The Angry Birds Movie (2016 film)

The Angry Birds Movie is a 2016 American computer-animated comedy film based on Rovio Entertainment's video games series of the same name, produced by Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment, and Rovio Animation, and distributed by Universal, it was directed by Kelly Asbury, co-directed by Christophe Lourdelet (in his feature directional debut), from a screenplay written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger and a story by Mikael Hed, Mikko Pöllä, and John Cohen, and produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy. The ensemble voice cast includes Jason Bateman, Chris Rock, Will Arnett, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jenny Slate, Sean Penn, Djimon Hounsou, Rainn Wilson, and Nicolas Cage. The film follows Red (Bateman), an outcast in an island of anthropomorphic flightless birds, as he suspects a newly arrived crew of pigs led by Leonard (Wilson) of plotting an evil plan, and attempts to put a stop to them with the help of his newfound friends Chuck (Rock) and Bomb (Arnett).
After the success of the Angry Birds Toons webseries, Rovio subsequently began development on an adaptation of the Angry Birds video game series, and would proceed to make a proper announcement in December 2012, he met with Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri. By 2013, Rovio Entertainment announced that it would produce it with Illumination Entertainment and Universal. Production was underway by 2013, and the first image from the film was revealed in October 2014, with Bateman, Rock, Arnett, Wilson, Pinkett Smith, Cage revealed to be part of its cast at the same time. Rovio and Universal Pictures announced that they would spend roughly €100 million for the marketing and distribution of The Angry Birds Movie, surpassing the €8.5 million budget of Big Game (2014) to become the most expensive Finnish-produced film up to that point. Illumination Mac Guff was responsible for handling animation services for the film.
The Angry Birds Movie first screened during the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2016, followed by its premiere at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 3. It was then theatrically released in the United States and Canada on December 23, 2016. Although it received mixed reviews from critics who praised the voice peformances (particularly from Bateman, Rock, Arnett and Cage), Michael Giacchino's score, animation, humor, subject matter, but criticized the story, the film opened to record-breaking box offices in several countries, and earned a worldwide gross of over $1 billion, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2016, including the highest grossing film based on a video game, and the first film based on a video game to gross over $1 billion until the following month's The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
A sequel, The Angry Birds Movie 2, was released on April 5, 2023.
== Plot ==
Red, an angry bird, has been an outcast from Bird Island ever since he was a hatchling due to his short temper and his huge, jet-black eyebrows. When he accidentally causes a premature hatching of another bird's egg, he is sentenced to anger management class, which is the highest penalty allowed on the island. Two of Red's classmates, Chuck, who is hyperactive and can move at hypervelocity, and Bomb, who can cause explosions with his anger and fear, try to befriend him, but he avoids them.
One day, a boat docks at the island's shore, damaging Red's house. The birds greet two green-colored pigs, the captain Leonard and his assistant Ross, who claim to be peaceful explorers bringing offerings of friendship. They introduce the birds to various innovations, including a giant slingshot, but Red becomes suspicious of the pigs' motives and sneaks into Leonard's boat. He finds more pigs hidden below deck, contradicting Leonard's claim that he and Ross are alone. When he returns and shows everyone the other pigs, the birds accept Leonard's explanation that he only lied to see if Bird Island was safe for his simple-minded cousins.
Still suspecting that there is something off about the pigs, Red recruits Chuck and Bomb to find Mighty Eagle, Bird Island's missing protector and the only bird who can fly. They find Mighty Eagle on top of Eagle Mountain, but he has become an overweight, self-absorbed slacker who has not flown for years. Red discovers the pigs planting dynamite around the island. He realizes that the pigs are planning to steal the birds' eggs while the birds are distracted by a party. When Mighty Eagle refuses to help them, Red admonishes him. Red, Chuck, and Bomb race back to sound a warning to the other birds and stop the pigs, only for the pigs to start destroying the village by blowing it up with the dynamite. Chuck goes to warn the other birds while Red and Bomb give chase to the pigs. They try to untie the ropes to drop the eggs in the water, but it doesn't work, so Red tells Bomb to blow up the chain, but the pigs escape with the eggs and leave the village destroyed. The other birds apologize to Red for not listening to him. Red forgives everyone and under his leadership, they organize an army and build a boat from the rubble to follow the pigs to Piggy Island.
The birds discover the pigs living in a walled city ruled by Leonard, whose full name is King Leonard Mudbeard. Deducing that the eggs are in the castle at the center of the city, the birds use the pig's giant slingshot to attack by launching themselves over the walls and into the city's castle. Most of the birds miss the castle but destroy other buildings. Red, Chuck, and Bomb are successfully shot into the castle; the pigs plan to lower the eggs into a giant pot, cook them, and eat them. Mighty Eagle arrives to retrieve Red's group and the eggs, having had a change of heart. One egg falls out of the net and Red battles Leonard for it, but learns to control his anger and distracts him long enough to retrieve the egg. After they fall into a dynamite room, Leonard accidentally ignites the pigs' reserve of dynamite. The giant pot in which the pigs had intended to use to cook the eggs collapses, falls and lands on top of Red. The dynamite explodes, destroying the city, but Red and the egg he was holding are shielded by the pot.
All the families, except for one, reunite with their eggs. Red emerges holding the egg, containing the Blues (Jay, Jake, and Jim), and returns the brothers to their parents. Mighty Eagle approaches Red, Chuck, and Bomb, claiming that he merely appeared lazy so that they could lose faith in him and find faith in themselves, and takes credit for saving the eggs. Red discovers that the other birds have rebuilt his house in the center of the village.
== Voice Cast==
*Jason Bateman as Red
**Kath Soucie as young Red
*Chris Rock as Chuck
*Will Arnett as Bomb
*Jada Pinkett Smith as Matilda
*Sean Penn as Terence (growls and grunts)
**Nolan North as Terence's singing voice in "The Mighty Red Song" (uncredited)
*Jenny Slate as Stella
*Rainn Wilson as King Leonard Mudbeard / King Pig
*Nicolas Cage as Mighty Eagle
*Tony Hale as Ross, Mime Bird, Cyrus
* Djimon Hounsou as Judge Peckinpah
* Blake Shelton as Earl
* Charli XCX as Willow
* Camille Hyde as Dahlia
* Nicole Sullivan as Gale
* Michael Taber as Luca
* Anthony Padilla as Hal
* Ian Hecox as Bubbles
* Tituss Burgess as Photog
* Noah Schnapp as Jay, Blue Bird 
* Billy Eichner as Chef Pig, Phillip
* John C. Reilly as Edward
* Ike Barinholtz as Tiny
* Max Charles as Bobby
* Jillian Bell as Helene, Yoga Instructor
* Cristela Alonzo as Shirley
* Danielle Brooks as Monica, Olive
* Kevin Bigley as Greg
* Adam Brown as Hug Trader
* Romeo Santos as Early Bird
* Geoffrey Arend as Day Care Teacher Bird
* Ava Acres as Timothy
* Alex Borstein as Sophie Bird, Peggy Bird
* Malena Brewer as Arianna Bird
* Vincent Oswald as Dylan Hatchling
* Samantha Cohen as Samantha Hatchling
* Josh Robert Thompson as Brad Bird, Dane the Saxophone Bird
* Matt McCarthy as Rodney Pig and John Hamm (credited as Acrobat Pig)
* Maddie Taylor as Hamilton Pig and Oinky (credited as Acrobat Pig)
* Mckenna Grace as Ella Bird
* Ali Wong as Betty Bird
* Fred Tatasciore as Monty Pig
* Gerald Urquhart as Corporal Pig
* Brennan Mejia as King Pig
* Bella Laudiero as Maya Bird
* John Cohen as Johnny Bird
* Kelly Asbury as Clayton the Waiter Bird
* Fergal Reilly as Foreman Pig 
* Catherine Winder as Billy the Sign
* Carlos Alazraqui as Earl's 2nd Brother
* Eileen Marra, Indra Raval, Joaquin Raval and Sofie Wolfe as Hatchling Singers
==Production==
===Pre-Production===
The film was officially announced in December 2012, although IGN noted that this was "after months of speculation". The success of the Angry Birds Toons series, according to Rovio employee Jami Laes, "validated" the idea of creating a feature film. 
When multiple major studios approached Rovio to discuss the production of the film adaptation in 2010, Hed met Chris Meledandri, founder of Universal Pictures' Illumination animation division. In November 2012, reports emerged that Rovio Entertainment was collaborating with Universal and Illumination to make an animated Angry Birds film. In January 2013, Rovio announced that the film would progress with Meledandri and Janet Healy co-producing. Meledandri said the film was a "priority" for Illumination and that it would most likely come out in 2016. David Maisel, the founding chairman of Marvel Studios, offered to help Hed. Hed also said Rovio would own the rights to the film, and both Rovio and Universal would fund the production.
In August 2013, it emerged that Gnomeo & Juliet director Kelly Asbury has joined the film as the director by that point, with Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger attached as a screenwriter, after previously scribing DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016), Trolls (2016), and Disney's The Smurfs (2016). Shortly thereafter, Robert Koo, confirmed that he worked as head of story on the film.
The Angry Birds characters were not depicted in their anthropomorphized cinematic designs until the film's announcement so as to avoid spoiling it for audiences. The animation was created entirely in France by Illumination Mac Guff, while Skywalker Sound handled audio post-production services. 
===Casting===
In September 2014, Jack Black was in talks for a lead role as Red, however, he declined, Black interest doing the voice of Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2017). A day later, it was announced that Jason Bateman confirmed that to be in the voice cast of Red. Bateman was previously collaborate with Meledandri as an executive producer in Disney's The Smurfs (2016).
The first image from the film was revealed in October 2014, with Chris Rock, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Nicolas Cage revealed to be part of its cast. 
==Music==
The film's score is composed by Michael Giacchino, in his first feature-length project for Illumination Entertainment. The film's soundtrack, titled The Angry Birds Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, was released by Republic Records on December 9, 2016. The soundtrack includes the song "Faith", which was written specifically for the movie and performed by Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande. Back Lot Music released the score on May 12, 2016.
"Wonderful Life" was replaced in international screenings of the film in English with "You Should Be Dancing" by the Bee Gees. Michael Jackson's Bad is featured in 2 trailers.
== Marketing ==
The film's marketing budget was an estimated $300 million, which, along with its production budget of $400 million, was the biggest budget at the time for an animated Sony Pictures film. Tie-ins with McDonald's, Citroën, Ziploc, Panasonic, and a series of six Lego sets were used to promote the film. A balloon themed after Red debuted at the 2015 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. During the film's marketing campaign, the app icons for most Angry Birds games were changed to depict the cinematic version of Red. A series of free-to-play tie-in games were also produced: Angry Birds Action!, Angry Birds Evolution, and Angry Birds Match.
==Release==
The nearly complete film was screened as a work in progress beginning September 11, 2016 at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released in Finland on December 13, 2016, and in the United States on December 23, 2016, coincide on Christmas, in RealD 3D, and 4DX by Universal Studios.
==Future==
=== Follow-up media ===
* IDW Publishing launched a comic book miniseries, titled Angry Birds: Flight School and situated after the events of the film, on February 22, 2017.
* Rovio Entertainment has released a new online video spin-off miniseries that takes place sometime after the events of the film, titled Angry Birds Blues, and focuses on the mischievous antics of the newborn Blues. The first episode premiered on Toons.TV on March 10, 2017.
* In the summer of 2017, GoComics announced that it will be running a comic strip series based on the world of The Angry Birds Movie, with each issue available to view on its website. The strip ran for over a year, from August 3, 2017 to September 20, 2018.
=== Sequel ===
In February 2017, Rovio and Illumination had begun working on a sequel to the film. The sequel, titled The Angry Birds Movie 2, was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on March 27, 2023 and later on April 5 in the United States. It was directed by Tim Hill, in his second second time with Illumination, after Hop (2011). Cohen returned as producer, with Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger returns as writers, and Matthew Fogel attached as screenwriter. Bateman, Rock, Wilson, Arnett, Dinklage, Pinkett Smith, Hale, and Slate returned to voice their roles, with Nicki Minaj, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jesse Corti, Allison Abbate, Jessica DiCicco, Cedric the Entertainer, Anthony Ramos, John DiMaggio, Josh Dallas, Tiffany Haddish, Kristen Bell, Raymond S. Persi, and Taraji P. Henson joined the cast.