‘The Angry Birds Movie’: How Rovio turned its hit game into an animated film

For the first time in franchise history, the eponymous Angry Birds can walk and talk. And they’re using their new social skills to try and take over Hollywood.

The Angry Birds Movie (out in theaters now) is the next big step in Rovio Entertainment’s multimedia conquest. The original Angry Birds game came out for iOS and Android phones in 2009, and its massive popularity helped usher in a mobile gaming industry that is worth $36.9 billion. In addition to making over a dozen spin-offs and sequels, the success pushed Rovio to bring its avian mascots outside of gaming with a ton of licensed merchandise and a cartoon series.