Not So Free Birds

Children’s Movie Analysis:

               Free Birds (2013)

                              Starring- Woody Harrelson, Owen Wilson, Amy Poehler

                              Plot Synopsis- Two turkeys, Reggie and Jake, must band together to travel back in time to prevent the tradition of turkeys being served on Thanksgiving.

                              Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxslnpqFwOs

Analysis:

               Free Birds is meant to be a lighthearted animated Thanksgiving movie with a naïve obstacle to overcome. At the very beginning of the film, it states “The following film is a work of fiction. It is loosely based on historical events and is in no way meant to be historically accurate. Except for the talking turkeys. They are real.” I thought this was a funny way to open the film, considering there is probably some well-meaning, but uneducated teacher that would play this film as part of their Thanksgiving activities. Reggie is a skinny, clever young turkey that has been pardoned by the president and Jake is a large, alpha turkey with no brains, but a strong drive to complete his mission. They travel back to Plymouth County in 1621, 3 days prior to Thanksgiving. The turkeys that they encounter in this period of time are dressed like stereotypical Indians. They have additional feathers on their head, shell necklaces, and red and blue war paint.

These turkeys are all similar to each other with very little facial characteristics setting them apart. This is a slight version of Tokenism. Tokenism is defined as “A minimal attempt to diversify that is manipulative and degrading and includes little diversity” (Roots and Wings 265 ). There were also examples of sizeism and ageism stereotypes. The big turkeys were stronger and rule over the small turkeys were cowardly and weak. The only elderly turkey that was seen during the film was the High Elder turkey. This character was blind, walked with a cane, and was very forgetful.

Stacey York states that the wise old chief is a common stereotype for Native Americans (Roots and Wings 155). You can see this stereotype in the character Chief Broadbeak. He is holds sway over the turkey masses and is self-sacrificing. What really struck me was when he said “We do not fight, we defend”. I feel as though there is a stereotype that Native Americans are submissive when it comes to fighting and this movie gave that stereotype form.  When the turkeys finally decide to fight back against the pilgrims, they use primitive, sharpened sticks as their weapons.

In the end, the audience is finally introduced to the human versions of the Native Americans for the last 5 minutes of the film wearing the inappropriate clothing for the Wampanoag tribe.

     

They join together with the pilgrims and the turkeys to enjoy pizza that are “a sign from the grandfathers”.

Controversy and Conclusion:

               This film has received very low rating from Rotten Tomatoes (18%) and the International Movie Database (5.9 out of 10). Ultimately, this movie’s attempt at creating a feel-good thanksgiving movie has fallen short of the true story. This movie gives a horribly inaccurate image of the English colonies and the life of the Native Americans. Children will walk away from this film feeling positively about the first Thanksgiving feast, when in fact the story is quite different. I would not recommend this movie at all for an education setting. I would not be upset about the false storyline, if it were not based loosely on real events. This movie’s ageism, sizeism, and blatant stereotypes make this an inappropriate movie for young children.