THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 2 / CERT: U / DIRECTOR: THUROP VAN ORMAN, JOHN RICE / SCREENPLAY: PETER ACKERMAN, EYAL PODELL / STARRING: JASON SUDEIKIS, JOSH GAD, LESLIE JONES / RELEASE DATE: 2ND DECEMBER
When the first Angry Birds movie catapulted onto movie screens in 2016, it already felt about three years too late. That said, against the odds, Rovio managed to pull off the almost impossible by making an acceptably entertaining kids’ movie with a heart. Question is, could they possibly do it again?
Well, yes. Mostly. Angry Birds 2 pulls that tried and tested trope of throwing our protagonists and antagonists from the first film together to fight against a common cause. As a series of massive ice balls begin bombarding both Bird Island and Pig Island, they’re forced to join forces to find out what’s going on, and why. Joining them on the ride is Mighty Eagle… well, that is until he realises that its his jilted ex-fiance Zeta who has it in for him.
There’s more meat on this bird than you might expect, thanks to a clever reverse hero’s journey for Red and a welcome pro-girl element in to Chuck’s overlooked sister, Silver. And then there’s the Hatchlings who get their own side-plot that’s all filler, but fun and charming nonetheless.
A collection of seasonal shorts are included on the Blu-ray, capitalising on the appeal of the Hatchlings, exploiting Christmas, Easter, Mother’s and Father’s Day and even Take Your Kids to Work Day! A Mini Movie where Silver tries live streaming is also included, to relate to the kids of today. DIY Fun includes a live-action cooking show for Hangry Birds that shows you how to make popcorn, as well as Exploding Volcano and Pig Snot tuition. Bird Watching takes a trip to the LA Zoo to see Angry Birds’ inspiration (sure) while Meet the New Birds and Pigs gives you that expected behind the scenes look at the newer characters and the actors who voice them.
Hatching the Hatchlings delves into Angry Birds’ version of the Minions and how they tried to create them as both the cutest thing you’ve ever seen but also, at times, seemingly psychopathic. Flocking Together is an 11-minute ‘Making of’ that delves into the character design, and finishes with a lovely segment on how children should just keep drawing if they want to become animators. Finally, Happy ThanksPigging throws a random curveball towards the American holiday with a mixture of clips from the film and stock footage, and Jingle Birds forces two of the voice cast to collectively sing an Angry Birds version of the Christmas classic.
