Red is back. Except this time, the chip on his shoulder has competition from something far more exhausting than pigs stealing eggs. Parenthood.
Paramount Pictures just released the trailer for ‘The Angry Birds Movie 3’, and the angle is clear from the opening seconds. Red, voiced once again by Jason Sudeikis, is no longer just an angry bird with a temper problem. He is an angry bird with three kids and a temper problem that parenting has somehow made worse.
The trailer leans hard into one running joke. Red, the same cardinal who once flew into a rage over almost anything, now has to keep his cool around tiny versions of himself who clearly inherited his attitude. At one point in the trailer, Sudeikis delivers the line that sums up the whole premise. “I’m a professional, full-time parent,” he says. “It’s my new job.”
It is a small line, but it tells you everything about where this franchise is headed. Less island warfare, more sleepless nights.
Who is coming back?
This is not a reboot with a brand new cast trying to find its footing. The franchise is bringing back its core group, and that matters for a series people already have an emotional shorthand for.
Sudeikis returns as Red. Josh Gad is back as Chuck, the fast-talking yellow bird who never seems to slow down. Danny McBride returns as Bomb, and Rachel Bloom is back as Silver. Together, this group has carried two films already, and the trailer suggests they are leaning on that chemistry again, just with a parenting twist this time.
New voices joining the flock
The cast list for this third installment is long, and it includes a few names that might raise eyebrows for reasons that have nothing to do with acting credits.
Joining the returning cast are Emma Myers, Walker Scobell, Marcello Hernandez, Tim Robinson, Lily James, Keke Palmer, Anna Cathcart, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Nikki Glaser, Sam Richardson and James Austin Johnson. Then there is MrBeast.
Yes, the YouTuber known for elaborate stunts and giveaways is lending his voice to an animated bird movie. So are his frequent collaborators Salish Matter and Psalm West. It is an unusual pairing on paper, animated sequel meets internet personality, but it also signals how far franchises are willing to reach to pull in younger audiences who grew up watching YouTube as much as cable.
Behind the camera
John Rice is directing the film, working from a script written by Thurop Van Orman.
The film comes from Rovio Entertainment and Sega, working alongside Prime Focus Studios. Flywheel Media, One Cool Group and Dentsu round out the partnership behind the project. It is based on the mobile game that, at this point, barely needs an introduction.
When you can see it
The Angry Birds Movie 3 is set for a December 23 release in theaters. That puts it right in the middle of the holiday movie rush.