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WHAT MAKES THTE CHICKEN RUN
he imposing shadow cast across the animation industry has, until now, been in the shape of a certain Mouse. But it may soon change into the image of a chicken - and a British one at that. Aardman Animation, the Bristol based company best known in recent years for their shorter-form Wallace & Gromit adventures, have now turned their talents to a first full length feature animation, an original story entitled Chicken Run. Devised and co-directed by Aardman stalwarts Peter Lord and Nick Park, and scripted by Jack Rosenthal and Karey Kirkpatrick, the film promises to be one of the cinema events of the year.
And, having been in production for the last 18 months and pre-production for 18 months before that, the team of up to 170 crew is really on the home straight now. After a swift period of post production, Chicken Run is due for worldwide release on June 23.
“I’m just starting to enjoy the prospect,” explains Peter Lord. “But although we’re in the home straight I’m well aware it’s a very long one. The next big event on the horizon will be finishing the shoot, which will be greeted with major fireworks displays, and then the release... and all the ballyhoo that goes with it. It’s going to be quite a year, I must say.”
With European distribution being handled by Pathé, the wider international release will be managed by Aardman’s brand new distribution partners, DreamWorks SKG. And that is the key to the healthy future of what has, until now, been a wildly successful but relatively small scale British operation. As a bright, new major Hollywood company of immaculate pedigree - co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg was credited with the revival in fortunes of Disney’s animation division in the late 80s - the signing of a five picture deal seems a shrewd move for both parties.
“There are very few people in the world with the same experience that Jeffrey Katzenberg has in animation,” Lord continues, clearly delighted with the deal. “He’s got an amazing track record, so you couldn’t ask to be with a better person. There are things that we’re doing now that, candidly, we didn’t know about when we started. We’re making this film in a slightly different way to anything we’ve ever done before. continued on page 18
Bristol’s
Aardman
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goes
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Photos top: Nick Park and Peter Lord at work main: Rocky and the inhabitants of Hut 17 in Chicken Run; right: Wallace And Gromit CHICKEN RUN © 1999 DREAMWORKS, PATHÉ IMAGE AND AARDMAN FEATURES LIMITED; WALLACE AND GROMIT © AARDMAN/W&G LTD 1989
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