Free Birds facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Free Birds
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jimmy Hayward
Produced by	Scott Mosier
Screenplay by	Jimmy Hayward Scott Mosier
Story by	David I. Stern John J. Strauss
Starring	Owen Wilson Woody Harrelson Amy Poehler
Music by	Dominic Lewis
Editing by	Chris Cartagena
Studio	Relativity Media Reel FX Animation Studios
Distributed by	Relativity Media
Release date(s)	November 1, 2013 (2013-11-01)
Running time	91 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$55 million
Money made	$110.4 million

Free Birds is a 2013 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film about two turkeys traveling back in time to prevent Thanksgiving. It was produced by Reel FX Creative Studios as its first theatrical fully animated feature film. Jimmy Hayward directed the film, which he also co-wrote with Scott Mosier, the film's producer. The film stars the voices of Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and Amy Poehler with supporting roles done by George Takei, Colm Meaney, Keith David and Dan Fogler. Originally titled Turkeys, and scheduled for 2014, the film was released on November 1, 2013, by Relativity Media. Despite receiving negative reviews on Metacritic, the film was a box office success, grossing $110 million on a $55 million budget.

Plot

Reggie is a turkey who has always feared Thanksgiving because turkeys have always been on the menu, but his incessant attempts to warn his flock have made him an outcast. When the other turkeys finally realize what is happening, they thoughtlessly throw Reggie outside in an attempt to save themselves. To his surprise, he is named the "pardoned turkey" by the President of the United States and is subsequently taken to Camp David. Although initially hesitant, Reggie soon eases into a routine of doing nothing but enjoying pizza from the "Pizza Dude" and watching Mexican telenovelas.

Reggie is kidnapped by Jake, a member of the Turkey Freedom Front, who tells him that "The Great Turkey" told him to find Reggie and take him back to the first Thanksgiving with him to take turkeys off the menu. 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. Jake instructs S.T.E.V.E. to time-travel back to the same day in 1621, three days before the first Thanksgiving. Once there, they are ambushed by colonial hunters led by Myles Standish, but they are quickly rescued by native turkeys led by Chief Broadbeak and his two children, Ranger and Jenny.

Broadbeak explains that the turkeys in the area have been forced underground since the settlers came and that they cannot risk fighting back without the settlers taking them. The next day, Broadbeak orders Jake and Ranger to spy on the settlers while Reggie and Jenny spring all the humans' hunting traps. Despite initial hostility, Ranger and Jake find out that the settlers have already begun preparations for Thanksgiving and where they keep their weapons.

Meanwhile, Jenny is unconvinced Reggie is from the future, but is impressed with his accidental unorthodox way of springing the traps. However, they are soon intercepted by Standish and Reggie is forced to send her into orbit aboard the time machine, validating everything he said. Reggie asks Jenny to go back to the future with him once everything blows over, but she refuses to leave the flock no matter how much she likes him. Jake then drags Reggie away and tells him he has a plan to attack the settlers. However, Reggie has become tired of Jake's improbable stories and threatens to leave.

Desperate, Jake tells Reggie that this trip was more about him making up for his failure to save turkey eggs while escaping a factory farm when he was young, maintaining that the Great Turkey convinced him to go through with this. While still reluctant to believe what he said, Reggie still goes along with the plan. They blow up the weapons shack, but Jake inadvertently leaves a gunpowder trail back to the turkeys' hideout. Standish and his men flush the turkeys out from underground, capturing enough for the feast; Broadbeak sacrifices his life to help the remaining turkeys escape. Disgraced, Reggie returns home, where he discovers from S.T.E.V.E. that he is the Great Turkey. He travels back in time to send the young Jake on his mission. Jenny is sworn in as the new chief and orders the remaining turkeys to prepare an attack on the settlers.

Jenny, Jake and Ranger lead the turkeys in an attack on the settlement just as Chief Massasoit and his tribe arrive. Inspired, Reggie goes back in time to stop the attack, inadvertently trapping Standish in the time stream. Through S.T.E.V.E. and the Pizza Dude, Reggie convinces the settlers and Indians that pizza is a more acceptable food than turkeys, taking them off the Thanksgiving menu entirely. Reggie stays with Jenny while Jake takes S.T.E.V.E. in order to look for new adventures.

In the mid-credits, Jake returns moments after leaving Reggie and Jenny. With a chicken and a duck in his wings, Jake starts to tell every turkey present about the turducken, implicating that erasing Standish from history has had unexpected consequences on the future.

Cast

• Owen Wilson as Reggie: a domesticated turkey who is pardoned by the President of the United States and is dragged into Jake's plot. He's also Jake's best friend, Jenny's love interest/boyfriend, Ranger's brother-in-law and Broadbeak's son-in-law.
• Woody Harrelson as Jake: a wild turkey and the president of the Turkey Freedom Front (T.F.F.).
• Amy Poehler as Jenny, a wild turkey, Reggie's love interest/girlfriend, Broadbeak's daughter and Ranger's sister.
• George Takei as Space Time Exploration Vehicle Envoy (S.T.E.V.E.): the artificial intelligence of the time machine (shaped like a giant egg).
• Colm Meaney as Captain Myles Standish: a pilgrim hunter.
• Keith David as Chief Broadbeak: the chief of the native turkeys and Jenny and Ranger's father and Reggie's father-in-law.
• Dan Fogler as Governor William Bradford: the governor of the Plymouth colony.
• Jimmy Hayward as:
  • President of the United States
  • Ranger: Jenny's brother, Broadbeak's son and Reggie's brother-in-law.
  • Leatherbeak
  • Hazmat #2
  • Additional voices
• Kaitlyn Maher as President's daughter
• Carlos Alazraqui as Amos
• Jeff Biancalana as:
  • General Sagan
  • Hazmat #1
  • Additional voices
• Danny Carey as Danny
• Carlos Ponce as:
  • Narrator
  • Alejandro
• Robert Beltran as Chief Massasoit: the leader of the Wampanoags.
• Lesley Nicol as Pilgrim Woman
• Jason Finazzo as Chrononaut One and additional voices
• Scott Mosier as Pizza Dude and additional voices
• Lauren Bowles as Jake's Mother
• Dwight Howard as Cold Turkey
• Josh Lawson as Gus

Soundtrack

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

All music composed by Dominic Lewis, except as noted.

See also

In Spanish: Free Birds para niños