Chicken Run [Soundtrack]

Harry Gregson-Williams, John Powell | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 20, 2000)
• Original Release Date: June 20, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B00004TRTW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,957 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Stuff!, July 2, 2000

By 

Steve Miller - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chicken Run (Audio CD)

Who would have thought an animated movie about the barnyard equivilant of "The Great Escape" would have such an excellent score? Lovers of high-quality orchestral film music should definately get this one! It's like a cross between Bernard Hermann and Ennio Morriconne at their best.

From the first notes of "Opening Escape" through "Escape to Paradise," there is never a dull musical moment on this disk. While a perfect companion to the film, the music here also stands just fine on its own. It's humourous and epic at the same time... rather like the score for the barnyard equivelent of "The Great Escape" should be. (Heck, "Opening Escape/Main Titles" and "Building the Crate" are almost worth the price of this disk by themselves. I never imagined that kazoos would be effective with a brass section.)

Too many soundtrack albums are marred these days by "music inspired by" or "not heard in the film" tracks. It's nice to see that the producers in charge here gave us the treat of John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams score without second-rate songs from the popular acts of the minute.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powel and Gregson-Williams do it again, but better, February 13, 2001

By 

Joshua Kaufman (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chicken Run (Audio CD)

For the claymation movie Chicken Run, the team that wonderfully scored Antz returns. Luckily, they not only reached the level of greatness they had in that film, they surpassed it

The film is somewhat of a knock off the 1960s movie, The Great Escape, and the score reflects that. The composers came up with a wonderful march that is very reminicant of the classic theme from the above movie. Throughout the score, and indeed in the Main Titles themselves, the theme goes through many transformations, each one great -- there's even a waltz version!

This score never gets boring. The style of the score stays mainly in the march, but quite often devaites at times, at times it's like French gondalla-esque music, and then later it's like 50s bebop, Italian 'Godfather'-esque music, and even 50s rock as well. There's tons of great action music, such as in one of my favorite cues, 'Building the Crate'. There's also lots of great more tender moments, but it never gets boring or bogged down.

The score is laced with many different instruments. Besides an abundant use of tuba, flute, clarinet, horns, and accoustic bass guitar, there's plenty of other interesting insturments inserted around the score, including a harmonica in 'Cokctails and Final Thoughts', an accoustic guitar in 'Babs's Big Break, and even a choir in 'Into the Pie Machine'. But no talk about the Chicken Run score can be complete without mentioning the kazoos. You might think that there's no way kazoos could fit in with an orchestra, but they do, and it's worlks wonderfully.

There are also two songs inserted, 'Flip Flop Fly' and 'The Wanderer'. Both fit into the mood of the music very well, and are great fun.

Overall, this is easily one of my favorites. It's highly melodic, with great instrumentation, one of the best main themes ever, and it's just downright pleasant to listen to. If you haven't picked this one up yet, be sure to, as it's hard to top this one for pure musical delight.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Chicken Run," An Unexpected Pleasure, July 12, 2000

By 

G M. Stathis (cedar city, utah USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chicken Run (Audio CD)

In a movie summer that has already produced a number of memorable film scores ("Gladiator," "The Perfect Storm," and "The Patriot") comes one of the best of the bunch from an unlikely source, "Chicken Run." This score by John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams is one of the most entertaining and humorous soundtracks in recent memory and surely deserves consideration as one of the best pieces of film music this year. "Chicken Run," an intentional takeoff on "Stalag 17" and "The Great Escape" (the inside jokes are far too many to mention), clearly pays homage to Elmer Bernstein, with additional influence from English composers such as Ralph Vaughn Williams, Eric Coates and William Walton, but then takes off on its own. Elements of swing, including "Flip, Flop and Fly," are present, along with a rendition of "The Wanderer." Oh yes, and there is the inclusion of a kazoo chorus in several tracks that is a downright delight. The film is a pleasure for young and old, and the soundtrack album is just plain fun. A number of main themes run through the score as introduced in "The Opening Escape," and "Main Titles," which climax wonderfully in "Into the Pie Machine," "Building the Crate," "Lift Off," "The Chickens Are Revolting," and "Escape to Paradise," but there are also quite a few secondary themes which pop up in different motifs to keep this score flying. Released by RCA Victor and Dreamworks, the soundtrack album is cleverly packaged, and a delightful film score by any standard. Use the excuse that you are buying it for the kids and then keep it for yourself.