History WesternAnimation / FreeBirds

%%* TheChiefsDaughter: Jenny. [[spoiler:She becomes the Chief after Broadbeak's HeroicSacrifice]].

''Free Birds'' is the first animated film from Reel FX Animation Studios produced by Aron Warner (''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'') and directed by Jimmy Hayward (''WesternAnimation/HortonHearsAWho'')

Now in 1621 at the Plymouth colony, Reggie and Jake find themselves in the middle of a turkey clan’s struggle for survival. Along the way, Reggie finds himself falling for Turkey ChiefsDaughter Jenny (Creator/AmyPoehler). During their mission, Reggie and Jake's preconceptions of the world and themselves are challenged forever in a conflict from which the world will never be the same.

''Free Birds'' is the first animated film from Reel FX Animation Studios starring the talents of Creator/OwenWilson, Creator/WoodyHarrelson and Creator/AmyPoehler.

Reggie (Wilson) is a turkey on a turkey farm, and seems to be the only one who realizes the fate that's in store for him and all the others there. Fate intervenes one day as the President of the United States comes to his farm to pardon the Thanksgiving turkey, him! Now he gets to enjoy the good life, all the food he can eat, his own robe and slippers, and being able to live without fear.

Reggie's easy life is soon disrupted by Jake (Harrelson), a fanatic turkey who drags him along with an insane idea: go back in time to make sure turkeys are not part of the first Thanksgiving. Through foolhardiness and luck, the pair manage to take an experimental time machine to do just that. Now in 1621 at the Plymouth colony, Reggie and Jake find themselves in the middle of a turkey clan’s struggle for survival. In doing so, their preconceptions of the world and themselves are challenged forever in a conflict from which the world will never be the same.

* SuccessionCrisis: Averted. [[spoiler:Hunter is more than willing to let Jenny take charge after they determine that their late father's wish was for Jenny to lead the tribe]].

Reggie (Wilson) is a turkey on a turkey farm, and seems to be the only one who realizes the fate that's in store for him and all the others there. Fate intervenes one day as the President of the United States comes to his farm to pardon the Thanksgiving turkey, him! Now he gets to enjoy the good life, all the food he can eat, his own robe and slippers, and being able to live without fear.

** Jake shares Woody Harrelson's wide smile and blunt cheekbones.
** Jenny, with many of her mannerisms and facial gestures, is just like Amy Poehler in turkey form.

''Free Birds'' is the first animated film from Reel FX Animation Studios starring the voices of Creator/OwenWilson, Creator/WoodyHarrelson and Creator/AmyPoehler.

Reggie is a turkey on a turkey farm, and seems to be the only one who realizes the fate that's in store for him and all the others there. Fate intervenes one day as the President of the United States comes to his farm to pardon the Thanksgiving turkey, him! Now he gets to enjoy the good life, all the food he can eat, his own robe and slippers, and being able to live without fear...until Jake shows up.

Jake is on a mission: Go back in time to the first Thanksgiving, and make it so turkeys are not served for dinner. And he's bringing Reggie along with him. First they have to break into a top secret research facility and steal the time machine being developed there, and then they have to make sure that turkeys are not served at the first Thanksgiving.

[[caption-width-right:350:They're off to change the main course of history!]]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/free_birds_poster.jpg]]

* InkSuitActor: Jenny, with many of her mannerisms and facial gestures, is just like Amy Poehler in turkey form.

It was released on November 1, 2013, just in time for Thanksgiving. Though a box office success, it was loathed by critics.

''Free Birds'' is the first animated film from Reel FX Animation Studios, starring the voices of Woody Harrelson, Owen Wilson, and Amy Poehler.

* ActionGirl: Jenny
* AmbiguouslyGay: Jake.

* BigBad: Myles Standish.
* TheBigGuy: Jake.

* TheChiefsDaughter: Jenny. [[spoiler:She becomes the Chief after Broadbeak's HeroicSacrifice]].
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Jake, at least so it seems at first.
* TheChosenOne: Reggie.

* FriendToAllChildren: Jake

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Chief Broadbeak]].
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Myles Standish.

* KissingDiscretionShot: [[spoiler:Reggie and Jenny kiss off-screen to avoid AlternateAnimalAffection.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: Jake looks incredibly guilty when he sees what his actions (of accidentally leading the pilgrims to their nest and destroying it, killing Chief Broadbeak in the process) have caused.]]

* PowderTrail: [[spoiler:Jake accidentally leaves one that leads the pilgrims to the turkey's hideout.]]
* ProductPlacement: [[spoiler:Chuck E. Cheese pizza ends up saving the day.]]

* StableTimeLoop: Jake said he was inspired by "The Great Turkey" when he was younger. [[spoiler:It turns out that Reggie in the time machine was "The Great Turkey" who purposefully invoked this trope.]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/turkeys_776.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:That's Reggie in purple, and Jake in red. They totally get it.]]

'''Reggie:'' Looks like it's just you and me.\\

!!This film contains:

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Disclaimer at the beginning: "The following film is a work of fiction. It is loosely based on historical and is in no way meant to be historically accurate. Except for the talking turkeys. They were totally real." With that out of the way...

-->'''Jake''': The enemy is approaching! You must follow me ''blindly''!
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler: The TV remote control that Reggie accidentally brings with him is later used to ward off the dogs when he and Jake blow up the weapons shack.]]
** [[spoiler: Likewise, Reggie's love for pizza comes into great play when it replaces turkeys on the holiday menu.]]

* CloudCuckoolander: Jake, at least so it seems at first.

-->'''Jake''': We're going back in time to the first Thanksgiving to get turkeys ''off'' the menu!
-->'''Reggie''': Who are you talking to?
-->'''Jake''': (''Points to the audience'') This guy right here, (''cut to showing him looking at his reflection'') he totally gets it! See how he's nodding?
* FreezeFrameBonus:

--> ''(Reggie approaches an old turkey mumbling to himself.)''
--> '''Reggie:'' Looks like it's just you and me.
--> '''Old Turkey:''' Beat it, weirdo! ''(continues mumbling to himself.)''

* ItsAllMyFault: Reggie says this after [[spoiler: the turkeys' home is destroyed, with many captured and the chief dying (as mentioned above)]].

* KillItWithFire: For some reason, fire is the preferred weapon of the guards at the facility Reggie and Jake invade. Perhaps it's to cook them?

* PowderTrail: [[spoiler:Jake accidentally leaves one that leads the pilgrims to the turkey's hideout.]]
* RushmoreRefacement: The epilogue showed a photograph of Mount Rushmore [[spoiler:with a turkey joining the Presidents]].

--> [[spoiler: '''Jake''': Have you heard about the TURDUCKEN?]]

* ShoutOut: From the trailer, while the turkeys shoot flaming pumpkins at the Indians:
-->'''Native American''': Those are some [[VideoGame/AngryBirds angry birds]].
** Also, the scene where Jake steals Standish's powder horn is reminiscent of [[Film/{{RAIDERSOFTHELOSTARK}} Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark]].

* TroubledBackstoryFlashback: Jake- [[spoiler: he grew up in a factory farm, attempted to escape with unhatched eggs in order to start a new flock, but [[MyGreatestFailure couldn't get the eggs through the fence]]]].

-->'''Guard''': Control, we have a contaminant.
-->'''Control''': Copy that, what type, Agent?
-->'''Guard''': Turkey, sir. How do we address it?
-->'''Control''': Uh, with cranberry sauce.
-->'''Both''': ...hehehehehehehe.
-->'''Guard''': -but seriously.
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler: Reggie and the other turkeys call out Jake when he unintentionally reveals their location to the Pilgrims (due to a gunpowder trail he accidentally left when they blew up the weapons shack).]]

* RedHeadedHero: Inverted with Reggie- he's the only non-redhead in the 'present times' scenes. There's more variety in the past though.

* SapientEatSapient: Turkeys have enough intelligence to '''travel through freaking time''', but evidently just informing the humans of their sapience via written language or other shows of intelligence is simply not an option from the get-go.

->''[[TagLine The greatest]] [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative turkey movie]] [[TagLine of all time]]!''

* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler: Reggie and the other turkeys call out Jake when he unintentionally reveals their location to the Pilgrims (thanks to a gunpowder trail he accidentally left when they blew up the weapons shack).]]

* ThisIsAWorkOfFiction: "The following film is a work of fiction. It is loosely based on historical and is in no way meant to be historically accurate. Except for the talking turkeys. That part is totally real."

* ThisIsAWorkOfFiction: "The following film is a work of fiction. It is loosely based on historical and is in no way meant to be historically accurate. Except for the talking turkeys. They were totally real."

* TheNativeRival: Jake and Ranger are both the BoisterousBruiser, DumbMuscle type, and Ranger doesn't appreciate Jake showing up suggesting war to a peaceful flock. They don't see eye-to-eye, at least at first.
* PlotHole: When Reggie goes back (forward?) to his own time, he meets two other versions of himself that are from the future, but none of them know that they are the Great Turkey and it takes STEVE to figure it out, how did the other versions not know if they were him from the future? Then at the end of the movie Reggie stays with the flock in the past, so how did those future Reggie's travel back in time to meet their former self, and if they were (are whatever!) the Reggie we see now, how did they not know they were the great turkey?