Ever since Rovio Entertainment brought the Angry Birds to life in 2009, a sort of mania has surrounded the concept. People were immediately drawn to the endeavour of catapulting rotund birds into towering structures, then celebrating when said structures collapsed. Though first released for Apple iOS, the game quickly spread to a multitude of operating systems over the years and a variety of Angry Birds games has since become available for eager fans to choose from.

Today Angry Birds continues to draw in old and new fans alike, taking its simplistic gaming concept to new levels of success. As of July 2015, all the games in the series have collectively been downloaded more than three billion times and counting. Thanks to the games’ appeal to people of all ages, Rovio has been able to maintain a vast and continuously growing empire. Aside from the games, Angry Birds merchandise can be found in everything from socks to plush dolls and beyond – it isn’t just a game anymore.

All that being said, it makes perfect sense that the next logical step would be a movie. The forthcoming The Angry Birds Movie has been common knowledge for quite some time now and fans got a taste of what’s in store when the first teaser trailer was released back in September 2015. Now, as the holiday season approaches, Sony Pictures has released a quick reminder that The Angry Birds Movie is still on its way.

The clip has nothing much to do with the actual film, other than showcasing a handful of the young Hatchling characters as they try to organise themselves and sing the perennial holiday favourite, "Deck The Halls". Things fall apart pretty early on for the baby birds, leaving them standing still in awkward silence.

Angry Birds Hatchlings

The Angry Birds Movie promises viewers the opportunity to discover exactly why these birds are so angry. Red, Chuck and Bomb have always been the least happy birds on an island filled with carefree, jolly birds. One day when mysterious green piggies arrive, the three outcast birds take it upon themselves to investigate exactly what it is that’s going on. From a comedic standpoint, the cast is quite stellar: Jason Sudeikis (Horrible Bosses 2), Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down), Josh Gad (Pixels), Bill Hader (Trainwreck) and Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live) are just a few of the talents involved.

Sony’s expectations for the film are high and for good reason – the birds will undoubtedly score big returns at the box-office and go on to produce numerous sequels, much to the delight of its fanbase. Others might find the entire concept more than a little too saccharine, and Sony’s insistence that the Hatchlings in the above video “will probably become your newest obsession” reeks of a confidence that some might find cloying. Fortunately for Sony, the studio has locked on to one of the closest things to a guaranteed moneymaker there is in 3D animation. The Angry Birds have long since proven their commercial viability – now it’s Sony’s turn to reap those rewards.

The Angry Birds Movie will be released in U.S. theaters on May 20th, 2016.

Source: Sony Pictures