Chicken Run, if anything, offers an alternative to a desolate world that many of us are increasingly afraid of.

Its plump chickens maintain that strange, haptic quality that makes you yearn to reach out and squeeze them.

Even without Wallace and Gromit, most of the trademark joys are here: the compound of squashy creatures and heavy machinery, the wide, open-ended rictus of a toothy smile, and the great Parkian gulp.

With a scene-stealing ensemble, the characters shine for their charisma and are led by two protagonists with hilarious chemistry. [Full review in Spanish]