One of the weirder animated films of the last few years,  Free Birds tells the "almost true" story of a President-pardoned Thanksgiving turkey named Reggie (Owen Wilson) who ends up traveling back in time to the age of the pilgrims to ensure that turkeys never become the meat of choice on a certain November holiday.

Free Birds is a goofy and sometimes absurd comedy adventure that by no means is the smartest, prettiest or most entertaining animated film of the year, but is fun enough to satisfy little children. Most of the humor relies on physical comedy, and the movie itself relies on a fast pace and zany storytelling to gloss over its shortcomings.

When given the rare chance to stop and think about it, Free Birds is actually pretty stupid and doesn't have a lot going for it; the movie isn't particularly clever nor a very memorable hook. Owen Wilson, who has a pretty distinctive voice, is largely wasted, as other the other cast members (Woody Harrelson, Amy Poehler and George Takei). I stopped caring by the end.

Nonetheless, Free Birds is fairly harmless; it's not the most mind-numbing of kid's movies for parents to watch, and indiscriminate children will find plenty to enjoy. After all, it has talking animals, time travel, explosions and talking animals.

Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.