Angry Birds Toons reimagines the mobile gaming icons as characters who aren’t actually very angry.
Angry Birds is, to date, available on mobile platforms, consoles, T-Shirts, plushies, and even National Geographic collections. Most folks in the industry would call that a mainstream success, although technically two ingredients are still missing. First of all, Angry Birds needs a feature film, which Rovio Entertainment is already working on. The second thing would be an animated cartoon series to draw in new audiences, which Rovio will be launching this Saturday. On March 16, Angry Birds Toons will reintroduce mobile gaming’s icons to fans young and old, even if their trademark anger seems lacking… at least until Pigs show up to take their eggs.
Viewers approaching the series to watch birds fling themselves at a Pig Fortress will probably be disasppointed. Angry Birds Toons, like other family-friendly reimaginings of toy properties, instead expands the game’s setting to depict the day-to-day antics of its various characters. For that reason, we’ll see Blue Birds attempting to play music and ride a skateboard, Chuck the Yellow going out for a jog, and Bomb Bird exploding when provoked (okay, so it’s accurate in that respect). Naturally, the hated Pigs will have a significant role as they find increasingly creative ways to steal eggs on a weekly basis.
Even if iPhone games aren’t your thing, it’s hard to imagine any mobile property better suited for a cartoon than Angry Birds. The series is practically a guaranteed success based on name recognition alone, and it’s likely each of Rovio’s planned 52 episodes will draw in record numbers. Angry Birds Toons will air first on international broadcast television stations this Saturday, and on the US-based Comcast Xfinity channel the following day. For those who prefer to stick with mobile platforms, the cartoon will also “air” on a new Angry Birds Toons channel within the Angry Birds app.
