Nick Parks stated that his animated film "Chicken Run" was based on the classic war film "The Great Escape". In what ways are the two films similar?

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Nick Parks stated that his animated film “Chicken Run” was based on the classic war film “The Great Escape”. In what ways are the two films similar?

“The Great Escape” is a war/ action film with spectacular stunts and special effects directed by John Sturges. It stars many famous actors: Steve McQueen, James Garnett and Richard Attenborough. It was made in 1963 and set in the 1940’s in a German prisoner of war camp, where 250 men need to escape from to distract the enemy from fight the war. Around 12 RAF officers set out to tunnel their way out.

“Chicken Run” (2000) is a children’s comedy about chickens needing to escape from Mr. Tweedy’s farm or else they will be put into pies. They need to learn how to fly in order to escape the dreaded pie-making machine. Chicken Run was directed by Peter Lord and Nick Park who have also co-directed Wallace and Gromit, another children’s classic. The film stars Mel Gibson, Tony Haygarth and Miranda Richardson.

Both films are very similar on general plot, they are both about “people” trying to escape wrongful imprisonment but keep getting caught whenever they attempt to escape.

However, the plots differ extremely when you look at them in more detail. Chicken run is about chickens trying to escape a chicken farm because they would get eaten if they didn’t. Great escape is about soldiers trying to escape from a camp because it is their duty to cause the enemy distress.

In chicken run there is never the fear of being shot if they get caught, they are always just brought back. Great escape shows the threat at which the prisoners are under every time they try to escape.

The plan in Great escape is to tunnel under the ground. This plan is carried out with help from everyone but with only a few main leaders, just like chicken run.

The two films begin on a similar scene at different times of the day. “The Great Escape” began with a strong military, now very well known, tune which carried the camera across a panning shot of the prisoner of war camp when the prisoners were being brought into it. This gives the impression of travelling, which is what the main characters were doing at the time.

This view is punctuated by some very bold and red credits. The credits begin with “Steve McQueen” which shows one of the main selling points for the film was its all star cast.

The first scene is bright and sunny, following the patrol until it comes up to prison, with its barbed wire and a sense of foreboding. The camera then gives us the view from Steve McQueen’s eyes, him looking for ways of escape whilst showing the viewer all of the security of the camp. The view of the German vans was a shot from below, looking up at the van showing that it is intimidated and a main dominant through the film, the intimidating officers and weapons.

“Chicken Run” also begins with a panning shot across the wires of the farm. However, this scene begins at night to show the secrecy of what is happening. There is a close up of the dog in the first scene, this was a direct parallel with the shot of the camp guards in Great Escape. Then there is a shot of the torch beam being dragged along the floor, a direct parallel of the searchlights in Great escape. These first few shots also show the sense of entrapment shown in Great Escape.

We then are shown an escape attempt by the main character, Ginger. Straight away we are plunged into the suspense and drama carried out through the whole film. This is because children need to have visual stimulation straight away in a film to grab their attention and make them watch it. This is also the reason why, almost straight away, we are shown comedy when chickens use the food tray to hide under and walk with it on their heads. This first escape attempt is a very small sort of tunnel underneath the wire of the farm, this resembles the big plan in the great escape, also that they got caught trying to escape. Ginger is thrown in the cooler, just like Hilts was in Great Escape put in the cooler very early on.

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Most of the characters in “The great escape” are mirrored as chickens in “Chicken Run”. Bartlet in Great Escape was the man in charge, he was turned into Ginger in Chicken run, the chicken who organises the plans, the one who really has to get out of the farm/ camp. Ramsay the British officer is mirrored by Fowler, a chicken who has had RAF background, albeit in the poultry division as a mascot, but he acts extremely stereotypically English. He says things like “Chocks away”, “Old chap” and “Great Scott”. He also behaves the way a stereotypical British officer would ...

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Though this conclusion is logical (in that the end of the essay describes the ends of the films), it is far from satisfying. What is missing is a brief summative paragraph, describing the causes and the essence of the differences and similarities that have been identified in the discourse. On the whole, a very detailed account of the formal differences/similarities, but lacking in adequate reflection upon the aesthetic and ideological effects of the changes. Some of this kind of analysis is present, but to be truly satisfying the essay should have been driven by an overarching theory of what the most important changes/similarites are, and what these things mean. 3 stars.