Rio

Rio is part adventure part love story of Blu and Jewel – the last two blue Macaws left on earth. Blu – a rare blue Macaw gets captured by exotic birds’ smugglers and is shipped off to Minnesota in the US. When the box carrying Blu falls off the back of the van that's transporting him, a kind young girl, Linda (Leslie Mann) finds him and takes him home to raise him. The lovable Blu is much loved and pampered by Linda as they become best friends.In the domesticated atmosphere, Blu never bothered to fly, instead preferring his hot chocolate with its perfect chocolate to marshmallow ratio.

Things change when a Brazilian ornithologist Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) turns up and persuades Linda to allow him to take Blu back to Rio to join the last remaining female of his species-Jewel, voiced by Anne Hathaway. As fate has it, the two extremely rare birds are captured and chained together by another bunch of smugglers who are looking to smuggle them out of country during the Rio carnival. Somehow they manage to flee the captivity but there are other hurdles this avian pair need to cross to gain freedom.

Carlos Saldanha who helmed the 3 Ice-Age films, and also hailing from Rio De Janeiro makes fantastic use of his breathtaking hometown for the backdrops in the film. The opening shot is of the Sugarloaf Mountain and as the narration proceeds we see all those iconic places and visuals that are have been associated with the bustling metropolis that is Rio. The beaches, the statue of Christ the Redeemer, the samba dancers on the flamboyant carnival floats and also, creditably the slightly out of posters Brazilian favellas too.

The film does stereotype Brazil as the land of the exotic. However for all the sun, sand and frolic, the fascination for samba and football, it is done a positive entertaining way.

Undoubtedly the animation is beautiful, with such a vibrant canvas to replicate! The film’s strength is also the incredible voicing talent that is on display; led by the trademark talking nineteen to a dozen style of Jesse Eisenberg and the vivaciousness of Anne Hathaway who is entirely different from when last seen and heard in Love and Other Drugs. The quick repartee and taunts that she fires on Eisenberg’s Blu for not being able to fly are funny and charming.

George Lopez is the energetic Rafael who helps the blue macaw pair- Blu and Jewel in need of his help .Tracy Morgan as the bulldog Luiz, Jamie Foxx and Will.i.am as Nico and Pedro lend supporting voices. Jermaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords voices Nigel the villainous cockatoo who pretty much is a scene stealer in every scene, especially his entry song. Another nice scene is when he intimidates a pack of monkeys to do what he wants. The monkeys are street thugs who steal from tourists and who have found a new way of communicating – cell phones. One of their texts reads…Ooo! Ooo! Aaa! Aaa! :(I).

Yes there are themes like wildlife black market and species conservation but Rio rides on its fantastic voice talent and the spectacular visuals. Rio is an on screen travelling brochure for Rio De Janeiro. It banks on the same theme as a fish that can’t swim and tiger who can’t roar; but that formula works. That Blu would fly is for certain, but the ride and mayhem before that is no less entertaining. There are films that you go watch when you are in a good mood and come out happier than when you went in. Rio is one of those films. It is a fun, fun film. J Ting!!