Rio [2011]

Rio is the sixth animated movie coming to us from Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age, Robots, Horton Hears A Who…), and with such a talented crew of writers and animators it could not fail. Set in the colorful and vibrant city of Rio de Janeiro during its  Carnival (I guess they forgot all the hookers and sex in the streets), this movie is visually beautiful and a pleasure to watch. I checked it out in 3D and there were some phenomenal scenes (the one on the beach is by far the best). The story is pretty much usual for this type of movie, our main character must overcome some obstacles, personal issues and find love during the process. And I liked the fact that the story sheds light on the extinction of species, smuggling and some not very nice things. The director, Carlos Saldanha, tried to incorporate more music in this movie than in his Ice Age series, which I did not like so much, but judging from the reaction of the people in the theater, it was a good decision.

After being captured by smugglers, by some fortunate event, Blu, a Spix’s Macaw is found by a caring girl called Linda. In her loving home he feels secure, pretty much not caring about the outside world. But Blu is not an ordinary bird, he did not learn to fly, so he must use his wits and beak more often than other birds. Also he’s the last male specimen of his species (now there’s a dream I can dream…), and when scientist from Brazil, Túlio tells Linda that fact two of them realize that they must take him to Rio de Janeiro where he will try to prolong the existence of his species with another Spix’s Macaw (that is of course a female). But that will prove to be a tougher job than they imagined… With a lot of side characters that are quite funny and amusing and catchy songs this movie is very fun to watch, so check it out as soon as you can.

Director: Carlos Saldanha

Cast: Leslie Mann, Jesse Eisenberg, Wanda Sykes, Will i Am (Yes, You Will), Jamie Foxx

Fun Facts: In February 2011, the MPAA gave the film a PG rating for “mild off-color humor”, the movie was altered and then received a G rating

Rating:

IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1436562/