Viewed in theaters, May 2011
The films that come from Blue Sky Studios are truly hit-or-miss. The first Ice Age was fantastic. The second one, not so much. Robots is one of the most clever films I've ever seen. The third Ice Age, fuhgeddaboudit. Horton Hears a Who is adorable. Thus, I wasn't too sure about Rio. It could be either way. I was pleasantly satisfied.
Sure, it's no Pixar, but it's infinitely better than, say, Hoodwinked. (*gag*) The visual aspect of the film is breathtaking; Rio de Janiero has never looked so good. The characters are typically silly, but each one is very distinct and engaging. The story progresses quickly, with a soul-searching moment here and there. For the most part, the message is one of, "Be yourself," and "Learn from everyone, loosen up a little!"
Blu is a loyal-to-a-fault blue macaw who lives in Minnesota with his human, a goofy and socially awkward young lady named Linda. One day, an equally goofy and socially awkward young man from Brazil stumbles into Linda's bookstore. Tulio tells Linda that Blu is the last male blue macaw known in existence, and Tulio offers to take Blu to Brazil so that he can *ahem* continue the family line with the last female blue macaw. Unfortunately, Blu and the lady bird (Jewel) are 'bird'napped by exotic pet smugglers, and they take off on an incredible journey to return Blu to Linda. One big problem: Blu doesn't take off. In fact, he doesn't fly at all. Another huge problem: Jewel wants to return to the wild, and she thinks Blu is a useless housepet who has been pampered and babied his entire life. Along their journey, the two birds face off against a jealous cockatoo (a has-been actor who lost his looks and his career), are pursued by a troop of breakdancing pocket-picking monkeys, befriend a couple of fast-talking singing birds, try to evade the birdnappers, and ask for help from one drooly dog.
NEGATIVES:
>>Profanity: "Linda "curses" in bird language, then apologizes, embarrassed. The otherwise innocuous phrases "cheese and sprinkles" and "this is the spit" are interjected in such a way as to winkingly suggest profanities. There is an incomplete "what the …?" Name-calling includes "idiot." Somebody blurts out the mild Spanish oath "¡Ay, caramba!"" (Plugged In)
>>Violence: No worse than the typical animated kids' movie. Characters fall, fly, tumble, are thrown and shoved, and there's one gag-filled showdown between the birds of Rio and the greedy monkeys. Nigel (the bad bird) is pretty scary sometimes, having razor-sharp claws and a quick-to-snap beak. He often grabs other characters by their necks or backs. Jewel fights with everyone, and she leaves bruises in her wake. One family of toucans are particularly abusive, pecking, dive-bombing, smacking, and biting with no mercy. A security guard has killer aim with a pencil and skewers a housefly against a wall. One bird receives a broken wing from a falling crate. Humans fall from heights and one gets a squished face against a plate glass window. The human baddies are cartoonishly violent, with alot of Three Stooges-esque antics.
>>Spiritual Content: Not much.
Yeah, it sounds awfully silly, but it's really a delightful and colorful film in more ways than one.
5 out of 6 stars
So that everyone (including myself) may benefit from it, please feel free to leave your own personal opinion of this film.
Plugged In Movie Reviews
The Internet Movie Database
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