Anthomation Assesses Free Birds

Howdy guys, Anthomaton here. Today, I shall review the only mainstream full length animated Thanksgiving film currently out there: Free Birds (2013).

Free Birds is a 2013 animated film produced by Reel FX Creative Studios. It is the first theatrical fully animated feature film from the production company, as they would later go on to make The Book of Life (2014), which is a very underrated film, and Rumble (2021), which I have obviously not seen yet since it hasn’t been released. It was directed by Jimmy Hayward, who had previously directed Horton Hears a Who! (2008). The film was released by Relativity Media, which had to close down due to bankruptcy in 2015. As for the film itself, it received generally unfavorable reviews from critics but was a commercial success, grossing $110 million on a $55 million budget.

After years of fruitless warning of his farmyard brethren of the coming Thanksgiving doom, Reggie the Turkey finds himself spared as the annual Pardoned Turkey. However, Reggie’s easy life is disrupted by Jake, a fanatic turkey who drags him along with the insane idea of going back in time to make sure turkeys are not part of the first Thanksgiving. Through foolhardiness and luck, the pair manage to take an experimental time machine to do just that. Now in 1621 at the Plymouth colony, Reggie and Jake find themselves in the middle of a turkey clan’s struggle for survival. In doing so, their preconceptions of the world and themselves are challenged forever in a conflict from which the world will never be the same.

When talking about the story of this movie, the easiest way to describe it is that it is a hot mess. Sometimes the film wants to tell some cheap Back to the Future narrative, but other times it is just looking to be a really long Looney Tunes cartoon. Overall, the comedy is hit and miss but mostly on the miss side. There are a couple of jokes in the beginning of the film when Jake first abducts Reggie and then he announces the entire mission to a car mirror, thinking he is talking to a guy that looks exactly like him. But then there a lot of stupid jokes like when Jake and Ranger (who is basically just Jake but blue instead of Red) have a dance battle while being on lookout for incoming pilgrims. At first, it might get a giggle but it goes on for a really long time and the audience is left to wonder: why?

But the thing that bothered me the most was the sudden tone shift in the third act. Seriously, the film went from being a comedy-adventure to an all out serious flick with a climax that I won’t spoil, but trust me it comes right out of nowhere.

For an animation studio making their first full length feature, the animation is pretty competent. Don’t get me wrong, it is still second rate and it doesn’t compare to something you would see is a Disney or Pixar movie. With that said, the character designs of the turkeys and the backgrounds of Plymouth colony are decently conceived. Since it is a comedy movement, the character movements are the over-the-top, but still work for the most part. As for the colors, they are basic and definitely will not wow anyone. After watching The Book of Life, it made total sense that Free Birds would be the starting place and the latter was a huge step up. To compare it to Disney’s early computer animated day, think of Chicken Little (2005) and Meet the Robinsons (2007) to Bolt (2008). 

The characters are nothing out of the ordinary and the screenwriters focus more on goofy gags rather than developing well-thought-out characters. There is Reggie (voiced by Owen Wilson), a domesticated turkey who is pardoned by the President of the United States and is dragged into Jake’s plot. There’s Jake, (voiced by Woody Harrelson), a wild turkey that is the president of the Turkey Freedom Front (T.F.F.) and the dummy that gets the plot rolling. There’s Jenny (voiced by Amy Poehler), another wild turkey and Reggie’s love interest. There’s Chief Broadbeak, (voiced by Keith David), the chief of the native turkeys and Jenny’s father and Reggie’s father-in-law. There is Ranger, (voiced by director Jimmy Hayward), Jenny’s brother and Broadbeak’s son and Reggie’s brother-in-law. He becomes “huge” frenemies with Jake. Step aside Jefferson and Hamilton, there is a new duo in town. And then there is Myles Standish, who is a pilgrim hunter and the main villain of the movie. He is bent on killing all of the turkeys so he can feed the rest of the pilgrims. What a minute, this guy is not a bad guy. In fact, he is just to help his people. Why couldn’t this guy be the main character? I mean, his story is a lot more interesting than the one that actually came to fruition.

Free Birds is the Thanksgiving version of Hop (2011), a film that is not good but is popular because it is the only mainstream full length animated film for that specific holiday. The story, animation, and characters range from decent to forgettable. It’s a film that might be recognizable to little kids trying to find a Turkey Day film, but it’s a pass for everyone else.

Score:

5/10