Chicken Run Sequel and Nimona to Be Previewed at Animation Festival

It has been over two decades since Peter Lord and Nick Park's Chicken Run was in theaters. This stop-motion animated adventure told the tale of a British chicken collective who attempt to escape their eternal egg-laying lives by learning to fly from an American rooster (voiced by Mel Gibson). Chicken Run was a smash success on both the critical and commercial fronts, boasting a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a $227 million worldwide gross, making it DreamWorks Animation's biggest success at the time. This long-awaited sequel has been in the works since 2018 and finally commenced production in 2021.

Two years since cameras began rolling, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is gearing up for its release. Before it is made available on Netflix, the red and black streaming service is bringing it to the Annecy International Film Festival this June. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget will be previewed at Annecy during a panel that will feature director Sam Fell, producer Leyla Hobart, and executive producer Peter Lord.

The synopsis for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (via IMDb) can be read below...

Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy's farm, Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) 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 (Zachary Levi) hatch a little girl called Molly (Bella Ramsey), 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.

Beyond the Chicken Run sequel, Netflix will also host an advance screening of Nimona. This Nick Bruno and Troy Quane-directed picture will adapt ND Stevenson's graphic novel of the same name. Nimona tells the story of the titular shapeshifter (Chloë Grace Moretz) who unites with the villainous Ballister Blackheart (Riz Ahmed) in an effort to bring down the Institute. Alongside Bruno, Quane, and Stevenson, producers Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary as well as production designer Aidan Sugano will be in attendance at Annecy.

Netflix will also preview content from Leo and Exploding Kittens and will put episodes of Agent Elvis, Mech Cadets, ONI: Thunder God's Tale and The Sandman into competition for Annecy's TV categories.

The Annecy International Film Festival runs from Sunday, June 11th until Saturday, June 17th.