Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget review – disappointingly scrambled sequel

More than 20 years have passed since the claymation magicians at Aardman Animations had the brainwave of relocating The Great Escape to a north of England chicken farm. The original Chicken Run remains a classic of family entertainment, unbeatable in its inventiveness, distinctive aesthetic and deliciously absurd humour. Disappointingly but perhaps not surprisingly, this sequel fails to match the original on any level whatsoever. It’s not bad exactly, although there’s a synthetic look to the colour palette that feels very try-hard and gaudy next to the lovely, atmospheric earth tones of the first film.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget rejoins Ginger and Rocky (with the voices of Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi replacing Julia Sawalha and Mel Gibson) as they make a life for themselves on a utopian chicken island. But their daughter, Molly (Bella Ramsey), who has inherited her mother’s adventurous spirit, ventures to the mainland. There, she encounters an old enemy of poultry, now equipped with state-of-the-art chicken processing technology but unfortunately no new jokes or fresh ideas.

• In cinemas now/on Netflix from 15 December