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46-406: Free Birds is a 2013 American animated science fiction comedy buddy film directed by Jimmy Hayward , who co-wrote the screenplay with the film's producer Scott Mosier . The film stars the voices of Owen Wilson , Woody Harrelson , and Amy Poehler , with supporting roles by George Takei , Colm Meaney , Keith David , and Dan Fogler . It follows Reggie and Jake, two turkeys who travel back to

92-587: A 1981 TV series , a 1984 computer game , and 2005 feature film . A prominent series in British popular culture , The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has become an international multi-media phenomenon; the novels are the most widely distributed, having been translated into more than 30 languages by 2005. Terry Pratchett 's 1981 novel Strata also exemplifies the comic science fiction genre. Massasoit Massasoit's people had been seriously weakened by

138-617: A peace treaty negotiated on March 22, 1621. The alliance ensured that the Pokanokets remained neutral during the Pequot War in 1636. According to English sources, Massasoit prevented the failure of Plymouth Colony and the starvation that the Pilgrims faced during its earliest years. Some tension continued between Massasoit and the colonists when they refused to give up Squanto , whom Massasoit believed to have betrayed him. This

184-536: A $ 55 million budget. The film was nominated for the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Music in a Feature Production , though it lost to Frozen . In the present day, Reggie is a turkey who has always feared Thanksgiving because turkeys are always on the menu, but his attempts to warn his flock have made him an outcast. When the other turkeys finally realize what is happening, they throw Reggie outside in an attempt to save themselves. To his surprise, he

230-512: A duck in his wings, Jake starts to tell the turkeys about the turducken . Additional voices by Jeff Biancalana, Jason Finazzo, Jimmy Hayward , Josh Lawson , and Scott Mosier . Development on the film, originally titled Turkeys , began in June 2009 and physical production began in January 2011. The Ren & Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi was involved in early development, and posted

276-500: A fattened bird waddling toward its doom." Kate Erbland of Film.com gave the film a 7.6 out of 10, saying " Free Birds is a more than worthy (and weird) holiday diversion for the whole family." Stephan Lee of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C, saying "Often, you can point to a middling animated film's visuals as its saving grace. But this colonial world, which should feel like an expansive autumnal panorama, feels oddly inert and two-dimensional." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave

322-473: A gift set carry bag, a Chuck E. Cheese snap band, and the 'Back in Time' YouTube video featuring WOP and MattyBRaps . On Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 20% based on 91 reviews and an average rating of 4.3/10. The critics consensus reads: "Technically proficient yet creatively moribund, Free Birds begs unfortunate comparisons with the dim-witted fowl that inspired it." On Metacritic ,

368-513: A little desperate at times, even for a kiddie film." Linda Barnard of the Toronto Star gave the film one out of four stars, calling the film "A seasonally pegged 3D cartoon bore that sets the bar so low, it could give a slug a concussion." Tom Russo of The Boston Globe gave the film two out of four stars, calling the film "A welcome foray into underexploited territory, conceptually at least." Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic gave

414-832: A series of epidemics and were vulnerable to attacks by the Narragansetts , and he formed an alliance with the colonists at Plymouth Colony for defense against them. It was through his assistance that the Plymouth Colony avoided starvation during the early years. At the time of the pilgrims' arrival in Plymouth, the realm of the Wampanoag, also known as the Pokanokets , included parts of Rhode Island and much of southeastern Massachusetts . Massasoit lived in Sowams,

460-537: A village at Pokanoket in Warren, Rhode Island . He held the allegiance of lesser Pokanoket sachems. In 1621, he sent Squanto to live among the colonists at Plymouth. Outbreaks of an unidentified disease had devastated the Pokanokets, and Massasoit sought an alliance with the colonies of New England against the neighboring Narragansetts who controlled an area west of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. Samoset

506-463: A worldwide total of $ 110,150,480. In North America, the film opened to number four in its first weekend, with $ 15,805,237, behind Ender's Game , Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa and Last Vegas . In its second weekend, the film moved up to number three, grossing an additional $ 11,112,063. In its third weekend, the film dropped to number four, grossing $ 8,106,151. In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number five, grossing $ 5,363,208. Free Birds

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552-530: Is insane, and the execution is manic and unoriginal." Sara Stewart of the New York Post gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "Is Hollywood scheming to turn your little ones into strident vegetarians? Could be, but I wish they’d do it with material more inspired than Free Birds , a forgettable—and occasionally borderline offensive—animated tale of turkeys trying to take back Thanksgiving." David Hiltbrand of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave

598-593: Is named the " pardoned turkey" by the President of the United States and is taken to Camp David . Reggie soon eases into a routine of doing nothing but enjoying pizza from the "Pizza Dude" and watching Mexican telenovelas . One night, Reggie is kidnapped by Jake, a member of the Turkey Freedom Front, who says he has been instructed by "The Great Turkey" to take Reggie and go "back in time to

644-451: Is not (sorry) a turkey of a film. But it doesn’t really soar terribly high either. I only wish the quality of the writing in the earlier parts of the movie had been maintained throughout. If that had been the case, Reggie, Jake and their fellow turkeys just might have been flying high with the eagles—our official national birds." Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a mixed review, saying "Although it seldom approaches

690-491: Is the Great Turkey. He travels back in time to send the young Jake on his mission. Jenny is sworn in as the new chief and orders the remaining turkeys to prepare an attack on the settlers. Jenny, Jake and Ranger lead the turkeys in an attack on the settlement just as Chief Massasoit and his tribe arrive. Reggie goes back in time to stop the attack, inadvertently trapping Standish in the time stream. Through S.T.E.V.E. and

736-480: The New York Daily News gave the film two out of five stars, saying "Most minor animated movies are so rote that it’s worth acknowledging a strange bird like this cheerfully gonzo kid flick. It’s no masterpiece, but if you’re hoping for a family film that will keep everyone reasonably entertained, this will fly." Miriam Bale of The New York Times gave the film a negative review, saying "The concept

782-715: The Satucket River in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts . The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Massasoit had five children: son Wamsutta , who was born between 1621 and 1625; son Pometecomet, Metacomet , or Metacom; son Sonkanuchoo; and daughters Amie and Sarah. Soon after his death, Wamsutta and Metacomet went to Plymouth and asked the Pilgrims to give them English names. The court named them Alexander and Philip. Wamsutta,

828-636: The Seekonk River the following spring. Governor Winslow advised Williams to move his settlement to the other side of the river because his current location was within the bounds of Plymouth Colony. Williams did so and founded Providence Plantations , which later became part of the Colony of Rhode Island . The half century of peace that Massasoit so assiduously maintained collapsed soon after his death. Wamsutta broke away from his father's diplomacy and began an alliance with Connecticut Colony . Massasoit

874-475: The Wessagusset and Plymouth colonies, and he warned the Pilgrims in time. The alliance came under other tension in later years, as the colonists expanded into new lands in order to support their growing colony. Massasoit sold a tract of land 14 miles square to Myles Standish and others of Duxbury in 1649 to alleviate tension and maintain the peace. The sale took place atop Sachem Rock , an outcropping on

920-526: The Pizza Dude, Reggie convinces the settlers and Native Americans that pizza is a more acceptable food than turkeys, taking turkeys off the Thanksgiving menu entirely. Reggie decides to stay in the 17th century with Jenny while Jake takes S.T.E.V.E. back to the present to look for new adventures. In the mid-credits, Jake returns in S.T.E.V.E. moments after leaving Reggie and Jenny. With a chicken and

966-686: The Pokanokets and chief sachem of the Greater Wampanoag Confederacy. He believed that Wamsutta had been murdered at the hands of the Colonists, and this was one of the factors that led to King Philip's War , one of the bloodiest wars in Colonial American history. A statue of Massasoit by sculptor Cyrus E. Dallin stands near Plymouth Rock , with others outside the Utah State Capitol building, on

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1012-466: The concepts he created for the film on his blog. Reel FX and Granat Entertainment launched in 2010, Bedrock Studios (later renamed to Reel FX Animation Studios) to produce sub-$ 35 million family-oriented projects. Ash Brannon was then set to direct the film, but in October 2012, when it was announced that Relativity Media would co-finance, co-produce, and distribute the film, Jimmy Hayward took over

1058-581: The directing position. Originally scheduled for November 14, 2014, the film was moved up by a year to November 27, 2013, due to the vacant slot left after the delay of DreamWorks Animation 's Mr. Peabody & Sherman . In March 2013, the film was retitled to Free Birds . The film's score was composed by Dominic Lewis . The soundtrack was released by Relativity Music Group on October 29, 2013. Relativity Media teamed up with five major companies to promote Free Birds , including Kidz Bop 2013 , YMCA SCUBA program , Old Navy , and Auntie Anne's . This included

1104-518: The eldest, became sachem of the Pokanokets on the death of his father. He died within a year, and his brother Metacom succeeded him in 1662. Amie married Tispaquin and was the only one of Massasoit's five children to survive King Philip's War in 1676. Roger Williams fled the Massachusetts Bay Colony to avoid arrest and deportation for religious reasons and stayed the winter of 1635–36 with Massasoit, who gave him land along

1150-473: The film a negative review, saying "Even setting aside the film's disregard for time-travel paradoxes and genocide metaphors—trust me, you don't want to wade into either of those— Free Birds just isn't funny." Stephanie Zacharek of The Village Voice gave the film a negative review, saying "Like so many modern animated features, Free Birds packs too much in; the picture feels cramped and cluttered, and, despite its occasionally manic action, it moves as slowly as

1196-466: The film a negative review, saying "Like the ungainly avian creatures at the center of the herky-jerky adventure, this 'toon seldom gets off the ground." Jessica Herndon of the Associated Press gave the film two out of four stars, saying "A solid premiere effort that shows Reel FX's potential to produce quality full-length animation. But the story-line, with its hypothetical constituents, seems

1242-497: The film has a score of 38 out of 100 based on reviews from 27 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Justin Chang of Variety gave the film a negative review, saying "This seemingly innocuous toon fantasy becomes another noxious-but-sanitized exercise in family-friendly cultural insensitivity." Alonso Duralde of The Wrap gave

1288-401: The film is all sidekicks and sight gags, with little story cohesion or purpose." Mark Kermode gave the film a negative review and found the film to be lacking in creativity and originality. Kermode pointed out that the movie’s premise, involving turkeys traveling back in time to change the course of Thanksgiving, was not executed well. He also mentioned that the humor fell flat and the animation

1334-476: The film one and a half stars out of four, saying " Free Birds is a stale turkey hash that heaves a lot of ingredients in the oven but never turns on the gas, a frantic attempt to come up with an animated film built around Thanksgiving Day traditions." Liam Lacey of The Globe and Mail gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "The movie's animal rights, vegetarian message should go down easily with politically correct parents—at least until they choke on

1380-472: The film two and a half stars out of four, saying "The 3-D animated film, the first of the holiday entries, is likable and amusing, if slight." Chris Cabin of Slant Magazine gave the film one out of four stars, saying "The film is absent of humor and thrills, and accented with designs and color schemes that are equally notable for their lack of risk." Sheri Linden of the Los Angeles Times gave

1426-460: The film two out of five stars, saying "It isn't cute. It isn't really funny. It just kind of is." Louis Black of The Austin Chronicle gave the film one and a half stars out of five, saying " Free Birds falls flat, despite its good intentions, ideological cuteness, humorous polish, and skillful computer animation. The fine voice talents of the almost-ideal cast are wasted." Elizabeth Weitzman of

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1472-535: The first Thanksgiving to prevent turkeys from being domesticated and eaten by humans. Free Birds was produced by Reel FX Creative Studios as its first theatrical fully animated feature film, and Relativity Media 's fourth animated film after Monster House (2006), The Tale of Despereaux (2008), and 9 (2009). Originally titled Turkeys , and scheduled for 2014, the film was released on November 1, 2013. Free Birds received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $ 110.4 million worldwide against

1518-513: The first Thanksgiving to get turkeys off the menu." They steal a time machine controlled by an A.I. named S.T.E.V.E. (Space Time Exploration Vehicle Envoy) from a government facility, and time-travel back to three days before the first Thanksgiving in the year of 1621. Once there, they are ambushed by colonial hunters led by Myles Standish , and are rescued by native turkeys led by Chief Broadbeak and his two children, Ranger and Jenny. Broadbeak explains that turkeys have been forced underground since

1564-640: The inspiration of its plucky premise—a pair of turkeys travel back in a time machine to the first Thanksgiving in a bid to scratch the traditional entree off the menu— Free Birds nevertheless manages to avoid being branded a holiday turkey." Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "Everything about Free Birds feels perfunctory, from its generic title and holiday setting to its starry voice cast and undistinguished use of 3-D." Free Birds grossed $ 55,750,480 in North America, and $ 54,400,000 in other countries, for

1610-487: The late 1940s. In the 1950s, comedy became more common in science fiction. Some of the authors contributing to the sub-genre included: Alfred Bester , Harry Harrison , C. M. Kornbluth , Frederik Pohl , and Robert Sheckley . The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a comic science-fiction series written by Douglas Adams . Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it later morphed into other formats, including stage shows, novels, comic books,

1656-663: The most popular early writers of comic science fiction: the Gallegher series (about a drunken inventor and his narcissistic robot ) and the Hogben series (about a family of mutant hillbillies). The former appeared in Astounding Science Fiction in 1943 and 1948 and was collected in hardcover as Robots Have No Tails (Gnome, 1952), and the latter appeared in Thrilling Wonder Stories in

1702-474: The offensive depiction of 17th-century turkeys as face-painted, headband-wearing native Americans." Stephanie Merry of The Washington Post gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Finally, there's a movie vegetarian parents can enjoy with their impressionable offspring." Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film one out of four stars, saying "In execution,

1748-398: The plan. They blow up the weapons shack, but Jake inadvertently leaves a gunpowder trail back to the turkeys' hideout. Standish and his men flush the turkeys out from underground, capturing enough for the feast. Broadbeak sacrifices his life to help the remaining turkeys escape. Disgraced, Reggie returns home, where he discovers from S.T.E.V.E. and three alternate versions of himself that he

1794-450: The settlers came, and orders Jake and Ranger to spy on the settlers while Reggie and Jenny spring the humans' hunting traps. Ranger and Jake discover that the settlers have already begun preparations for Thanksgiving, and where they keep their weapons. Jenny is unconvinced Reggie is from the future, but is impressed with his accidental unorthodox way of springing traps. They are intercepted by Standish, and Reggie sends Jenny into orbit aboard

1840-489: The time machine, validating his story. Reggie asks Jenny to go back to the future with him once everything blows over, but she refuses to leave the flock no matter how much she likes him. Jake tells Reggie he has a plan to attack the settlers, and that this trip was more about him making up for his failure to save turkey eggs while escaping a factory farm when he was young, maintaining that the Great Turkey convinced him to go through with this. Reggie reluctantly goes along with

1886-518: Was a minor Abenaki sachem ( sagamore ) who hailed from the Muscongus Bay area of Maine , and he learned to speak English from fishermen who plied those waters. Massasoit sent him to approach the colonists to find out whether their intentions were peaceful. Massasoit forged critical political and personal ties with colonial leaders William Bradford , Edward Winslow , Stephen Hopkins , John Carver , and Myles Standish , ties which grew out of

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1932-461: Was humane and honest, kept his word, and endeavored to imbue his people with a love for peace. He kept the Pilgrims advised of any warlike designs toward them by other tribes. It is unclear when Massasoit died. Some accounts claim that it was as early as 1660; others contend that he died as late as 1662. He was anywhere from 80 to 90 at the time. Wamsutta died suddenly within a year of his succession, and Massasoit's second son Metacom became sachem of

1978-497: Was not up to par with other contemporary acclaimed animated films to other films involving turkeys since Chicken Run and later said of the film "Anyone who's seen Chicken Run will wonder why they're not enjoying a well-constructed Aardman animation rather than attempting to make sense of this incoherent transatlantic trifle.". Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a mixed review, saying "No, Free Birds

2024-613: Was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 4, 2014, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment . Science fiction comedy Science fiction comedy ( sci-fi comedy ) or comic science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that exploits the science fiction genre's conventions for comedic effect. Comic science fiction often mocks or satirizes standard science fiction conventions, concepts and tropes – such as alien invasion of Earth, interstellar travel , or futuristic technology. It can also satirize and criticize present-day society. An early example

2070-551: Was resolved in March 1623 when Massasoit was gravely ill and Edward Winslow nursed him back to health. After his recovery, Winslow reports that Massasoit said, "the English are my friends and love me... whilst I live I will never forget this kindness they have showed me." In return for their kindness, Massasoit warned them of a plot against them. He had learned that a group of influential Massachusett warriors intended to destroy both

2116-590: Was the Pete Manx series by Henry Kuttner and Arthur K. Barnes (sometimes writing together and sometimes separately, under the house pen-name of Kelvin Kent). Published in Thrilling Wonder Stories in the late 1930s and early 1940s, the series featured a time-traveling carnival barker who uses his con-man abilities to get out of trouble. Two later series cemented Kuttner's reputation as one of

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