The audience first become aware of Ginger’s caring personality when an ‘escape attempt’ goes wrong and she sacrifices herself to aid her friend who is having difficulty getting through the fence. This shows how selfless she is.
Ginger is the leader of the chickens and a tower of strength and determination,
“We will die free chickens or die trying”. This determination is also shown when several escape attempts fail and Ginger is repeatedly put into the ‘coal bunker’ but Ginger doesn’t let this dishearten her, she just holds her head up and focuses on her next escape plan.
Although it is not announced that Ginger is the ‘leader’ of the chickens, it is clear that she is, from the respect the other chickens show Ginger and the strength she gives to the other chickens. One example is when Fowler refuses to fly the ‘crate’ and Ginger reassures him, giving him new confidence, “Today is your day”. Without Ginger the other chickens are lost. This is shown when Ginger is taken away to the pie machine and all order disintegrates.
Ginger is a very strong character, she knows that she can’t allow the other chickens to see her showing emotion and doubt when she loses all hope so she leaves the other chickens to have a quiet cry by herself. This really makes the audience empathise with, and feel sorry for Ginger.
We are first introduced to ‘Mrs Tweedy’ as the camera slowly pans up from her feet to reveal a tall, thin, angular, dark-haired woman with unusually thick eyebrows and tightly pulled back hair. Mrs Tweedy’s facial features are manipulated to full effect to emphasise the evil in her. Her eyebrows move upwards and knit together and her mouth opens like a cavern to reveal enormous menacing teeth, like a wild animal’s ready for the kill.
The use of the ‘upward pan’ on Mrs Tweedy creates the effect of her being ‘larger than life’ and domineering. Another technique used here is the light that is shining from behind Mrs Tweedy which makes her appear menacing. She is first shown wearing her tight-fitting, pink dressing gown with fur trim, a very feminine outfit. The stark contrast between her outward femininity of dress and her terrifying demeanour make her behaviour seem more terrible.
A key sound that the audience can instantly associate with Mrs Tweedy is the sound of her large black boots. She walks with a loud and purposeful stride and the beat of her black Wellington boots strikes fear into the hearts of the chickens, it almost imitates a clock, slowly ticking the seconds of the chicken’s lives away.
It is ironic that the advert for ‘Mrs Tweedy’s chicken pies’ features the logo ‘the woman’s touch’ as Mrs Tweedy is totally lacking in femininity.
The first sign the audience get of the extent of Mrs Tweedy’s true character is in the death of Edwina. Mrs Tweedy smiles when she takes Edwina to be executed suggesting that she takes pleasure in the death of a chicken. The death is made even more gruesome by the use of the silhouette that is shown to represent the death of Edwina. This is a typical horror film technique.
The producer has made sure that when she is in shot, Mrs Tweedy fills the whole screen. This deliberate technique creates the impression that Mrs Tweedy is a very dominant and aggressive individual who doesn’t need or want anyone else in her life for love or for friendship. Mrs Tweedy is also featured in many ‘low angle shots’, like when she does her weekly ‘chicken inspection’, this has the effect of power and authority of both the chickens and the audience.
This is very different to the way Ginger is presented on screen. She is usually featured in long shots that show many other chickens as well as her, reflecting her selfless and caring personality. Eye-level shots are also used predominantly when presenting Ginger; this draws the audience towards the character, whereas Mrs Tweedy is almost always viewed from a low angle shot to make her appear to be ‘towering over’ and ‘looking down upon’ everyone else.
Ginger has a regional and welcoming accent, as a contrast, Mrs Tweedy has a very clipped and harsh voice. She speaks with an aggressive tone, never using ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ as a result of this it is clear that Mrs Tweedy is dominant over Mr Tweedy;
“Mr Tweedy, what is that chicken doing outside the fence?”- “Deal with it now!”
The music used in Chicken Run is a kaleidoscope of many styles which I am sure work well with the animation: Scottish, Celtic/Irish, Country and Western/hoe-down. There is much military music with heroic brass and snare drum flourishes; and hot swing and jazz, there is a real profusion of styles. Most tracks are taken at a hectic pace with only one or two pauses for breath to signify some sentimental or romantic episode.
The use of music has a large impact on the audience’s perception of both Ginger and Mrs Tweedy. Ginger is strongly associated with optimistic, military and romantic music. This is established from the audience’s first encounter with Ginger when the accompanying music is optimistic and has military connections, much like that used in the film ‘The Great Escape’. An example of Gingers association with romantic music is during the ‘party’ organised be Rocky when she stares into Rocky’s eyes and they begin to fall in love with each other.
The music (or lack of music) associated with Mrs Tweedy is very different to the music associated with Ginger. The audience is first introduced to Mrs Tweedy when she abruptly silences the music with her presence. This is a very powerful device used as it illustrates her authority and dominance; it also grabs the audience’s attention. She is often showed with no accompanying music to focus the audience’s attention on her and this use of silence creates an unpleasant image in the audience’s minds.
An event that illustrates Ginger’s bravery and loyalty to the full is when she and Rocky have an almost fatal encounter with the pie machine. Initially, Ginger is taken away to the pie machine to be made into a chicken pie; it looks like this could be the end for Ginger but Rocky comes to her rescue. However, gallant Rocky ends up in trouble himself and it is Ginger who steps in to save him when the two find themselves trapped in an oven. Instead of saving herself, Ginger risks her own life and goes back into the fiery oven for Rocky, this shows true loyalty and bravery.
The film arrives at an exciting climax when the chickens have finally launched their homemade aeroplane. The audience is led to believe this is the happy ending but to complicate matters, Mrs Tweedy has attached herself to the string of lights hanging from the plane and puts the happy ending in jeopardy. This results in an action-packed battle of Ginger versus Mrs tweedy, representing the sides of good and evil. Here Gingers intelligence and courage really shine through as she selflessly fights with Mrs Tweedy. This scene really emphasises the size difference between Mrs Tweedy, a large intimidating woman, and small, vulnerable Ginger but this detail does not faze Ginger as she remains focused on the task she knows she must do. These moments are made even more realistic by the camera shot used here; the audience see the feud from Ginger’s point of view which puts them at the forefront of the action. Ginger’s determination pays off when Ginger tricks Mrs Tweedy (and the audience) into thinking she has had her head chopped off before dramatically letting go of the rope attaching Mrs Tweedy to the plane to ensure a happy ending is had by all (with the exception of Mrs Tweedy)!
From Mr Tweedy’s opening comment, “No chicken escapes from Tweedy’s farm” to their final escape to a ‘chicken sanctuary’, their green and pleasant land of freedom, the hhhhhhhaudience is taken on an animated roller-coaster ride of action, adventure and emotion.
