MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (4/15/11): RIO
Credit: Sky Studios © 2011 Twentieth Century Fox . All Rights Reserved.
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, Tracy Morgan, Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Jamie Foxx, Will.I.Am, Jemaine Clement, Carlos Ponce, Rodrigo Santoro and Jake T. Austin
WRITER: Don Rhymer (screenplay); Carlos Saldanha (story)
DIRECTOR: Carlos Saldanha
WEB SITE: www.rio-themovie.com/
THE PLOT: An animated adventure that is much kinder to Brazil than The Simpsons ever have been, Rio stars Jesse Eisenberg as the voice of Blu, a rare blue macaw who - after being poached in his youth - has settled in to a comfortable life in Minnesota with Linda (voiced by Leslie Mann), a bookstore owner. An inseparable pair, the duo finds their way to Rio de Janeiro after being approached by Dr. Barbosa (Gracinha Leporace), an animal researcher who has someone he wants Blu to meet: Jewel (voiced by Anne Hathaway), a headstrong female blue macaw who longs to return to the jungle, who may be the last female of their species.
Unfortunately, a poacher named Marcel (voiced by Carlos Ponce) has other plans for Blu and Jewel - namely kidnapping them and selling them along with a host of other birds to get rich. While this troubles his youngest accomplice, Fernando, (voiced by Jake T. Austin), it means nothing to Nigel (voiced by Jermaine Clement), a scary cockatoo who was once a star but now serves as winged muscle for Marcel and his crew.
Fortunately for Blu and Jewel, their are several other birds like Rafael (voiced by George Lopez), Pedro (Will.I.Am) and Nico (Jamie Foxx) that are willing to help them along the way. But if Blu is to ever see Linda again and get Jewel to like him, he's going to have to spread his wings ... Which might be tough since he doesn't know how to fly.
THE TAKE: Rio does what good animated movies all do well: Present a simple story (a bird spreading his wings - literally) with good, well rounded and intriguing characters while not treating its subject matter nor the audience like a goofy pop-up book. Throw in excellent voice acting by the film's cast to bring life to their animated representatives and you have the recipe for a great film.
While Eisenberg is very good at bringing out all of Blu's foibles, he is skilled enough to not make him a proverbial wimpy character to the point he becomes annoying. Lopez is equally solid in serving as a sort of lost father figure to compliment the young, naïve Blu along his journey en route to become a man without being overbearing at any point in time while Foxx and Will.I.Am use their talents to create good chemistry in both a comedic and musical fashion.
Likewise, the animation compliments the film as the vibrant colors, images and detailed backgrounds - while not making the most of their Real 3D capabilities - draw you into the film to place you in Blu's world. Director Carlos Saldanha pays careful attention to the script to not waste a moment of your time in regards to Blu's story to the point nothing drags; each moment provides a nice depth into the character on screen while providing a nice mix of comedy, drama and action throughout.
PARTING SHOT: The first great animated family film of 2011, Rio brings a great carnivale like atmosphere to the screen just in time for the start of bikini season.
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