If you watched Robin Robin over Christmas, you’ll know that the combined power of British animation legends Aardman and streaming giant Netflix is capable of producing something special – and hopefully that’s what we’ll have in store for us when the long-awaited Chicken Run sequel arrives in 2023. It was announced a few years ago that Netflix is bankrolling the much-anticipated return of Rocky and Ginger, and fresh details on the film have just hatched – including its official title, cast, and a first-look image.
What we now know is that the next Chicken Run film will be known as Chicken Run: The Rings Of Power, and will- Wait, no that’s yesterday’s Lord Of The Rings series news. This one will be known as Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget, and this time the voices of Ginger and Rocky will be provided by Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi, respectively – replacing Julia Sawalha (who’s voiced her disappointment at not being asked back) and Mel Gibson (who’s been recast for, er, obvious reasons). Plus, their chicken progeny (!) Molly is being voiced by Bella Ramsey – best known for playing tiny badass Lyanna Mormont in Game Of Thrones, and soon to be Ellie in HBO’s The Last Of Us series.
Beyond that, it’s now confirmed that Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton and Lynn Ferguson will all be returning, with new cast additions in the likes of Romesh Ranganathan, David Bradley, Josie Sedgwick-Davies, Daniel Mays, and Nick Mohammed. Here’s your official synopsis: “Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger 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 hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk – this time, they’re breaking in!” Dawn Of The Nugget is being directed by Sam Fell, and comes to Netflix in 2023.
But that’s not the only bit of Aardman news coming from the streaming service – they’re also readying a new Wallace & Gromit film, from directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. It’s currently unclear whether this is a feature-length outing á la Curse Of The Were-Rabbit or a usual 30-ish minute film, but it’s arriving in 2024 around the world on Netflix – and in the UK, it’ll first debut on the BBC. Cracking news, Gromit!
Here’s the frankly incredible synopsis for the new as-yet-untitled Wallace & Gromit tale: “Gromit’s concern that Wallace has become over-dependant on his inventions proves justified, when Wallace invents a “smart gnome” that seems to develop a mind of its own... As events spiral out of control, it falls to Gromit to put aside his qualms and battle sinister forces – or Wallace may never be able to invent again!” Bring on the smart gnomes.