Free Birds - C

Rated PG, 91 minutes

Unoriginal "Free Birds" pleasantly flies with energy

Owen Wilson and Amy Poehler

The fun but unoriginal new animated movie "Free Birds" is hardly anything new, but it moves along so pleasantly and is so charmingly voiced you can overlook its flaws. After being pardoned by the President of the United States, Reggie the Turkey (Owen Wilson) lives a comfortable life at Camp David enjoying pizza and telenovelas. On the other hand, athletic Jake (Woody Harrelson) is the president and the only member of Turkeys Liberation Front. Jake kidnaps Reggie and they travel back in time to the first Thanksgiving to prevent turkeys from becoming the traditional holiday meal. Directed and co-written by Jimmy Hayward of "Horton Hears a Who," "Free Birds" is as happy, predictable and enjoyable as a Thanksgiving meal: you've seen it before many times and is mildly satisfying but unmemorable. Wilson, along with Harrelson and Amy Poehler, all provide humorous voicing as turkeys, while the most inspired voice belongs to "Star Trek's" George Takei, as Steve, the time-traveling egg. The plot is as thin as giblet gravy and seemingly borrowed from many other movies, including "Star Trek," "Back to the Future" and in the finale, even "Braveheart" and peppered with some moments of adult humor that will fly over the heads of the kids. Still, the younger set shouldn't mind, and it flies along energetically and colorfully, with enough laughs to keep them engaged for a moment or two. "Free Birds" isn't on the level of Pixar though you may think twice about what you eat for Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Wes's Grade: C