Friday, April 15, 2011

RIO (B)

Starring the voices of: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, Will.i.am and Jamie Fox

Rated: PG
Story: Set in the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro and the lush rainforest of Brazil, the comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who thinks he is the last of his kind. When Blu discovers there's another — and that she's a she — he leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota and heads to Rio. But it's far from love at first sight between the domesticated and flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on an adventure of a lifetime, where they learn about friendship, love, courage, and being open to life's many wonders. "Rio" brings together a menagerie of vivid characters, a heart-warming story, colorful backdrops, energizing Latin and contemporary music, and family-friendly song and dance. (20th Century Fox)

Bottom Line: Kids will adore (mine loved it) and parents will enjoy this light, engaging, and culturally accessible story for the birds. Its vibrant visuals coupled with straight forward (if not redundant) message – that, basically, courage, friendship and love are all good things – make RIO a must see for the entire family. Although it lacks any real Pixar-like emotional punch or depth it still makes for a light-hearted, spirited and good ol’ fashioned time at the movies. When RIO shines it really shows you all it can…

3 comments:

TongueTwied said...

Can't fault you for quoting Duran Duran, even though I'm laughing.

BRTaibl said...

I didn't have a choice, TT - it was right there in front of me...

Oddly enough, I wasn't able to tie in the 'your a bird of/on paradise' line into a movie about birds. ...and boy did I try.

Thanks for catching the reference!

rpfangirljr said...

Rio was so fun. I loved Jesse Eisenberg as Blue... He was perfect with his nervous ramblings like he does. The humor was a little less for me in this, but the wonderment of the animation is what won with me. The fluffy looks to the feathers and the textures of the jungle were fantastic.