The Angry Birds Movie
Here's what we found in The Angry Birds Movie. Every family is different — get a report that reflects yours.
Screen for YOUR familyParent's Guide to The Angry Birds Movie
The Angry Birds Movie (2016) is an animated action-comedy film based on the popular mobile game. It delves into the origin story of the conflict between the flightless birds of Bird Island and the green pigs. The narrative centers on Red, an outcast with anger management issues, whose cynical nature becomes instrumental when mysterious pigs arrive and threaten the birds' eggs. The movie follows Red, alongside his friends Chuck and Bomb, as they uncover the pigs' scheme and lead the birds in a retaliatory effort. Aimed at a family audience, particularly fans of the game, the film blends slapstick humor and cartoon violence with underlying themes of acceptance, friendship, and harnessing one's unique qualities for good.
Things to Consider
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
The film includes subtle allusions to LGBTQ+ themes and characters. One character, Chuck, is portrayed with characteristics described by some reviewers as a "campy sort-of gay stereotype" and is noted to have a "leather-daddy fantasy" involving Mighty Eagle. Additionally, the character Stella is identified as a lesbian within the movie's continuity, and background elements hint at same-sex couples, with a GLAAD report noting animated birds holding hands.
Violence
The movie features frequent cartoonish and slapstick violence, including explosions, property destruction, and large-scale battles, but generally without graphic gore or lasting injuries. The central conflict involves birds attacking pigs to retrieve stolen eggs, with violence being a primary method for resolving the conflict.
Romance and Sexual Content
The film includes mild sexual references, suggestive humor, and partial nudity, predominantly in the form of innuendo and crude jokes rather than explicit content. These elements contribute to the film's 'rude humor' descriptor.
Profanity
The movie contains mild profanity and crude language, including terms that sound like swearing, name-calling, and various instances of potty humor. These are generally used for comedic effect.
Substance Use
The movie includes several instances of substance use, primarily involving alcohol and the inhalation of helium, generally depicted casually or in a comedic context rather than highlighting addiction or severe consequences.
Scary & Intense Content
The film features frightening scenes and intense animated action, which may be disturbing for younger children. These include frequent slapstick injuries, large explosions, and scenes involving the threat of harm to the unhatched eggs, creating moments of peril.
Disrespect & Rebellion
The main character, Red, initially exhibits significant disrespect and rebellious behavior due to his anger issues, clashing with the cheerful bird community and authority figures. While this is a central theme leading to his character development, his initial actions model defiance and questioning of established norms.
Anti-Christian Themes
The film does not contain explicit anti-Christian themes. However, some Christian reviews interpreted certain character portrayals, particularly Chuck's characteristics, as offensive. Additionally, the depiction of Mighty Eagle as a flawed, lazy 'deity' figure whom the birds initially revere but who turns out to be ineffective could be interpreted by some as implicitly critical of blind faith in a higher power without personal action.
Witchcraft & Occult
No explicit themes of witchcraft, sorcery, occult practices, or demonic elements were found in the movie. The narrative focuses on action and comedy without supernatural or mystical plot devices, magic rituals, spells, or interactions with supernatural entities.
“The Angry Birds Movie (2016)” presents a mixed bag for Christian parents, offering some positive themes alongside significant content concerns. Core messages include the importance of acceptance, friendship, and leveraging one's unique qualities, even anger, for a greater good. The film suggests that while unchecked anger is problematic (hence Red's anger management classes), righteous anger can be a necessary catalyst for defending the innocent and confronting injustice, echoing biblical concepts like "be angry and do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26). Characters like Red are ultimately rewarded for using their distinct traits, even their anger, to protect their community, especially the vulnerable eggs representing children. This highlights a strong family value of protecting innocent life. However, the film's resolution of conflict primarily through destructive means and the glorification of anger as a tool for justice can send mixed messages about appropriate responses to wrongdoing. Some critics also argue that characters don't always demonstrate genuine growth or accountability for negative behaviors, beyond Red's initial court-mandated therapy. The worldview presented leans towards a pragmatic relativism regarding emotions, particularly anger, positioning it as a potentially valuable tool rather than solely a vice. The birds' initial naive pacifism is critiqued, suggesting a need for discernment and active resistance against evil. Elements of redemption are present in Red's journey from outcast to hero, gaining community acceptance through self-sacrificial actions to save the eggs. However, themes of grace or forgiveness toward the antagonists are largely absent, favoring a retaliatory approach. While not explicitly Christian, the film includes a "Mighty Eagle" figure revered as a deity or ancestral protector, whose portrayal is complex; he is initially a flawed, narcissistic figure, leading to a lesson about not blindly trusting past authorities or ideologies. Some reviewers, however, interpret Mighty Eagle's eventual intervention as a representation of God intervening at the right time. Christian parents should also be aware of the film's significant reliance on low-brow, crude humor, and sexual innuendo, including suggestive dialogue and visual gags, which may contradict values of wholesome entertainment and speech.
Additional Context
Best For Ages
The MPAA rated The Angry Birds Movie (2016) as PG for rude humor and action. Various parental reviews suggest it is not suitable for children under 6 due to animated violence, frightening scenes, crude humor, and sexual references, recommending parental guidance for ages 6-8. Therefore, an overall age recommendation of 8+ is appropriate for this film.
Good to Know
The film received mixed reviews from critics but generally positive reception from audiences, scoring a 'B+' on CinemaScore. Parents should be aware of the consistent presence of crude humor, animated violence, and subtle suggestive content, which led some reviewers to suggest a PG-13 rating would have been more appropriate for very young or sensitive children. While 'The Angry Birds Movie' is a standalone narrative, later installments in the franchise, such as 'The Angry Birds Movie 2,' may shift themes, for example, moving towards a union of birds and pigs.
What are you watching next?
Screen any title in seconds — even ones no one else has reviewed.
No credit card required — join hundreds of families