On a remote island populated only by birds, Red (Suideikis) is an outcast because of his independent thinking. Ordered to take anger management classes taught by new age guru Matilda (Rudolph), he distracts his fellow students: hyperactive Chuck (Gad), explosive Bomb (McBride) and strong-silent Terence (Penn). Then the pig Leonard (Hader) arrives on the island, introducing new technology as he plans a huge party for the birds. But Red questions his motivations, and takes Chuck and Bomb in search of the mythical Mighty Eagle (Dinklage), the only bird on the island who ever flew.

For most of its running time, it's difficult to see this as a kids' movie. There are long stretches of absurd dialog that have little to do with the plot, and much of the humour centres on innuendo. Jokes about excretion and anatomy sometimes seem very racy, but they'll keep youngsters giggling. And the rapid-fire puns will appeal to adults. Still, the political message might be cause for concern: the entire plot hinges on the danger of ignoring warnings that arriving strangers shouldn't be trusted. Thankfully there are also comments about thinking for yourself and avoiding hero worship.

Of course, where this goes is deeply silly. The iconic phone-app game finally makes its way into the story in the climactic birds-versus-pigs battle sequence, which gets somewhat violent if you think about it, even with its exaggerated whizz-bang visuals. And it helps that the characters are so likeable, strongly voiced to bring out edgy personalities all around, especially when they're required to get angry. But they're also engaging in the more sentimental moments later on.

It's great to see an animated feature so gleefully avoid the standard conventions of the genre, finding witty visual and verbal gags in the most unexpected places. It also has relentlessly snappy pacing, which makes terrific use of the detailed animation. So try to ignore the "sometimes you need to get angry" and "be wary of immigrants" messages. This movie is deranged enough to keep both young kids and grown-ups entertained. Sometimes that means staring at the screen in disbelief at a particularly near-the-knuckle gag.

themes, vulgarity, violence

7.May.16