Why Rocky And Ginger's Voices Were Recast For Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget [Set Visit]
Voice acting can make or break the success of an animated film. In the past, Hollywood understood that in order to deliver the best possible film, actors able to convey a range of emotions without the assistance of their body language were brought in for the job. At some point, that skill was traded in for celebrity stunt casting, sparking endless debates surrounding casting decisions. That isn't to say that well-known actors don't frequently pull off character-defining performances — quite the contrary. One of the best examples comes from 2000's "Chicken Run," which featured "Absolutely Fabulous" star Julia Sawalha as Ginger and Mel Gibson as "Rocky." Both performers are still working actors today, so one would think they'd return to voice the characters the long-awaited sequel "Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget," right?
Wrong.
"Shazam!" star Zachary Levi has replaced Mel Gibson as Rocky while Thandiwe Newton is joining the cast as Ginger. Replacing Gibson makes sense since the man has become the definition of "controversial" in the last two decades, but what about Sawalha? She spoke out in 2020 about the decision to be recast and said she felt like she had been "plucked, stuffed and roasted," recast for sounding "too old." It's also been said that Gibson's controversy had nothing to do with his recasting (Sure, Jan), and that this was all simply a matter of wanting to shake things up to support the story.
/Film's own Hannah Shaw-Williams visited the set of "Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget" and spoke to producer and Aardman Animation co-founder Peter Lord to get to the bottom of the casting change.
'Who are the right voices for these characters?'
Peter Lord told /Film that during the initial development of the sequel, the creative team "actually questioned all the roles" because they "didn't want to be complacent." The ultimate goal was to find the answer to the question, "Who are the right voices for these characters?" Director Sam Fell echoed those sentiments, noting that Rocky and Ginger are in new places in their lives, and they wanted their voices to reflect those changes.
"Rocky is a more comic character this time, because he was a romantic lead in the first film, but in this, he's a more comical father, you know, first-time father," Fell said. "So I liked that sort of warmth and the comic vulnerability." He said that thinking about a total recast opened up endless opportunities. "I honestly just started with a blank sheet of paper again and thought, 'Well, you know, let's imagine it could be anyone' [...] I went through everybody, just due diligence as much as anything, just to think, 'Well, you know, it's okay to kind of push the boundaries or make changes.'"
It's a pretty big change considering how beloved the "Chicken Run" characters are, but the team seems pretty confident in their choice to recast. "It's a process, casting ... it's not totally scientific and logical, to be honest," Fell said. "You just sort of start at the beginning and you start working through and you start listening to different voices and thinking of different things. You start playing them against each other." Levi and Newton are both decorated performers with a history of voiceover work, so there's no doubt that the pair will do a fantastic job. But as there are some returning cast members (Miranda Richardson, Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, Jane Horrocks), it doesn't seem as simple as wanting to shake things up.
Appeasing to a new audience
People often forget what a phenomenon the first "Chicken Run" was, becoming DreamWorks Animation's biggest success until dethroned by "Shrek" the following year, but remaining the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film in history. If you were a kid in 2000, "Chicken Run" likely holds a very near and dear place in your heart. But that was 23 years ago. Chances are, the kids that loved "Chicken Run" when it came out likely have kids of their own now. It's something Fell had to consider when making the new film. As he said:
"It's such a monumental piece of work, 'Chicken Run 1,' and people are so in awe of it, you know, and I'm in awe of it, too. So it took a while to get over that. I think on the one hand, I want to really honor the first film and the fans from the first film, but also, it was done quite a long time ago and I want to make it for now, for a new audience as well. So yeah, I think it was good to have that distance."
The reasoning is sound even if I am personally going to be missing Julia Sawalha voicing my favorite anthropomorphic chicken, but I'm delighted to see what Newton brings to the character. As for Gibson being recast? Yeah, no love lost there for me.
"Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget" arrives on Netflix on December 15, 2023.