lord, the directors of "Chicken Run," help to put on the map with several Academy Award nominations for their past films.

Animation and story development is not just fun and games as one might think but envelops serious thinking and work. The book is sprinkled throughout with wonderful idea sketches, watercolor paintings, storyboards and outlines showing how script and plot ideas for "Chicken Run" were developed.

A wonderful chapter on the actual making of the physical characters gives an inside look into the art studio itself where molds, paint, and artists bring these figures made of a clay-like substance called plasticine into existence. In a chapter called "Making the Right Moves" Sibley details the various problems that animators had during production. Trying to give the human characteristics of anger, hate, love, fear, and happiness in front of the camera is a major feat in itself. The difficult task of lighting a scene along with making the miniscule movement of each figure to create the animated move almost sounds like torture. And when one realizes that the largest film shoot in one work way was a mere 26 seconds you wonder if it is. The animators say their work normally floats along on inspiration but at other times when they are tired, getting the job done becomes a matter of will. They are so involved with their work that it is only when the camera isn't running that they realize that they are only working with a lump of plasticine.

This book is definitely written for the connoisseur of animated films and filmmaking but children could also enjoy the "fun" illustrations from the movie, which are a large part of this publication.

The seriousness of this studio's filmmaking makes for some very interesting reading. A quote by one of the directors, Peter Lord, not only sums up the animation process but could be the kernel theme of this book. "We make films and by the way, they happen to be animated."

Ron Harmon rohar@msn.com

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How did they do that?

"Chicken Run: Hatching the Movie" provides an engaging, behind the scenes examination of the workings at Aardman Studios, offering insight into the personalities and technologies that brought us Wallace and Grommit, as they work towards the completion of their first feature-length animated film.

There are plenty of photos from the final movie, but more importantly, the book is stuffed with the artifacts of the animation process- the sketches and drawings, storyboards and photographs that record the way the film was developed from idea to story to finished storyboard and characters.

The book stops short of offering specific timelines, technical details or recipes for plasticine, but the aspiring animator is given ample opportunity to read between the lines. There is a wealth of information and inspiration to be had; something to learn on every page.

Sibley's narrative follows Nick Park, Peter Lord and others as they discuss, revise, and rethink their ideas, meet with Hollywood moguls for the first time, hire and then change writers, and work their way through the transition from commercials and short films to producing a two-hour, animated movie.

The writing is open and lively, describing the time involved and the twists and turns in production as the storyline is developed and revised, characters and ideas introduced and then axed. This frank discussion of the creative process at work is perhaps the book's most valuable asset.

"Chicken Run - Hatching the Movie" is an ideal companion to Aardman's earlier book "Creating 3-D Animation".

One book gives a superb, do-it-yourself introduction the techniques and process of model animation, while the other provides an in depth study of the creative process in action during the production of a single feature.

Together, these books provide the most useful resources on claymation and model animation to date.

If you haven't seen Chicken Run you should go see it. It is a family movie in which their are chickens who try to escape from the farm where the live. They try to learn to fly, but they keep failing. If they don't escape soon they will become chicken pie. Can they learn how to fly or find a way to escape soon enough, or will they become chicken pie? Watch the movie and find out.

This is the most delightful book about the making of a movie I have ever read! The text is full of funny stories and interesting details about the process that went into hatching this chick flick!Being a published cartoonist myself, I found reading about the process the Ardman folks went through to be fascinating.Also good were the photos showing the different animators at work making the models of chickens and other assorted poultry items.This is a must for any fan of Ardman! Viva Wallace and Grommet! Viva Rocky the Rhode Island Red and his favorite chick, Ginger!You will not regret buying this book! Myke Feinman, publisher and cartoonist for Ink and Feathers Comics

I love this cookbook. The recipes are easy, elegant and tasty. I got this book in 1988,when it first came out and I still use it all the time. The recipes are unique and all can be prepared quickly. I am so glad it is still in print. I plan to buy several to give as gifts!

This is without question the best cookbook that I own. The recipes are very imaginative and delicious. I have prepared 20 of the recipes and I have found them all easy and quick to prepare. Some of our favorite recipes are found within this book. I have not seen these recipes anywhere else. Leslie Bloom is a chicken genius! I like the book so much that I have ordered 4 more to give to family members. You can't find a better cookbook!!

I find this book refreaching,and that the whole family can enjoy reading it together. I would recomend it for young and old alike.

The story is offbeat and rather touching: The chickens who live on the Tweedy Farm are doomed to be made into chicken pies if they stay there much longer! Ginger, a clever hen desperate to feel of green grass under her feet, hatches escape plan after escape with no luck....until Rocky, a dashing rooster, literally flies into her life! Will these chicks ever escape the evil farm with their feathers still intact?

The book is a simple retelling of the irreverent film and is easy reading for the younger set. It's sweet, gloriously silly and a wonderful companion to the film. I especially enjoyed the claymation pictures which do a wonderful job of capturing the moment with just one glance. I'd read it to you kids at bedtime.

One side effect though -- don't be surprised if your kids refuse to eat poultry after reading this book!

I have decided to write a book review. The review is on the Chicken Run. I enjoyed the book it realy was a good book. I compared this book to another book called the pigman. I liked Chiken Run better than the pigman I have rated this book with 4 stars, reasons are the humor in the book. Another reason is the names were orininal, plus great detail.

The one thing that i don't like about the book is the British accents. Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy were a real disapointment

This book, as the movie is sure to be, Was extremely well written. and I could just picture the characters gasping in horror when they found out they were to become pies. This book is eggstremely eggstravagent!

This "Chicken Run" book -- a parody of the inspirational "Chicken Soup" series -- features several humorous stories "written" by the characters in the movie "Chicken Run." The book is humorous, but perhaps a little too sophisticated for kids. In addition, don't even think about trying to read it unless you have seen the film. Otherwise, it is nearly impossible to understand. On the whole, however, a charming and quick read that is suitable for intelligent children and adults.

I picked up this book on a whim after I saw the movie "Chicken Run." I am glad I saw the film before I read the book, otherwise it might not have made much sense. But since I knew what the movie was about, the book was very funny. It was not really so much for kids as adults, though I guess a smart kid could get something from it. It took the characters from the movie and made them even more "real." The best parts were the ones about the packrats and Mrs. Tweedy...they were my favorite charaters in the book. All in all a good thing for fans of Nick Park and "Chicken Run."

I am a huge fan of Chicken Run and received this book as a present. There are some jokes here that you may have heard a million times, but the inclusion of characters and mannerisms from the movie improves them. There is a clever take on the old, ever-annoying why-did-the-chicken-cross-the-road gag in the beginning. However, what I really enjoyed more than the jokes was the artwork inside, particularly Bunty stuck under the fence, and Rocky and Ginger on the rooftop. Enjoyable fare for any Chicken Run fanatic.

This is a really funny book about what goes on inside the chicken farm such as Escape Committee meetings and The knitting circle (run by Babs, of course). You definitaly want to see the movie first. Also has Diary Entries from Ginger, and information on each character. Also has many of Mac's Escape plans. Okay, I don't want to give away the whole book but it is definitaly worth the seven bucks.