Chicken Run 2 is being called ageist for recasting the original’s main characters with younger performers. Chicken Run was a big success for Aardman Animations when it premiered in 2000, earning an Oscar and breaking records as the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film. Two decades after Chicken Run was released, it was announced that Chicken Run 2 is in development for Netflix. Though plenty of time has passed since audiences were first introduced to Ginger and Rocky, the second film is set to take place almost immediately after the original ended.

Ginger, along with the rest of the flock, are at last living peacefully on an island. On the mainland, however, it’s teased that something terrible threatens “the rest of chicken-kind.”  Production on Chicken Run 2 won’t start until next year, but the sequel has already generated some controversy with the news that Mel Gibson won’t be returning to voice Rocky. There was speculation that Gibson’s exclusion had to do with the actor’s long history of anti-Semitism and bigotry. Julia Sawalha, who voiced Ginger in the original, adds a new twist to the Chicken Run 2 rumors in a new statement that is sure to spark a conversation about ageism in the entertainment industry.

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Sawalha shared a statement on Twitter, which detailed her experience auditioning for Chicken Run 2. Sawalha says she received word from her agent that Ginger would be recast with a younger actress, and that she was not allowed to do a voice test to measure her suitably for the role. The actress took matters into her own hands and recorded her own voice test, which she sent to the film's producers. Sawalha notes that, though she received a very kind and thoughtful response, she was nonetheless informed that Chicken Run 2 would be moving forward with the recasting of Ginger. Sawalha’s statement, which includes a link to her voice test, has been posted on her Twitter account with the #ageism hashtag.

Chicken Run 2 plot details mention that Ginger and Rocky have had their first chick, named Molly. The plan for the sequel may be for Molly, and Molly’s friends, to take center stage while Ginger and Rocky are involved in a secondary capacity. Still, the decision to replace Ginger's voice is a little odd. While it’s understandable that producers would strive for authenticity, given that virtually no time has passed in the movie’s world, it can also be interpreted as a little ridiculous. Viewers would almost certainly understand that Ginger and her folk may sound a bit different, just as viewers know that the characters on The Simpsons no longer sound identical to the way they did 20 years ago.

The issue goes beyond just the voice cast of Chicken Run 2. The entertainment industry’s ageism is well-known, often seeming as though it’s baked into the very fabric of Hollywood. Award show hosts frequently joke about the exact issue in their monologues, while a room filled with decisionmakers smile and nod in agreement. Taken in isolation, an argument could be made in defense of Chicken Run 2. Viewed on a larger scale, though, it’s hard to ignore the validity of Sawalha’s statement. The actress felt confident enough in her vocal performance to share it online, allowing fans of the movie to judge for themselves. Perhaps something will come of that.

More: Top 10 Stop-Motion Animation Movies

Source: Julia Sawalha via Twitter