On Bird Island, happiness is key, but Red is not happy. That’s
particularly unfortunate, since he works as a clown. At one party, he assaults
an unhappy customer, and accidentally causes that customer’s egg to hatch.
After that outburst, Red is sentenced to anger management class. There, Red
makes friends with others in the class: hyperactive Chuck, explosive Bomb, and
the silent but massive Terence. One day, Bird Island is visited by Leonard, who
claims to be an explorer from Piggy Island. The Birds welcome Leonard, and many
subsequently arriving Pigs, with songs and festivities. Red is suspicious of the
Pigs, but the Birds do not take him seriously. Eventually, Red and his friends
come to learn that the Pigs are intending to abscond with all of the Birds’
eggs. After the Pigs successfully escape with the eggs, the Birds get sad, and
then angry. One suggests “getting busy” to start replacing the stolen eggs, but
Red encourages the Birds to rescue the stolen eggs. Led by Red, they attack the
fortified city of the Pigs, in an attempt to reclaim their stolen eggs.
The Adoption
Connection
One character mentions that Red does not have parents.
Later, Red sees one egg left behind after many have been rescued, and risks his
safety to save it.
This is a story about parents reclaiming their children that
have been unfairly taken away, and although the Pigs are certainly not adoptive
parents, the story might resonate with parents who have had children taken into
foster care, or with parents or children who are sad about the loss of
relationships that they attribute to adoption. The eggs are the Birds’
soon-to-be-born children, and they are loved as eggs. The pigs are only
intending to have a breakfast banquet, but to the birds, the pigs are trying to
steal and eat their babies. Red encourages the Birds to get their eggs back,
saying “They stole your kids; who does that? Have you ever stolen anyone’s kids”?
There is a fertility clinic on Bird Island. Some couples
long for children.
Strong Points
Angry Birds captures the deep love that parents have for
their children, and it can reassure children that their parents will do
anything necessary to keep them safe.
Much like Inside Out showed the valuable role that sadness
can play, Angry Birds shows how anger can be a helpful emotion, if channeled and
directed properly.
Challenges
Some young viewers – especially those who remember being detained
from their birth families – might need parents to help them discern the
difference between their removal from their abusive or negligent home
environments, and what the Pigs try to do. A helpful way to introduce this
thought might sound something like, “it’s usually a child’s parents’ job to
keep the child safe, but sometimes the parents do not do that; then, someone
else steps in to keep the child safe – usually, at first, it’s a social worker,
teacher, or police officer, and then it’s a foster parent or adoptive parent. The
most important thing is to help the child stay safe and taken care of.”
Weak Points
Most kids who have played Angry Birds on their parents’
phones will be familiar with the story, but some very young kids might be
scared by the thought of the Pigs trying to kidnap and eat the Birds’ still-in-the-egg
babies.
Recommendations
The Angry Birds Movie seems most likely to appeal to kids
ages 3-10, plus anyone who’s been particularly addicted to the games. Although
there are some negative connections that some viewers could draw to adoption,
the film seems likely to be enjoyed by most kids. The film can also be
illustrative of a couple worthwhile insights that parents might want to share
with their kids; especially the fact that they’ll do anything to keep their
kids safe.
Questions for
Discussion
When is it helpful to be angry? How can the anger help?
How do you know that your parents will keep you safe?
Which Bird was your favorite?
How could the Birds have guessed that the Pigs weren’t safe?
(For kids who have
been detained) When haven’t you felt safe? When do you feel safe?
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