Portraying Feminism for Children in Animated Popular Culture: The Case of Chicken Run

Popular culture is an integral part of every society and its members. Not only does it entertain people, it also shapes people’s minds and educates them. This educating function of popular culture is more applicable to younger generations, especially through animations. Feminism is one of the topics which can be taught through this medium. By portraying characters in line with or against the ideals of patriarchy, a work of literature (in this case, a movie) could be considered anti- or pro-feminism. The DreamWorks Animation blockbuster Chicken Run, which tells a parable of women in the form of hens, incarcerated by exploitive capitalists and attempting to escape, can be considered in many ways a feminist work. By juxtaposing the dark face of patriarchy in the shape of Mrs. Tweedy and her attempts to exploit the hens’ eggs and meat, and the positive side that is Ginger and her friends trying to free themselves from this bondage, the makers of Chicken Run have produced a stunning and entertaining family picture which introduces the viewers, who are mostly children, to the ideals of patriarchy and feminism and the clash of the two, and in the end by making the hens victorious, they support the feminist agenda. In this paper, I try to find elements of feminism and patriarchy in the children’s movie Chicken Run and show that it indeed supports feminism.