Chicken Run sequel director explains hidden Wallace & Gromit reference
If you look closely during the film's final shot you might spot a familiar face.
Over the years, Aardman Animations has introduced a number of iconic characters to the world of film and TV – from Shaun the Sheep to Morph – but it's undoubtedly Wallace and Gromit who remain the studio's most beloved creations.
Fans of the cheese-and-cracker-loving inventor and his trusty dog will, therefore, be delighted to hear that there is a little hidden reference to the pair in Aardman's latest film Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, which has just arrived on Netflix following a brief theatrical run.
If you look very closely during the film's final shot, you'll notice that one of the chickens is actually an impostor – none other than Wallace and Gromit's old nemesis Feathers McGraw, the villainous penguin who famously dressed up as a chicken in the iconic The Wrong Trousers.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, director Sam Fell explained why he decided to include this Easter Egg referencing the studio's most famous duo.
“I mean, the Aardman studio is an amazing place," he explained. "All of the movies are all amazing in themselves, but for me one of the greatest achievements is actually the studio itself, and the world it’s created and the fact it's managed to maintain its voice through the decades."
He added: "So yeah, you're in there all day and you look around you and there's like the characters from all the films on shelves, you know, and on people's desks. And so yeah, it's just like it's all part of the family really – all of the characters are the family of Aardman, I guess!"
Read more:
- Chicken Run 2 director says Mrs Tweedy wasn't always returning as villain
- Chicken Run sequel director on why some roles were recast and not others
The new film sees Ginger and Rocky come up against their old enemy Mrs Tweedy after their daughter Molly sets off on an ill-advised adventure, with the rest of the flock joining forces to save the young chick from the clutches of the evil villain.
Fell also told RadioTimes.com about the film's bigger scale compared to the original – joking that it could be called "Chicken: Impossible" – and revealed that the initial plan had been for a new antagonist to be introduced before they decided to bring back Mrs Tweedy.
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Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is now playing in select UK cinemas and arrives on Netflix on 15th December 2023, while the first film is available now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
