Birdz (film)

Birdz is a 2018 American computer-animated musical comedy film produced by Frenzy Animation for Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies, with animation handled by Reel FX Creative Studios and Mikros Image. It was directed by Tim Hill and Nathan Greno from a screenplay by Chris Matheson, Etan Cohen, Yoni Brenner, and David Lindsay-Abaire, and a story by Aubrey Solomon and Erica Rivinoja and stars the voices of Ben Schwartz, Zendaya, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Dwayne Johnson, Danny DeVito, Kristen Schaal, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Emma Stone, and Neil Patrick Harris. The plot follows a bird named Bryan who is convinced their enclosed mountain home is nearby a whole village full of humans, has to prove to his tribe that it does exist, with the help of an inspiring bird society, and an obnoxious, lost bird named Abby, the team set out to find the true cause of these humans. Along the way, Bryan learns and encounters many epic things across vast landscapes about his species and his world.

Birdz was released by Paramount Pictures in the United States and United Kingdom on August 17, 2018, in RealD 3D and Dolby Cinema formats. It received mixed reviews from critics, but it was a box office success, grossing over $394 million worldwide, against a budget of $90 million. A sequel, titled Birdz: The Hidden Village, is scheduled to be released on December 10, 2021.

Plot
Coming soon!

Voice cast
Coming soon!
 * Ben Schwartz as Bryan, a young adventurous red bird.
 * Zendaya as Belle, a beautiful pink bird who is the princess of Bird Village.
 * James Corden as Jack Turnbull, a human explorer who finds Bird Village.
 * Anna Kendrick as Abby, an obnoxious yellow bird who sometimes forgets her memory.
 * Jack Black as Melvin, a fat, lazy, and dumbfounded blue bird.

Loopers

 * Steve Alterman
 * Rajia Baroudi
 * Susan Boyajian
 * Ranjani Brow
 * Edita Brychta
 * William Calvert
 * Elisa Gabrielli
 * Wendy Hoffmann
 * Karen Huie
 * Sean Kenin
 * Ashley Lambert
 * Marcella Lentz-Pope
 * Heidi Brook Myers
 * Jacqueline Piñol
 * Moira Quirk
 * Alix Wilton Regan
 * Darren Richardson
 * Cindy Robinson
 * Michelle Ruff
 * Stephanie Sheh
 * Matthew Wolf

Production
In April 2014, Paramount Pictures and Frenzy Animation announced the film, as appropriately joked as the Untitled Bird Project. A release date was not set at that time. In June 2015, Frenzy Animation announced that it would be titled Birdz, with Disney veterans Mark Dindal and Nathan Greno directing from the screenplay by Chris Matheson, Yoni Brenner, and David Lindsay-Abaire. In May 2016, it was announced that Mark Dindal had stepped down as director, leaving Nathan Greno as the film's sole director. By August 2016, Tim Hill was announced as the main director.

On January 16, 2017, it was announced that the film was in-production with Ben Schwartz, Zendaya, James Corden, Dwayne Johnson, and Anna Kendrick providing the lead voice roles. The film was animated at Reel FX Creative Studios and Mikros Image Montreal and was utilized Autodesk Maya for the animation process. On February 4, 2018, Nickelodeon Movies confirmed that they would be co-producing the film.

Music
The score for the film was composed by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe. The film originally had no songs until six months into production when the suggestion of making the film a musical came from Paramount CEO Jim Gianopulos.

Release
Birdz premiered on August 1, 2018 at the Regency Village Theater, and was released in the United States on August 17, 2018 by Paramount Pictures in 3D, RealD 3D, and Dolby Cinema. A short film titled SpongeBob & Patrick in: Jumpin' Jellyfish was shown in front of Birdz in its theatrical release.

In June 2015, Paramount scheduled the film for a February 16, 2018 release. In March 2017, the release date had been moved up to July 6, 2018. But in September 2017, It was moved to June 22, 2018. By February 2018, it was moved up to August 17. The studio had also hinted back in January 2018 that a simultaneous IMAX release was a possibility. However, Paramount Pictures and Frenzy Animation, the film's production company, was on too tight a budget to release Birdz in IMAX.

Marketing

 * The official teaser for the film was released on September 28, 2017, and was shown during screenings of Sunnie, The Star, Coco, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Paddington 2.
 * The first official trailer for the film was released on March 7, 2018, and was shown during screenings of A Wrinkle in Time, Willow, Sherlock Gnomes, and Show Dogs
 * The second official trailer was released on May 30, 2018, and was shown before Cool Spot, Incredibles 2, and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, and Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.

Home media
Birdz was released on Digital HD on iTunes, Movies Anywhere, Microsoft Store, Vudu and Amazon Prime on October 30, 2018. It was released on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, and digital copy on November 13, 2018. The film was later released on the IMAX Enhanced format only on the FandangoNow digital service in early 2020.

Box office
Birdz has grossed $125.2 million in the United States and Canada and $269.1 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $394.3 million.

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 46% based on 146 reviews, with a rating of 5.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, Birdz's talented cast, glimmers of wit, and flashes of visual inventiveness can't make up for a thin premise and a fowl willingness to settle for any flattered humor." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 44 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those under 18 (who made up 41% of the attendance) gave it an "A" while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 76% overall positive score and a 71% "definite recommend".

Sequel

 * Main article: Birdz: The Hidden Village