Relativity Media and Reel FX Animation Studios recently held a press conference for their new animated comedy FREE BIRDS, andWAMG was there. Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson and Amy Poehler star in the upcoming holiday film about two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks, who must put their differences aside and travel back in time to change the course of history.
Check out the press conference below:
Two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks (voiced by Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson) must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history – and get turkey off the Thanksgiving menu for good.
Also starring Amy Poehler, Dan Fogler, Lesley Nicol, Colm Meaney, Keith David, Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo, Dwight Howard and George Takei as S.T.E.V.E.; the film is directed by Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears a Who!) and releases in 2D and 3D formats on November 1st – just in time for Thanksgiving.
The thought of time traveling turkeys should be enough to interest anyone in Relativity’s new Thanksgiving film FREE BIRDS. Unfortunately, all you get is a cold turkey.
In FREE BIRDS, Reggie is saved from a life of certain death on a turkey farm by the President of the United States, who has chosen him as “The Pardoned Turkey”. While enjoying his new life at the White House, Reggie thinks he has it made from here on out. He’s sadly mistaken. One night, a turkey named Jake plucks him from his new home, and takes him on a journey back in time, to the first Thanksgiving, to take turkeys off the menu.
The film itself is cute enough, but it left me with the feeling “I’ve seen it, and never need to sit through it again”. It’s a fun enough film for families to take their little ones to before, or even on Thanksgiving, but by next year… no one will remember this film.
Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson lend their voices to the two main characters of Reggie and Jake. The two of them really have a great chemistry together. Amy Poehler was also a fun voice in this film. She plays Jenny, a turkey from the past, and Reggie’s love interest. My problem is not with the voice acting in this film. They all did a wonderful job. My problem is with the writing.
The film itself lacks something. I was not made to care about the fate of the turkeys as much as I should have due to a lack of character development, I don’t understand how Reggie could call to order pizza from the White House, but humans couldn’t understand him (was the pizza company just guessing that the gobbles on the other end of the phone wanted cheese pizza?), and I have no clue how someone thought that they could get away with mildly adding turkey slaughter to the beginning of a children’s movie. This film is a bit like BILL & TEDS EXCELLENT ADVENTURE without the excellent adventure. It’s just subpar. The whole film is just bizarre.
I will say this, visually, the film was a treat. The 3D was fun, and might be the only thing that keeps people interested in this film from start to finish. The film is just an awkward mess. You’d be better off popping in an old holiday favorite than going to see this in theaters.
On a quaint, family-owned farm, a giant turkey flock lives a quiet, complacent, corn-stuffed life. All everyone cares about is feeding time and grazing in the sun with the Farmer, who they swear will bring them to “Turkey Paradise.” Everyone, that is, except for Reggie (Owen Wilson), a whip-smart turkey whose bad-mouthing of the Farmer and disinterest in the mundane, overfed turkey existence makes him an outcast among his flock.
Reggie’s life is changed forever when an unexpected visit from the President of the United States lands him the esteemed honor of “Pardoned Turkey.” This means living the plush life at Camp David, complete with TV On Demand and cheese pizza. By being pardoned, Reggie has found his own Turkey Paradise - a place where he (and he alone) calls all the shots! That is until Reggie is plucked from his paradise by Jake (Woody Harrelson), the relentless founder–and only member–of the “Turkey Freedom Front.”
Jake has only one mission: to change history forever and save all of turkey-kind.
Directed by Jimmy Hayward and featuring the voices of Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Amy Poehler, George Takei, Colm Meaney, Keith David, Dan Fogler, Carlos Alazraqui, Carlos Ponce, Danny Carey, Lesley Nicol and Dwight Howard, FREE BIRDS will be in theaters November 1st.
Ready to see how these turkeys will change the main course of history?
WAMG is giving away ONE Family Four Pack of Passes to the Advance Screening of FREE BIRDS In St. Louis THIS SATURDAY at 10AM.
Answer the following question:
What is a Thanksgiving Day Run commonly known as?
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. ENTER YOUR NAME AND ANSWER IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW. WE WILL CONTACT YOU IF YOU ARE A WINNER.
3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.
Here’s the impressive trailer for Wes Anderson’s THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL.
The film recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.
The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune – all against the back-drop of a suddenly and dramatically changing Continent.
Starring Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Edward Norton, Mathieu Amalric, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Léa Seydoux, Jeff Goldblum, Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and introducing Tony Revolori.
Interestingly enough, the film was shot in the aspect ratios of 1.33:1, 1.85:1, and 2.35:1.
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL will be in theaters March 7, 2014.
In one of the best posters I’ve seen come down the pike in a long time, here’s a first look at the teaser poster for director Wes Anderson’s GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL.
Look at all those names! The film stars Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Edward Norton, Mathieu Amalric, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Léa Seydoux, Jeff Goldblum, Tony Revolori, Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel, Owen Wilson, Tom Wilkinson, and Bill Murray.
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.
The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune — all against the back-drop of a suddenly and dramatically changing Continent.
This first poster has the feel of an extravagant advent calendar where each window and door open to reveal a special surprise. I’m looking forward to see what hidden treasures we find when Fox Searchlight releases the first trailer on Thursday morning, October 17.
Relativity Media has announced the release “Back in Time,” the first song off the Relativity Music Group soundtrack for the upcoming animated film FREE BIRDS. Ten-year-old rapper and YouTube sensation MattyB – recently named one of Billboard.com’s “21 Under 21”- has just released the single on his YouTube Channel. Look out for the full FREE BIRDS soundtrack on October 29th, before the movie hits theaters nationwide on November 1st.
Get acquainted with the stars of FREE BIRDS, and check out four brand new character posters! Jimmy Hayward’s upcoming animated buddy comedy stars Owen Wilson as REGGIE, Amy Poehler as JENNY, and Woody Harrelson as JAKE – who also makes a special guest appearance in the new music video for “Back in Time.”
In this hilarious, adventurous buddy comedy for audiences of all ages, directed by Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears a Who!), two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history – and get turkey off the Thanksgiving menu for good.
Here’s your first look at Relativity Media’s upcoming animated film, FREE BIRDS.
In this hilarious, adventurous buddy comedy for audiences of all ages, directed by Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears a Who!), two turkeys (Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson) from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history – and get turkey off the Thanksgiving menu for good.
The film also stars Amy Poehler, and the just announced Eddie ‘Piolin’ Sotelo (Ice Age: Continental Drift), Danny Carey (drummer for the world-renowned rock band Tool) and Josh Lawson (The Campaign).
REGGIE (Owen Wilson) and JENNY ( Amy Poehler) in Relativity Media’s “FREE BIRDS.”
The adorable FREE BIRDS will be released in 2D and 3D formats on November 1st – just in time for Thanksgiving and weeks ahead of Harrelson’s other big film – THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE. (November 22)
Relativity and Reel FX announced today that the formerly-titled animated project known as TURKEYS has officially been titled FREE BIRDS. FREE BIRDS will release nationwide on November 1, 2013 in 2D and 3D.
In this irreverent, hilarious, adventurous buddy comedy for audiences of all ages, directed by Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears a Who!), two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history – and get turkey off the holiday menu for good.
The cast includes Woody Harrelson, Owen Wilson, Amy Poehler, Dan Fogler, Lesley Nicol, George Takei, Colm Meaney and Keith David.
In addition to Free Birds, the company’s slate includes a wide variety of projects like The Book of Life and an untitled film based on the comic book series Beasts of Burden.
In theaters on June 7, check out the new trailer for 20th Century Fox’s THE INTERNSHIP starring Vince Vaughn (THE WATCH) And Owen Wilson (THE BIG YEAR).
In THE INTERNSHIP, Vince and Owen are salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world. Trying to prove they are not obsolete, they defy the odds by talking their way into a coveted internship at Google, along with a battalion of brilliant college students. But gaining entrance to this utopia is only half the battle. Now they must compete with a group of the nation’s most elite, tech-savvy geniuses to prove that necessity really is the mother of re-invention. Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum”) directs from a screenplay written by Jared Stern and Vince Vaughn.
Relativity Media and Reel FX, a movie studio based in Dallas and Santa Monica, announced today that they will jointly produce and finance the upcoming animated comedy TURKEYS, slated for a 2014 release. The film is directed by Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears A Who!) and stars the voice talent of Owen Wilson (Cars) and Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games). TURKEYS will be distributed worldwide by Relativity.
TURKEYS is an irreverent, hilarious, adventurous buddy comedy where two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history – and get turkey off the menu for good.
Ryan Kavanaugh, CEO, Relativity Media said, “This agreement is a culmination of years of friendship and a continued desire to collaborate between Relativity and Reel FX. We are delighted to broaden our film release slate to include TURKEYS which features an exciting roster of voice talent, a powerhouse creative team and an original witty storyline.”
Steve O’ Brien, Chairman and CEO of Reel FX said, “We’ve always been fans of Relativity, and have watched them evolve over the years into a major force in the film and entertainment business. We are excited to start our relationship with Relativity by partnering with Ryan and his team to bring TURKEYS to audiences around the world.”
Producing are Scott Mosier (Clerks), Craig Mazin (The Hangover Part II), John Strauss (The Santa Claus 2) and David l. Stern (Hotel Transylvania). The screenplay was written by Stern and Strauss with a rewrite by Mazin.
Reel FX is a fully-integrated movie studio that develops and produces both animated films and live action movies. In addition to TURKEYS, Reel FX’s growing animation slate includes DAY OF THE DEAD (Guillermo del Toro producing) and BEASTS OF BURDEN(Aron Warner and Andrew Adamson producing). Reel FX’s own film slate follows almost 20 years of experience as an award-winning one-stop studio for animated content including films, special attraction/live venue projects and interactive projects for companies like DreamWorks Animation, Fox, Warner Bros. and Universal Studios.
Up next, Relativity will release the outrageous Movie 43 (in theatres January 25, 2013), the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ best-selling Safe Haven (in theatres February 8, 2013), the comedy 21 and Over (in theatres March 1, 2013), the corporate espionage thriller Paranoia (in theatres October 4, 2013) and Luc Besson’s darkly comedic action film Malavita (in theatres October 18, 2013) with EuropaCorp. Relativity is currently in post-production on Scott Cooper’s gritty dramatic thriller currently-titled Out of the Furnace.
![Free Birds MattyB Cover copy[1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.wearemoviegeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/Free-Birds-MattyB-Cover-copy1-560x560.jpg?resize=560%2C560&ssl=1)
