Film Preview: Free Birds (2013)

Poster

Additional posters can be found below.

Trailer Link

Release Date:

November 1, 2013

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “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.”

Poster: B+ / C / C- / D (4) / C

Review: The first design is the most original, using the turkey feathers as a background/separation element. The second poster looks like something lazy designers create to make the film look more exciting while the third design sloppily increases the character size and adds an idiotic tag line (Let’s remember that nuggets are a chicken thing, not a turkey thing).

There are four character posters that play heavily on the puns with one of them (“hot wings”) continuing to refer to a chicken concept and not a turkey one. The last poster is more colorful than the rest and is more traditional for animated features even if it isn’t as inventive as the original.

Trailer: C+ / B-

Review: One of the first scenes in the trailer talks about turkeys being dumb and shows one of the birds laughing at how his feet move. That’s about how fun this trailer is, like watching a turkey move its feet. There’s nothing remotely appealing in this trailer except to someone of the 5-year-old variety.

Exemplifying what has become wrong with animated films these days, this new trailer highlights the action and the endless puns, many of them chicken-oriented, that make up a poorly-written screenplay that supposedly appeals to adults and children, but ultimately appeals to the lowest, basest interest of the viewer.

Oscar Prospects:

It’s the animated equivalent of a blockbuster film, designed for maximum entertainment without a real sense of perspective when it comes to awards consideration. If it’s better than it looks, it could be a Best Animated Feature contender. Otherwise, it’s best to just forget about it.