Birdz

Birdz is a 2018 American 3D computer-animated musical comedy film produced by Frenzy Animation for Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies and was released by Paramount Pictures, with animation handled by Reel FX Creative Studios and Mikros Image. It was directed by Tim Hill and Nathan Greno from a screenplay by Chris Matheson, Etan Cohen, Yoni Brenner, and David Lindsay-Abaire, and a story by Aubrey Solomon and stars the voices of Ben Schwartz, Zendaya, James Corden, Keegan-Michael Key, Dwayne Johnson, Danny DeVito, Anna Kendrick, Jack Black, Bobby Cannavale, Emma Stone, and Neil Patrick Harris. The plot follows a group of birds who never left their home, come across a whole village full of humans, where the birds must try to fit in and must try not to get caught by bird hunters.

Birdz was released in the United States and United Kingdom on August 17, 2018, in RealD 3D and Dolby Cinema formats. It received mixed reviews from critics, but it was a box office success, grossing over $394 million worldwide, against a budget of $90 million. A sequel is scheduled to be released on December 10, 2021.

Plot
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Voice cast
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Production
In April 2014, Paramount Pictures and Frenzy Animation announced the film, as appropriately joked as the Untitled Bird Project. A release date was not set at that time. In June 2015, Frenzy Animation announced that it would be titled Birdz, with Disney veterans Mark Dindal and Nathan Greno directing from the screenplay by Chris Matheson, Yoni Brenner, and David Lindsay-Abaire. In May 2016, it was announced that Mark Dindal had stepped down as director, leaving Nathan Greno as the film's sole director. By August 2016, Tim Hill was announced as the main director.

On January 16, 2017, it was announced that the film was in-production with Ben Schwartz, Zendaya, James Corden, Dwayne Johnson, and Elizabeth Banks providing the lead voice roles. The film was animated at Reel FX Creative Studios and Mikros Image Montreal and was utilized Autodesk Maya for the animation process. On February 4, 2018, Nickelodeon Movies confirmed that they would be co-producing the film.

Music
The score for the film was composed by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe. The film originally had no songs until six months into production when the suggestion of making the film a musical came from Paramount CEO Jim Gianopulos.

Release
Birdz premiered on August 1, 2018 at the Regency Village Theater, and was released in the United States on August 17, 2018 by Paramount Pictures in 3D, RealD 3D, and Dolby Cinema. In June 2015, Paramount scheduled the film for a February 2, 2018 release. In March 2017, the release date had been moved up to July 6, 2018. But in September 2017, It was moved to June 22, 2018. By March 2018, it was moved up to August 17. The studio had also hinted back in January 2018 that a simultaneous IMAX release was a possibility. However, Paramount Pictures and Frenzy Animation, the film's production company, was on too tight a budget to release Birdz in IMAX.

Marketing

 * The official teaser for the film was released on October 11, 2017, and was shown during screenings of Sunnie, Doodle Toons, Daddy's Home 2, The Star, Coco, Lix, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Paddington 2.
 * The first official trailer for the film was released on February 7, 2018, and was shown during screenings of Peter Rabbit, Early Man, Dusk and Dawn: A Zodiacal Night, and A Wrinkle in Time.
 * The second official trailer was released on April 22, 2018, and was shown before Avengers: Infinity War, Show Dogs, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Computeropolis: The Deep Web, Incredibles 2, Cool Spot, and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.

Home media
Birdz was released on Digital HD on iTunes, Movies Anywhere, Microsoft Store, Vudu and Amazon Prime on October 30, 2018. It was released on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, and digital copy on November 13, 2018. The film was later released on the IMAX Enhanced format only on the FandangoNow digital service in early 2020.

Box office
Birdz has grossed $125.2 million in the United States and Canada and $269.1 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $394.3 million.

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 51% based on 450 reviews, with a rating of 5.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, Birdz' talented cast, glimmers of wit, and flashes of visual inventiveness can't make up for a thin premise and a fowl willingness to settle for any flattered jokes." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those under 18 (who made up 41% of the attendance) gave it an "A" while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 76% overall positive score and a 71% "definite recommend".