It is officially November which means it’s time to get in the Thanksgiving spirit!
There is no better way to do that than with the new animated flick Free Birds, featuring the voices of Owen Wilson, Amy Poehler & Woody Harrelson. The flick is an adventurous buddy comedy for audiences of all ages, directed by Jimmy Hayward (Horton Hears a Who!) about two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history – and get turkey off the Thanksgiving menu for good.
We had the chance to sit down with the stars as well as directory Jimmy Hayward at the press conference for the film where they talked all about their favorite Thanksgiving memories, time travel and more.
What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory and dish?
Owen: We would always have a football game on Thanksgiving that would lead to a lot of arguments. The Cowboy game was always on Thanksgiving. And my mom’s stuffing is my favorite…cranberry sauce, apple pie.
Amy: I’ve started a new thing with my kids where we watch a movie on Thanksgiving that we’ve never seen before. Last year we watched the original Willy Wonka, which was great, so maybe this year we’ll watch Free Birds.
How important was it to do a project where you can share it with your kids?
Amy: It’s nice to be able to work on something…I got to show them some of the art from the film and they were really into it. They like the idea, I have two young boys, of the buddy adventure and these two guys traveling together.
Woody: This is the first movie I’ve done that my kids can watch, even the 20-year-old. [laughs] The cool thing was, I asked my 7-year-old, what her favorite movie was, not trying to lead her toward anything, and she goes “Free Birds.”
In the film, Reggie is kind of an outcast. Have you ever felt like an outcast?
Owen: I think just my name, I remember as a kid you just want to fit in and there weren’t a lot of kids named Owen. That was always the first rule I would have in the neighborhood when we would play a game is that you have to have a new name for the game. Mine was always “Jim Johnson.” So I think every kid can kind of relate to that.
If you could travel back in time, what historical time period would you go back to?
Amy: I would just go back to last night and get more sleep. [laughs] Is that short-sighted?
Woody: I kind of like the time period that Owen went back to in Midnight in Paris. That was a fun era.
Owen: This is probably my inner 12-year-old, but I think of dinosaurs and Custer’s last stand. I want to see some action.
If you could use the time machine and travel back to a time in your life, what moment would you want to relive?
Woody: Birth? But talking like you talk now. “Hi mom!”
Amy: I was in a dog run once and I threw two tennis balls up in the air and my lab caught them both in his mouth and everyone clapped. I’d like to see that again.
Woody: Amy, you have the most unexpected trips back. It’s like “last night for sleep” and then “the time I threw balls for my dog.” You get two big opportunities here.
Amy: There’s no shooting too small.
Free Birds is a cute film with a great message and it’s a lot of fun. Be sure to check it out in theaters now.
