: (Harry
Gregson-Williams) Despite immediate talk of a sequel for 2000's
surprisingly successful stop-motion animated romp,
,
the production crew was too exhausted to contemplate such an endeavor.
By the late 2010's, however, the project finally moved forward, dropping
much of its original voice cast for a myriad of reasons but continuing
the story of intrepid chickens who escaped a farm (and certain
slaughter) and thwarted its evil owner. Those affable poultry now reside
on an idyllic island but eventually come to realize that industrial
chicken processing villainy is encroaching onto neighboring lands. The
same antagonist from the prior story, Mrs. Tweedy, is associated with
what looks like an amusement park for chickens called Fun-Land Farms,
but the inhabitants there are actually technologically brainwashed in
ways that make them tastier to customers once processed. Both new and
old characters ultimately battle to free themselves and others from this
threat and foil Mrs. Tweedy once again. Purchased and distributed by
Netflix, 2023's
was largely
confined to streaming audiences but generally well received. For film
music fans, the sequel was long awaited, for Harry Gregson-Williams and
John Powell's music for
remains a flavorful community
favorite in the animation genre. As with the
at the time.
Debates have long ensued about the merits of Gregson-Williams'
contributions to
versus those by Powell, for the
latter composer wrote some of the most memorable single passages in that
score. The return of Gregson-Williams alone for the 2023 film is still a
crowd-pleaser, not only because of the continuity factor but because the
veteran composer had spent a disproportionate amount of his recent
career creating underwhelming music for generic thriller movies. (These
assignments dominated his 2023 output.) With
came the opportunity for Gregson-Williams to spread his wings
again in a genre that represented some of his best work in the early
2000's.
Gregson-Williams' return to the realm of
Chicken
Run strikes many comforting nostalgic notes, the general sound of
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget clearly derivative of the earlier
work. For casual viewers, the musical connections are easy, and the
general tone and orchestral style remain consistent. The playful
demeanor and vibrant recording are both huge positives in the sequel
score, but there are a few course changes that may alarm some listeners.
Most vitally,
Chicken Run is known for its humorous application
of kazoos, which are perfect for the birdbrain humor of the story.
Gregson-Williams revisits those kazoos here, but only in brief cameo
roles. They exist for the Mrs. Tweedy theme shortly in "Opening Recap"
and then early in "Follow Me," continuing at 4:38 onward in "Pushing
Them Back" for quick accents. But that's about it, and their general
lack of use is disappointing. Their representation of the wackiness of
the villain situation in
Chicken Run is replaced by a theremin in
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget to accompany the brainwashing
element in "Funland Farms," "Something Strange," "Malicia Tweedy
Revealed," and "An Unexpected Guest." Also added are prominent base
flutes for the espionage factor throughout the score. Aside from those
specialty contributors, listeners will encounter an accordion in "Rats
Visited," harpsichord in "Malicia Tweedy Revealed," and cartoonish
deflating brass techniques in "Follow Me." Of more interest to
enthusiasts of the prior score will be the use of themes from
Chicken
Run, and that aspect is a very mixed bag. There were four major
themes in that score, and Gregson-Williams only develops three of them
here while adding a few more to the equation. It has been widely
reported that Gregson-Williams wrote the main theme for
Chicken
Run that spawned its spritely marches and soaring conclusion.
Powell, on the other hand, penned the construction (or revolution) theme
that emerged late in the score and ultimately stole the hearts of most
listeners. Perhaps not surprisingly, Gregson-Williams only references
the construction theme at the very outset of the score, at 0:04 into
"Opening Recap," identically to the opening moments of "Building the
Crate." If you're expecting anything more from that Powell, especially
extended material along the lines of "The Chickens Are Revolting" in
this score, you'll be deeply disgruntled.
The loss of the highly memorable and infectious
construction theme in
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is this
score's biggest point of failure. The idea could have been repurposed to
serve the illustriousness and bravery of the chickens generally, but
Gregson-Williams chose otherwise. Instead, his main theme dominates this
score more so than the prior one, as does the Mrs. Tweedy theme. The
material for the rats and the Rocky character also return. The main
theme emerges again at 0:45 and 0:56 into "Opening Recap" with hints of
its march-like origins and supplies good cheer briefly at 0:38 into
"Molly." Its extensive interpolation into the score's action and
suspense material includes the start of "Trucks Are Spotted" in some
momentary, wholesome iterations and a few stuttering attempts to
generate heroic action at 2:46 into "Funland Farms." A highlight for the
theme is its militaristically propulsive rendition at 1:26 into
"Something Strange" with uniquely Irish whistle personality. The idea
extensively mingles with the new heist theme in "Go Time," offers short
bursts of continued snare-ripping action late in "Roast Chicken" and
"Big and Brave," battles the Tweedy theme late in "An Unexpected Guest,"
and stumbles in somewhat uncomfortable action mode at 2:09 into "Follow
Me." The main theme is pretty on woodwinds at 0:35 into "Going Back for
Frizzle" and thereafter, intertwined with the heist theme in "Move
Faster," and shifts to a defiant action stance at 1:30 into "Pushing
Them Back," gaining coherence later. It finally defeats the Tweedy
material in "Returning Home," reprising "Escape to Paradise" from the
prior score, returning to spritely march form, and providing a
cliffhanger finale to the cue. Meanwhile, the Tweedy theme is
extensively adapted, from the madness at 0:25 into "Opening Recap" to
its fluffy and positive form in the major key during "Presentation
Music." It's fragmented in the first half of "Malicia Tweedy Revealed"
but revisited extensively in "An Unexpected Guest" with Michael
Giacchino-like James Bond emulation; this old-school Bond villain
stomping melodrama after three minutes into that cue is a bit over the
top. Tweedy's theme then toils in the suspense of "Follow Me" and "Ready
to Fry, Fry" before adopting menacing, march-like qualities late in
"It's Sweet and Sour." It taunts early and with more stomping force in
"Pushing Them Back" and persists at the outset of "Returning
Home."
Of the remaining themes returning from
Chicken
Run, the most obvious will be the somewhat sleazy representation for
the rats of the tale. In this work, their theme is provided similar
treatment at the opening of "Rats Visited," throughout "Roast Chicken,"
and at 2:24 into "Go Time," among other places. The new themes coined by
Gregson-Williams for
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget are nowhere
near as memorable as those reprised from the prior score, but that
doesn't mean they don't have some merit. The theme for new Molly
character is an identity that shines when utilized but never really
takes flight. Its likeable two opening phrases of distinction and
meandering secondary phrases aren't overly obvious in the musical
narrative. The idea is heard at the start of "Molly" on flutes and
touched upon throughout that cue. A quick reference early in "Frizzle"
previews its application for that friendship, the theme becoming
heartfelt at the start of "Going Back for Frizzle" and gaining strength
later in the cue. Molly's theme isn't always an obvious insertion, but
it does thrive for a moment in surprising action form on brass at 1:50
into "Ready to Fry, Fry." Even more elusive is the composer's new heist
theme for the stylish espionage antics in the tale. This material is
faintly and smartly foreshadowed early in "Frizzle" but is revealed
fully at 1:23 into "Go Time" and throughout that cue amongst main theme
interjections in a nicely handled balance between the two identities.
The heist theme then returns with gusto in the latter half of "Follow
Me," bumbles along in "Move Faster," and closes out "Returning Home" in
hints with a dose of suspense. Blending with the Tweedy theme is a new
motif for Fun-Land Farms, too. Ominously previewed in "Trucks Are
Spotted" and "Frizzle," this idea is best developed in the brass of
"Funland Farms," consolidating eventually into fanfare form. These new
themes are generally fine, but nothing in this franchise of music can
compete with the enduring prowess of Powell's construction theme. Its
absence after the quick reference to open the picture is one reason why
the score for
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget lacks the "it"
factor that made the prior entry so alluring. There is little magic in
this score, either, no equivalent for the soaring majesty at the end of
"Lift Off" from the 2000 work. The sequel's music is a competent and
amicable extension of the same general sound but without those
highlights, and listeners will find it tough to resist the urge to
revisit the
Chicken Run score to scratch the itches caused by
this music.
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