I did a web search and found an interesting article entitled, "Skewed Views About Animal Rights: Blame It On Disney" by Michael Smith (Herald-Journal - Jul 28, 2000). Here are some quotes:

• "They were shown going through the events of their lives with the frustrations, desires and fortitude with which people would have faced such circumstances."
• "Most people realize that there is a difference between people and animals. They can see the obvious, that animals do not think and react as human beings do."
• The author refers to a "ludicrous letter, quoting from it, "I can't imagine how anyone can chew on a drumstick again after watching the animated movie 'Chicken Run' ". And he commented, "real chickens do not 'share our quest for life and liberty as well as most of our feelings of joy, affection, frustration, sadness and pain.' "
• He countered the letter writer's feelings by saying, "did this animal rights advocate event notice that these were not real chickens in this movie? ...real chickens are too stupid to even be trained to mimic the behaviors shown in the movie."
• He quotes PETA's response to Chicken Run: "real chickens would tell us the same thing if they could." And then he comments, "real chickens don't have any idea that they may be made into a pot pie. They do not sit around contemplating their future"
• He wraps up his article stating, "the animal rights movement is based on a fundamentally wrong premise - that animals are basically the same as people - its recommendations and demands should be ignored."