"We're going back in time to the first Thanksgiving to get turkeys off the menu" Lightning strike!
Reggie (voice of Owen Wilson) just went from the most difficult life ever, being a turkey that could be eaten to the official pardoned turkey by the President of the United States. Wow, talk about a change of pace. Now, Reggie lives the good life at Camp David with the President's daughter, eating all the pizza and watching all the On-Demand TV he can get. What else could happen? Just then, Reggie gets turkey-napped by a bustling and fitness-obsessed turkey named Jake, the leader of the Turkey Federation Front. But why? Simply because of the quote I said above this paragraph. Going back to 1621, the two turkeys run into a group of turkeys living in refuge due to the presence of Pilgrims. Could these two birds really change the fabric of time?
There's a lot to like about Free Birds. First of all, the concept is the most original of any animated movie this year. Yes, we've seen movies with time travel and with talking animals. But since when did turkeys try to fight for their freedom? It's a very clever and somewhat brilliantly-conceived idea, and this movie nearly takes that idea to strong heights.
What really sold me in the movie was a couple of twists I personally didn't see coming towards the end. And the end result was something I didn't expect. It was more than enough to turn a pretty goofy and average (for an animated movie) beginning into an interesting movie of sorts. The voice cast does a good job, with Wilson and Harrelson having interesting comedic tones in their performances. Also standing out are a very sweet Amy Poehler, cool-sounding George Takei, and the ever-so-adorable Katelyn Maher (you may remember her from America's Got Talent years ago). Dominic Lewis does a solid job with the score.
The animation here, is interesting enough for a first effort from an animation studio. But considering I've seen other movies with better animation quality this year, this film pales in comparison. However, the looks of the turkeys and other characters are cartoony and fun to look at. And there's even some scenes that have an added 3D or colorful sparkle (particularly the fire scene).
On the downside, I was disappointed about the way the pilgrims were portrayed here. Unlike the heroism and thankfulness to God these people had in history, these pilgrims are viewed as discontent and somewhat mindless. Thankfulness does get a brief nod at the end and everything turns out OK, but kids looking to learn about these great, brave people will get the wrong message here. Now obviously, turkeys are the focus here, so unfortunately, they have to become the bad guys (of sorts). But I just wish they hadn't been portrayed (particularly Miles Standish) so ridiculous.
Besides that, I think I addressed the other problems. There's some lightly annoying moments, but the filmmakers made a wise choice staying away from toilet humor, keeping the obnoxiousness to a tame level. The writing is a little flat at the beginning, as jokes are borrowed from other animated movies and the pacing seems way too familiar.
We've never had a Thanksgiving movie before (well, Miracle on 34th Street could technically qualify). So when I heard about Free Birds, I thought the concept was quite great and I knew I would see it when it came to theaters. When the trailers came out however, things were awfully repetitive with each TV spot, and things even got a little boring as we got closer to the release date. And even with the memorable mediocre laughing the trailers promoted, those gags wouldn't be as funny by the time the movie came around. So my expectations here were fairly low.
But by all means, I am glad I got to see this one. Free Birds, while certainly not a holiday classic, still has enough wit and clever twists to be entertaining. It's far from the year's best animated movie, but its' fun enough that its' definitely worth a look, then maybe have it become a guilty pleasure movie to watch every (or every other) Thanksgiving.
Just keep this advice in mind. If you watch this turkey rebellion fest right before the holiday, it might be best to tell the young'uns that turkeys don't talk.
Grade: B
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of
Language: A couple of uses of the British profanity "bloody". Some name-calling.
Adult Content: A minor joke about "rubbing waddles". A kiss.
Violence: Some slapstick peril/violence. A tree is set on fire. Pilgrims are smashed with pumpkins. People and turkeys are thrown about and smashed against various things. Reggie almost is done in by booby traps.
Drugs/Alcohol: None
Other: A brief evolutionary reference. Some lame humor regarding "pecs" and "glutes".
