Over the years Hollywood has turned bestselling video games into blockbuster franchises, not every adaptation is a success and in recent years even boardgames have been weaved into a motion picture. So in these app-happy times the first movie to be based on an app has found its directors in the shape of longtime animators Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reily.

Angry Birds has been nothing short of a worldwide phenomenon so an animated film version was always going to be a possibility. Rovio Entertainment (the company who make the app) have partnered with Sony Pictures who will market and distribute the finished film. 

Clay Kaytis animating credits include Wreck-It Ralph and the forthcoming Disney release Frozen, Fergal Reily worked as a storyboard artist on Hotel Transylvania and The Smurfs but this will mark their first directorial gig.

CEO of Rovio Entertainment Mikael Hed spoke positively about the creative duo and what they will add to the movie; “I’m very excited that Fergal and Clay have joined us, bringing with them their vast expertise. “They are two of the brightest rising talents in animation, and I’m confident we are building the right team to tell the story of Angry Birds and deliver an amazing movie experience to our fans.”

Like every third person in the world I too was hopelessly addicted to Angry Birds for quite some time, with its regular updates and specials the makers did a good job of taking a very basic concept and maintaining the interest of millions. A full length film might seem like a needless extension of the franchise, but as Rovio have already had huge success with their weekly animated series which was launched back in March. More than one billion views have been logged across all the episodes so far, that would indicate that there is a massive audience for the movie and if it’s a hit there will be a wave of new films based on best-selling apps.