They don’t look that angry...

THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE | We cast an eagle eye over footage from next year’s biggest (non-superhero) clash…

Next May, one of the great mysteries of modern times will finally be solved: what ruffled the Angry Birds’ feathers? Speaking at a sneak peek of the adap of the app, producer John Cohen said: “The question we get asked most is: ‘Why are the birds so angry?’ This movie will be the origin story of how that conflict came to exist.”

With three billion downloads and counting, there’s a ready-made audience for the upsizing from smartphone to silver screen. Which probably explains why Sony is super-keen for secrets not to leak from the 15-odd minutes of footage screened. Hopefully it won’t get anyone in a flap to say that one particularly closely guarded character reveal is worth the wait and squawkingly funny. Other scenes were expansions of what you’ve seen in the trailer, highlighting Red (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) as the angriest of all birds, living on a paradise island populated by his flightless brethren, whose collective nest is invaded by – who else? – a gang of green pigs.

We also got a gander at other key characters – Chuck ( Josh Gad), Bomb (Danny McBride), Matilda (Maya Rudolph) and Leonard (Bill Hader); as the roster of talent suggests, this is a movie pitched squarely at the funny bone, with nods and winks to the grown-ups alongside comedy explosions (that’ll be Bomb) for the kids.

Though it’s first time for both co-directors (Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly), between them they’ve got a flock of major cartoon credits, including Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph, The Iron Giant and Tangled. Writer Jon Vitti, meanwhile, is a veteran of The Simpsons, the US version of The Office and The Larry Sanders Show, suggesting a generous measure of snark and smarts as well as slapstick. But most intriguing? Cohen teases a rescue plot like something performed by Liam Neeson in Taken. Now that is angry. ML

ETA | 13 May The Angry Birds Movie opens next year.