A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Educational Value
a little
Kids will hear the same trivia about the First Thanksgiving that they probably learned in school: that in 1621, a group of English settlers at Plymouth Colony (the Pilgrims) and members of the local Indian tribe (the Wampanoag) shared in an autumnal feast together that included wild turkey. The animated Pilgrims also make it clear that they needed to trade with the Wampanoag to survive.
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Positive Messages
very little
There's a message of collaboration, teamwork, leadership, and working toward the greater good. However there's also a borderline insensitive depiction of wild turkeys as being a lot like Native Americans.
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Positive Role Models
a little
Jake is devoted to helping the turkey cause; Jenny is a strong female character who's a great leader. The Chief is wise and self sacrificing. Reggie learns how to be a turkey who is part of something bigger than himself.
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Violence & Scariness
a little
The Secret Service hold guns. The Pilgrims hunt with guns. Myles Standish uses fire and guns to destroy the turkey habitat. The turkeys fight back.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
very little
Reggie watches a telenovela about a loner who is always surrounded by beautiful women. Reggie falls almost immediately in love with Jenny, whose turkey body is a human-like hourglass figure with large breasts. They flirt and eventually kiss.
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Language
very little
Insults like "dumb," "son of a gun," "coward," "the anti-corn."
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Products & Purchases
a little
Some of the pizza boxes say "Chuck-E-Cheese"; there's an overt reference to Angry Birds, Old Navy, and Auntie Anne's.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Free Birds is an animated time-travel adventure that tells the story of the first Thanksgiving from the perspective of the turkeys desperate to keep the Pilgrims and Native Americans from leading to the annual destruction of their kind. There's some gun violence and an important character is killed. The language includes some insults like "dumb" and "coward," plus there's some borderline insensitive depictions of turkeys as similar to Native Americans. Plus, there's a romantic subplot and glimpses of a telenovela where a man is always surrounded by beautiful women. Families may enjoy discussing the history of Thanksgiving. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
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Free BirdsMovie Review 2:09
- Free BirdsOfficial trailer
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Free Birds
Community Reviews
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- Parents say (20)
- Kids say (39)
age 8+
Based on 20 parent reviews
Julie S. Parent of 9-year-old
November 19, 2023
age 6+
Fun movie for Thanksgiving
I was weary based on the bad reviews. However, I didn’t really find anything inappropriate for my 9 year old. One person had commented about the big-busted Turkey, and I didn’t think anyone was way out of balance. I also never heard the comment about the honeymoon - so either I just missed it, or it’s been taken out from the place I streamed it from. Both my daughter and I enjoyed it, and it was fun to have a Thanksgiving-themed movie to watch. We both laughed on how they claimed they changed the holiday, and discussed how it was fantasy, not truth.
Spagooch Parent of 9-year-old
March 27, 2022
age 8+
I should have checked here first
Mediocre movie. Subtle anti-christian theme throughout.
Rate movie
See all 20 parent reviews
What's the Story?
In FREE BIRDS, Reggie (voiced by Owen Wilson) has always been the odd turkey out. He's smarter than the rest of his flock and understands they're being fattened up for slaughter. When the president arrives for the annual turkey pardon, Reggie ends up the lucky fowl thanks to the young first daughter. Back at Camp David, Reggie is living it up with telenovelas and pizza delivery when he's kidnapped by Jake (Woody Harrelson), a strong, scatterbrained turkey. Jake tells Reggie that "The Great Turkey" has sent them on a mission to go back in time to the First Thanksgiving and "get turkeys off the menu." Reggie is skeptical, but soon the pair discovers a secret time machine and ends up in Plymouth Colony 1621.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (20):
Kids say (39):
The movie will undoubtedly please young kids who love talking animals, silly sight gags, and the idea of a group of turkeys fighting back to keep them safe. Writer-director Jimmy Hayward, a veteran animator (Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!), had a clever kernel of an idea -- what if turkeys could somehow get themselves off the Thanksgiving menu without condemning any other animals to their seasonal holiday-meal fate? But the simple storyline got muddled in the execution. Between the outdated Bill Clinton-esque president (voiced by Hayward); the insensitive Native American-esque wild turkeys of the 1600s; and the various time-travel issues, there's just too much happening all at once.
There are a few laughs, like George Takei as the voice of the HAL-like time travel machine S.T.E.V.E., and the alpha-turkey competitiveness between Harrelson's Jake and the chief's son. And it's always a treat to hear Amy Poehler, who plays the chief's courageous daughter Jenny and Reggie's love interest. But it's not enough to make this a must-see every holiday season, and Free Birds may disappoint parents and possibly confuse young kids not used to the time-travel plot device.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Free Birds compares to other Thanksgiving-set movies.
Does the movie change your opinion about eating turkey at Thanksgiving? Do you think the movie has a "vegeterian agenda" as some critics have suggested?
Is it culturally insensitive for the turkeys to wear headdresses and generally look like they're Native Americans?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 1, 2013
- On DVD or streaming: February 4, 2014
- Cast: Amy Poehler, Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson
- Director: Jimmy Hayward
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Relativity Media
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Adventures, Holidays, Wild Animals
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: some action/peril and rude humor
- Last updated: April 22, 2024
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Where to Watch
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Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!
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