What if the turkey was never part of our Thanksgiving Day meal?
In the new animated comedy, Free Birds, two heroic turkeys must go back in time and stop turkey from ever being on the Thanksgiving menu.
Reel FX Animation Studios in Dallas has completed their first full length animated film. For their first film, they could not have done any better. This is one film the whole family should see! The movie provides a hilarious script, an original storyline, and a superb production quality.
Feeling like he does not fit in with his own flock, Reggie (Owen Wilson) gets an opportunity to become a “lone turkey.” After a forceful encounter with Jake (Woody Harrelson), Reggie must join in the mission to travel back in time and get the turkey off of the holiday menu for good. Once S.T.E.V.E (George Takei) the time machine takes them to three days before the first Thanksgiving, Reggie meets Jenny (Amy Poehler) and the rest of her flock. As he gets to know his new friends and grows feelings for Jenny, Reggie starts to realize he may have found the flock he always wanted to be apart of.
A slew of talent, including everyone from Reel FX showed up for the Dallas premiere of Free Birds held at the Cinemark 17 and IMAX Theater. Among those talents were writer/director, Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears a Who) and Star Trek legend, George Takei. Both of these incredibly nice guys took time to chat on the red carpet.
Great job in the film, you have such a defined voice, great for any film or voice over. What attracted you to this project?
George: “Well first of all, I like the idea. I think we’re too stayed and traditional; the same old menu year after year. I used to look forward to Thanksgiving, because you know we didn’t have turkey the rest of the year. The only time we had turkey was at Thanksgiving. But now, we can have turkey all the time. And with this movie, I think were going to get people to be creative with their Thanksgiving menu. We might have fish, or this is Texas, roast beef? Nice and red and bloody, I like it rare, you know? So it will set them to thinking. We know what the movie recommends, and that’s a great idea too.”
So this is the perfect film to get you in the mood for the holidays?
Jimmy: “Oh yeah, absolutely! The film’s not about what you eat. The film is more about how you’re a part of something bigger than yourself. All holidays, doesn’t matter if it is Passover or Thanksgiving or whatever holiday it is. It’s about pressing pause in your life, and taking time to appreciate the people you love.”
The film talks about how “when you’re in a flock you know you belong.” Being apart of a flock in this film industry, when did you know you belonged?
George: “When they started casting me (Laughs). You know, when you’re beginning in this business you’re aspiring. You go to interview after interview and you talk to them. Then they will say you’re too tall or too short; too fat or too skinny. And it’s always too this or too that. I’ve even been told that I’m either too Asian or not Asian enough! I mean how do I get Asian enough? (Laughs) Both my parents are Asian you know? So were my grandparents, and yet they say, you’re not Asian enough (Laughs). So at that point, you feel like you just want them to cast you so you can show them how good you are once you’re on the set. But now, when they come to you and say, will you be in our film or do the voice in our film, it’s wonderful and I feel like I very much belong now.”
Jimmy: “I think once I actually got to work with a bunch of people in a group. Filmmaking is really a collaborative effort. So you are naturally apart of a flock as soon as you get on a film…provided there a good flock (Laughs).”
You play S.T.E.V.E the time machine in the film. What would you change if you could go back in time?
“I would probably try to not have the Civil War. All wars! I would try to have a world where we don’t have to have wars. And try to change the world into a happier, productive, well engaged place where we have no destruction. Unfortunately, today we still have wars and you see the news and the horrors that happen. So I think that’s the best way to change the world.”
Free Birds is the perfect Thanksgiving film to set the mood for this holiday season!
Free Birds Official Trailer HD
Originally posted on RedCarpetCrash.com
The beginning of the film moves slow because of the extended “philosophical” conversations each one-on-one scene has. Rarely are more than two people on screen together. Every discussion these characters have is filled with analogies. So much so that you loose all meaning to whatever they are saying. I am sure there was some thoughtful lessons behind these speeches, but feeling forced and out of place, you simply loose all interest.
The actors give great performances, which is no surprise. With a cast this strong you would think director, Ridley Scott (Prometheus) noticed they were not being utilized in a monotonous script. It just felt more like they were reading for an audition, giving their all in useless dialogue that does not move the story forward.
At this point, you are already broken hearted and can barely watch as Shane and their friends and family discuss his death. But you are filled with sympathy and disgust when you hear about the lengths Tom’s family took to prevent Shane from attending the funeral or having anything to do with Tom after his death. The two were not married, so Shane had no legal standing in the relationship. After his passing, it was as if Shane never existed in Tom’s life.
Overall the entire cast gives surprisingly convincing performances. Ambyr Childers and Julia Garner carry this film. Being able to sympathize for their characters is what makes the movie so interesting. Often times when we see a horror flick, we have to endure villains that have no remorse for their actions, and you are just waiting for them to get their karma in the end. Your heart breaks for these girls as you watch their struggle. The whole time you are second guessing whether or not you should be feeling this way. You never truly know what these girls are thinking. On the other hand, there is no questioning what Bill Sage’s character is thinking. He does an amazing job as the controlling father who stands firmly by his “religious beliefs.”
For Academy Award winning director, Roger Ross Williams (Music By Prudence, New York Underground), this was a film with an agenda. Being a homosexual African American raised in the church, this was a subject that also struck a personal chord for Williams. He does a magnificent job capturing a realistic portrait of these evangelists and reverends, as they clearly have no problem being shed in a bad light. These people are just being themselves and truly believe what they are saying and preaching is completely normal without any consequences. Williams succeeds in delivering a clear message of how the extremists forcing anti-homosexual views to a vulnerable country can expand to others causing a dangerous effect. Homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda and they are currently trying to pass the “Anti-Homosexuality Bill,” in which same-sex relations could lead to life in prison or the death penalty. But even without a bill, the citizens have taken matters in their own hands. They are being taught to be the first country to “stop the homosexuals from ruining society.”
For anyone who thought Sandra Bullock’s Oscar win for The Blind Side was not deserved, I don’t agree with you…and you should just watch Bullock’s performance in Gravity. She is really the sole actor of the film. George Clooney definitely serves a purpose and makes for some relaxing comic relief, but it seems like even he wants to let Bullock steal the show. The moment she appears on screen you might as well be tethered to that space suit with her. Whatever fear and anxiety her character is going through, the audience is feeling the exact same way. Watching her struggle made it physically harder to breathe. Personally, I have always known Sandra Bullock is a great actress; but this role definitely solidifies that. It’s still too soon to predict Oscar nominations, but I would say that she is a lock for the Best Actress nod along with many more nominations for the film in multiple categories.
