Rio

There's nothing particularly wrong with Rio, except for the fact that there are so many better choices out there for kids and families. Yes, the movie is bright and colorful (as long as you see the movie in 2D as I did, and not 3D), the voice talent is solid, and kids will likely be mesmerized by the large cast of talking and singing birds. But with so many animated films raising the bar in terms of script and storytelling, the movie ends up feeling kind of hollow. Never bad, just not very memorable.

One thing that does set the film apart is its choice of setting - Rio de Janeiro. It's an odd setting for a kid's movie, especially for anyone who has seen the movie City of God. The movie downplays a lot of what really happens in Rio (and Brazil in general), and focuses on some cute birds (and monkeys, and even a dog) going on family friendly adventures in order to get home. Apparently, the film's director, Carlos Saldanha (all three Ice Age films), was born in Rio, and considers his movie to be a love letter to his home. It certainly gives the film a vibrant and unique look, and the film's colors are some of the best I've seen in a recent animated film. But, I can picture some awkward conversations after the movie with parents trying to tell their kids why Rio de Janeiro is not exactly the best idea for a vacation destination.

Onto the plot, which kicks off when a rare blue macaw bird who, is not very originally named Blu (voice by Jesse Eisenberg), is abducted from his tree home in Rio by some exotic pet sellers. He's stuffed in a crate, and shipped off to Minnesota, where the truck carrying him hits a bump in the road, causing the crate to fall out the back. Fortunately, he's instantly discovered by the kindhearted book seller, Linda (Leslie Mann), who raises and domesticates the bird. Through Linda, the little guy learns how to fist bump, ride around on a little toy car, drink hot cocoa, and even brush his beak. But he never learns how to fly. That all changes when an avian scientist named Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) discovers Blu through the window of Linda's store, and walks inside with an offer for both of them.

Tulio explains that Blu is the last male of his species, and he just so happens to have the last female blue macaw back at his lab in Rio. He wants Linda to bring Blu to Rio, so that the two birds can mate and save their species. The heroes make the trip to Tulio's bird sanctuary, but things don't work out as planned, when it turns out that the female blue macaw, Jewel (Anne Hathaway), has no interest in Blu, and would rather escape from the lab and live free. But before that can even happen, both of the birds are stolen by some smugglers, who break in with the aid of the evil cockatoo Nigel (Jermaine Clement). Blu and Jewel are chained together by the villains, and begin an adventure across Rio, as they try to escape from the smugglers. They're aided by a pair of comic sidekick birds (Jamie Foxx and recording artist will.i.am), a free-spirited toucan named Rafael (George Lopez), and a bulldog (Tracy Morgan) who shows up late in the film, but doesn't have much to do with anything.

Even for such a simple plot, Rio meanders instead of grabbing our attention. Even kids may find their attention drifting in and out as the birds argue, sing, and crack jokes, but do little else. Despite the exotic locale, we see very little of Rio, and the action is pretty low key throughout. It gets to the point that the only thing holding our attention is the beautiful animation, and the brilliant colors on the different birds on display. The first half of the film, dealing with Linda and Blu's relationship, is kind of sweet, and probably the best part of the movie. Once it turns into a chase picture, though, with the birds trying to stay ahead of the smugglers, it loses something. The characters lack the personality we saw early on, and the movie eventually turns into a very pretty, but repetitive kid's film.

Very little kids might become attached to Rio, but older kids will probably be able to see there's not much here behind the attractive visuals. This is a case of a movie where everyone is obviously trying their best, but there's very little to it to begin with. With so many animated films working beyond their intended audience, Rio plays it far too safe, and suffers for it.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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