Free Birds

''Free Birds'' is a 2013 American animated Thanksgiving science fiction comedy film directed by Jimmy Hayward, who co-wrote the screenplay with the film's producer Scott Mosier. The film stars the voices of Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and Amy Poehler, with supporting roles by George Takei, Colm Meaney, Keith David, and Dan Fogler. The film follows Reggie and Jake, two turkeys who time travel back to the first Thanksgiving in 1621 to get their kind off the menu.

''Free Birds'' was produced by Reel FX Creative Studios as its first theatrical fully animated feature film, and Relativity Media's fourth animated film after '' Monster House'' (2006), '' The Tale of Despereaux'' (2008), and ''9'' (2009). Originally titled ''Turkeys'', and scheduled for 2014, the film was released on November 1, 2013.

''Free Birds'' received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $110 million worldwide against a $55 million budget. The film was nominated for the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Music in a Feature Production.

Plot

In the present day, Reggie is a turkey who lives on a free range farm and has always feared Thanksgiving because turkeys are always on the menu, but his attempts to warn his flock have made him an outcast. When the other turkeys finally realize that he has been telling the truth, they throw him outside of their coop in an attempt to save themselves. To his surprise, he is named the " pardoned turkey" by the President of the United States and is taken to Camp David. Reggie eases into a routine of doing nothing but buying pizza and watching a telenovela called Mundo del Amor.

One night, Reggie is kidnapped by a turkey named Jake. He claims that he has been instructed by "The Great Turkey" to take Reggie and go back in time to the first Thanksgiving and stop turkeys from becoming Thanksgiving dinners. They steal a time machine controlled by an A.I. named S.T.E.V.E. (Space Time Exploration Vehicle Envoy) from a government facility, and time-travel to three days before the first Thanksgiving. Once there, they are ambushed by Pilgrims led by Myles Standish, and are rescued by a flock of native turkeys led by a turkey named Chief Broadbeak.

Broadbeak explains that the flock used to live in trees, but they were forced to move underground when the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth. He orders Jake and his son named Ranger to spy on the Pilgrims while Reggie and his daughter named Jenny spring the Pilgrims’ turkey traps. Jake and Ranger discover that the Pilgrims have begun preparations for Thanksgiving, and where they keep their weapons.

Jenny is unconvinced that Reggie is from the future, but is impressed with his accidental unorthodox way of springing turkey traps. They are intercepted by Standish, and Reggie sends Jenny into orbit aboard S.T.E.V.E., validating his story. Reggie asks Jenny to go to the future with him when everything blows over, but she refuses to leave the flock.

Jake reveals to Reggie about why he is trying to stop turkeys from becoming Thanksgiving dinners: Instead of growing up on a free-range farm like Reggie, he grew up in a factory farm. From the time that each member of his family was born, they were fattened up on formula, except for him because his mother kept him hidden from the scientists who worked there. One night, she tasked him with escaping with a clutch of eggs to start a flock of his own. He managed to escape, but the eggs were taken by the scientists. Shortly afterward, the Great Turkey appeared and gave him his mission. He thinks that stopping turkeys from becoming Thanksgiving dinners will make up for his failure. Reggie reluctantly goes along with Jake’s plan to attack the settlers. They blow up the weapons shack, and rescue Ranger’s friends named Amos and Furley, who had previously been captured. However, Jake inadvertently leaves a trail of gunpowder to the flock’s home.

The Pilgrims capture enough of the flock for Thanksgiving. Broadbeak sacrifices his life to help the remaining turkeys escape. Feeling that he has let the flock down, Reggie returns to the present, where he discovers from S.T.E.V.E. and three alternate versions of himself that he is the Great Turkey. Reinvigorated, Reggie time-travels to the night that Jake let down his family to send the young Jake on his mission. Jenny becomes the new chief of the flock and orders the remaining turkeys to prepare an attack on Plymouth Colony.

Jake, Jenny and Ranger lead the turkeys in an attack on the settlement just as the Wampanoags arrive. Reggie goes back to the 17th century to stop the attack, inadvertently trapping Standish in the time stream. Through S.T.E.V.E. and a pizza delivery man called the Pizza Dude, Reggie convinces the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags that pizza is a better Thanksgiving food than turkeys, stopping turkeys from becoming Thanksgiving dinners. Reggie decides to stay in the 17th century, while Jake takes S.T.E.V.E. to look for new adventures.

In a mid-credits scene, Jake returns in S.T.E.V.E. moments after leaving the 17th century. With a chicken and a duck in his wings, Jake starts to tell the flock about the turducken.

Voice cast

* Owen Wilson as Reggie, a domestic turkey who is pardoned by the President of the United States and is dragged into Jake's plot.
* Woody Harrelson as Jake, a wild turkey who is the president of the Turkey Freedom Front (T.F.F.).
* Amy Poehler as Jenny, a wild turkey who is Reggie's love interest, and later the chief of the native turkeys.
* George Takei as the Space Time Exploration Vehicle Envoy (S.T.E.V.E.), an artificial intelligence of the time machine, shaped like a giant egg.
* Colm Meaney as Captain Myles Standish, a military officer and the Pilgrims’ military advisor.
* Keith David as Chief Broadbeak, the chief of the native turkeys and Jenny and Ranger's father.
* Dan Fogler as Governor William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth Colony.
* Jimmy Hayward as Ranger, Jenny's older brother, Jake's rival and the son of Chief Broadbeak.
** Hayward also voiced The President of the United States
** Hayward also voiced Leatherbeak, an elderly turkey who is Broadbeak's trusted advisor.
** Hayward also voiced Hazmats
* Kaitlyn Maher as The President's Daughter
* Carlos Alazraqui as Amos, a member of Broadbeak's tribe who speaks with a Spanish accent.
* Jeff Biancalana as General Sagan
** Biancalana also voiced Hazmats
* Danny Carey as Danny, a member of Broadbeak's tribe who has long hair.
* Carlos Ponce as Mundo del Amor Narrator
** Ponce also voices Alejandro
* Robert Beltran as Chief Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoags.
* Lesley Nicol as Pilgrim Woman
* Jason Finazzo as Chrononaut One
* Scott Mosier as Pizza Dude, an unnamed pizza delivery man
* Lauren Bowles as Jake's Mother
* Dwight Howard as Cold Turkey, a member of Broadbeak's tribe who wears a headband.

Additional voices by Jeff Biancalana, Jason Finazzo, Jimmy Hayward, Josh Lawson, and Scott Mosier.

Production

Development on the film, originally titled ''Turkeys'', began in June 2009 and physical production began in January 2011. '' Ren & Stimpy'' creator John Kricfalusi was involved in early development, and posted the concepts he created for the film on his blog. Reel FX and Granat Entertainment launched in 2010, Bedrock Studios (later renamed to Reel FX Animation Studios) to produce sub-$35 million family-oriented projects. Ash Brannon was then set to direct the film, but in October 2012, when it was announced that Relativity Media would co-finance, co-produce, and distribute the film, Jimmy Hayward took over the directing position. Originally scheduled for November 14, 2014, the film was moved up by a year to November 1, 2013, due to the vacant slot left after the delay of DreamWorks Animation's '' Mr. Peabody & Sherman''. In March 2013, the film was retitled to ''Free Birds''.

The film's score was composed by Dominic Lewis. The soundtrack was released by Relativity Music Group on October 29, 2013.

Marketing

Relativity Media teamed up with five major companies to promote ''Free Birds'', including Kidz Bop 2013, YMCA SCUBA program, Old Navy, and Auntie Anne's. This included a gift set carry bag, a Chuck E. Cheese snap band, and the 'Back in Time' YouTube video featuring WOP and MattyBRaps.

Release

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews and an average rating of . The critics consensus reads: "Technically proficient yet creatively moribund, ''Free Birds'' begs unfortunate comparisons with the dim-witted fowl that inspired it." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 38 out of 100 based on reviews from 27 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Justin Chang of '' Variety'' gave the film a negative review, saying "This seemingly innocuous toon fantasy becomes another noxious-but-sanitized exercise in family-friendly cultural insensitivity." Alonso Duralde of '' The Wrap'' gave the film a negative review, saying "Even setting aside the film's disregard for time-travel paradoxes and genocide metaphors—trust me, you don't want to wade into either of those—''Free Birds'' just isn't funny." Stephanie Zacharek of ''The Village Voice'' gave the film a negative review, saying "Like so many modern animated features, ''Free Birds'' packs too much in; the picture feels cramped and cluttered, and, despite its occasionally manic action, it moves as slowly as a fattened bird waddling toward its doom." Kate Erbland of '' Film.com'' gave the film a 7.6 out of 10, saying "''Free Birds'' is a more than worthy (and weird) holiday diversion for the whole family." Stephan Lee of ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the film a C, saying "Often, you can point to a middling animated film's visuals as its saving grace. But this colonial world, which should feel like an expansive autumnal panorama, feels oddly inert and two-dimensional." Claudia Puig of ''USA Today'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "The 3-D animated film, the first of the holiday entries, is likable and amusing, if slight." Chris Cabin of ''Slant Magazine'' gave the film one out of four stars, saying "The film is absent of humor and thrills, and accented with designs and color schemes that are equally notable for their lack of risk."

Sheri Linden of the ''Los Angeles Times'' gave the film a negative review, saying "Like the ungainly avian creatures at the center of the herky-jerky adventure, this 'toon seldom gets off the ground." Jessica Herndon of the ''Associated Press'' gave the film two out of four stars, saying "A solid premiere effort that shows Reel FX's potential to produce quality full-length animation. But the story-line, with its hypothetical constituents, seems a little desperate at times, even for a kiddie film." Linda Barnard of the ''Toronto Star'' gave the film one out of four stars, calling the film "A seasonally pegged 3D cartoon bore that sets the bar so low, it could give a slug a concussion." Tom Russo of ''The Boston Globe'' gave the film two out of four stars, calling the film "A welcome foray into underexploited territory, conceptually at least." Bill Goodykoontz of ''The Arizona Republic'' gave the film two out of five stars, saying "It isn't cute. It isn't really funny. It just kind of is." Louis Black of ''The Austin Chronicle'' gave the film one and a half stars out of five, saying "''Free Birds'' falls flat, despite its good intentions, ideological cuteness, humorous polish, and skillful computer animation. The fine voice talents of the almost-ideal cast are wasted." Elizabeth Weitzman of the ''New York Daily News'' gave the film two out of five stars, saying "Most minor animated movies are so rote that it’s worth acknowledging a strange bird like this cheerfully gonzo kid flick. It’s no masterpiece, but if you’re hoping for a family film that will keep everyone reasonably entertained, this will fly."

Miriam Bale of ''The New York Times'' gave the film a negative review, saying "The concept is insane, and the execution is manic and unoriginal." Sara Stewart of the ''New York Post'' gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "Is Hollywood scheming to turn your little ones into strident vegetarians? Could be, but I wish they’d do it with material more inspired than ''Free Birds'', a forgettable—and occasionally borderline offensive—animated tale of turkeys trying to take back Thanksgiving." David Hiltbrand of ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "''Free Birds'' is a stale turkey hash that heaves a lot of ingredients in the oven but never turns on the gas, a frantic attempt to come up with an animated film built around Thanksgiving Day traditions." Liam Lacey of ''The Globe and Mail'' gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "The movie's animal rights, vegetarian message should go down easily with politically correct parents—at least until they choke on the offensive depiction of 17th-century turkeys as face-painted, headband-wearing native Americans." Stephanie Merry of ''The Washington Post'' gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Finally, there's a movie vegetarian parents can enjoy with their impressionable offspring." Peter Hartlaub of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' gave the film one out of four stars, saying "In execution, the film is all sidekicks and sight gags, with little story cohesion or purpose." Mark Kermode gave the film a negative review and found the film to be lacking in creativity and originality. Kermode pointed out that the movie’s premise, involving turkeys traveling back in time to change the course of Thanksgiving, was not executed well. He thought that the humor fell flat and that the animation was not up to par with other contemporary acclaimed animated films to other films involving turkeys since ''Chicken Run'' and later said of the film "Anyone who's seen ''Chicken Run'' will wonder why they're not enjoying a well-constructed Aardman animation rather than attempting to make sense of this incoherent transatlantic trifle.".

Bill Zwecker of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film a mixed review, saying "No, ''Free Birds'' is not (sorry) a turkey of a film. But it doesn’t really soar terribly high either. I only wish the quality of the writing in the earlier parts of the movie had been maintained throughout. If that had been the case, Reggie, Jake and their fellow turkeys just might have been flying high with the eagles—our official national birds." Michael Rechtshaffen of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' gave the film a mixed review, saying "Although it seldom approaches the inspiration of its plucky premise—a pair of turkeys travel back in a time machine to the first Thanksgiving in a bid to scratch the traditional entree off the menu—''Free Birds'' nevertheless manages to avoid being branded a holiday turkey." Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "Everything about ''Free Birds'' feels perfunctory, from its generic title and holiday setting to its starry voice cast and undistinguished use of 3-D."

Box office

''Free Birds'' grossed $55,750,480 in North America, and $54,400,000 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $110,150,480. In North America, the film opened to number four in its first weekend, with $15,805,237, behind ''Ender's Game'', '' Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa'' and '' Last Vegas''. In its second weekend, the film moved up to number three, grossing an additional $11,112,063. In its third weekend, the film dropped to number four, grossing $8,106,151. In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number five, grossing $5,363,208.

Home media

''Free Birds'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 4, 2014, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

References

External links

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{{Jimmy Hayward

2013 films
2013 3D films
2013 computer-animated films
2013 comedy films
2010s buddy comedy films
2010s English-language films
2013 American animated films
2010s science fiction comedy films
2010s fantasy comedy films
American 3D films
American buddy comedy films
American alternate history films
American children's animated adventure films
American children's animated comic science fiction films
American children's animated science fantasy films
American computer-animated films
Animated buddy films
Animated films about birds
Animated films about talking animals
Animated films about time travel
Films about animal rights
Films directed by Jimmy Hayward
Films scored by Dominic Lewis
Films set in 1621
Animated films set in the 21st century
Films set in Maryland
Animated films set in Massachusetts
Reel FX Creative Studios films
Relativity Media animated films
Relativity Media films
Thanksgiving comedy films
3D animated films
Films produced by Scott Mosier
Films with screenplays by Scott Mosier
Animated films set in the 17th century
Holiday-themed animated films
Animated films set in the Northeastern United States
English-language science fantasy films
English-language science fiction comedy films
English-language fantasy comedy films
2010s films about time travel
English-language buddy comedy films