Chicken Run actress cries fowl — er, foul — after being recast for younger actress

(Image credit: Getty Images/DreamWorks)

Chicken Run was a great coop — ahem, a great coup — when it came out in 2000, becoming the highest-grossing stop motion animated film ever. But feathers are being ruffled as plans have moved forward on the film's long-awaited sequel; Julia Sawalha, who voiced Ginger in the original, said she's gotten the axe along with Mel Gibson, who voiced Rocky.

"The reason they gave is that my voice now sounds 'too old' and they want a younger actress to reprise the role," said Sawalha, 51, who was 30 when she first voiced Ginger. Sawalha explained she was deprived the chance to do a standard voice test, and did her own, with a producer agreeing that her voice didn't sound like it had changed though they'd be recasting the part anyway.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.