We saw Rio this weekend (I know, we were a couple weeks late). Admittedly, this was not my choice. I'm actually glad we saw it though because it was a good animated film. It wasn't as cheesy as I expected and in truth, the storyline was more in depth then I had initially anticipated.
For those who don't know about this film:
Its a 20th Century Fox animated film. It follows a Blue Macaw named (of all things) Blu (voice by Jessie Eisenberg). He was snatched from his natural home (in Rio) before he was properly aged. Certain circumstances brought him to be owned by a sweet girl (now all grown up) Linda who grew up with and raised Blu as a domesticated bird. Blu was taken at such an early age that he never learned to fly but that wasn't a handicap as he found creative ways of getting around. Well, an Ornithologist from Rio comes and visits Linda & Blu in Minnesota (where they reside). He tells Linda that Blu is thought to be the last male of his kind and he would like them to accompany him back to Rio so Blu can mate with the last known female blue Macaw. After careful consideration Linda agrees to this trip. They soon find themselves in Rio where Blu meets Jewel (female Macaw) who really has no interest in Blu. Jewel (voice of Anne Hathaway) was once a free flying bird and wants that life back. Again, certain circumstances find the two birds being kidnapped from the lab by locals who intend to sell them to the highest bidder. Blu and Jewel begin their journey to freedom and Blu just wants to get back to Linda. Along the way they meet many memorable characters with voices provided by: Jamie Foxx, George Lopez, Tracey Morgan and many more! The only thing we found to be "off" about the film was that only 1 or 2 of the characters have Brazilian accents. The voice actors weren't asked to provide these characters with "authentic" accents so when the actors speak you know exactly who they are. That was the only negative thing we could find in the movie.
This was a great kids adventure movie and had just the right mix of serious, comedy, quiet and music. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of musical numbers in the movie. I guess I'm just so used to Disney and the "every 15 mins we must break into song" that I just expected that here. The animation was beautiful and the colors were vivid. I imagine it was just like being in Rio at Carnival time! I highly recommend this film for MANY different types of people: looking for a light-hearted film, a family friendly film, bird lovers, in search of clean fun, simple date night, and more that I can't even list!
I rate this film: 8 of 10
Review by Marie
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