Rio - A Successful Flight?

Blue Sky Studios has had quite an adventure over the past decade, all starting with the theatrical release of Ice Age in 2002. Since then, B. S. S has managed to produce a series of highly successful films in this decade, all of which have grossed over $260 million in box offices worldwide.

Rio was released in April 2011, starring an all-star cast of renowned actors, musicians, and comedians, including Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, and George Lopez. The film takes place unsurprisingly in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and features a soundtrack inspired by Latin-American and Caribbean music.

The film did extremely well in box offices around the world, so far grossing nearly $470 million dollars worldwide, becoming the twenty-fourth highest-grossing animated film, and Blue Sky's third highest-grossing, only behind Ice Age: The Meltdown.

Summary

Rio follows the adventure of two of macaws who appear to be the last of their species in Rio de Janeiro; Blu (Eisenberg), a slightly neurotic and domesticated bird who is brought to Rio to help save the species by mating with a female , and Jewel (Hathaway), a feisty, wild macaw native to Rio who cares little about humans or "duties" for that matter. The two are brought together by an ornithologist and a bird-lover. However, they are soon forced on an adventure of their own in order to escape a team of bird smugglers and one very sinister bird. In the midst of this there is another problem; Blu can't fly.

Review

In my opinion, the film is very pleasing to the eyes and ears, combining a beautiful variety of bright colours, characters and music. The film does, however, lag a bit in terms of plot. It's obvious that the story writers attempted to create an action-packed and comedic animated film by bringing in some of the best actors, musicians and comedians from around the globe (Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, will.i.am, Jamie Foxx, and Jemaine Clement), but I think the film was so overwhelmed by charming characters, catchy music, and bright colours, that not a lot of time was spent trying to develop the plot. Also, the comedy aspect could have been improved upon a bit more if it is to be called a "comedy film".

Ratings

Story: 7/10 - Quite decent but certain parts felt unnecessary and somewhat pointless.

Characters: 8/10 - Loved the variety of animals and humans used, but some characters seemed a bit extra.

Acting: 10/10 - Couldn't have been better. Eisenberg's nerd-like tone was both hilarious and irritating, but not unbearable, Lopez's iconic voice shone through, and Hathaway's energy was very entertaining.

Music: 8.5/10 - Loved the Latin/Caribbean feel, but felt somewhat irrelevant to the plot. By the way, am I the only one who didn't know Anne Hathaway could sing?

Score: 84%

I give Rio a solid 84% which is quite worthy of praise. Probably wouldn't call it a favourite of mine, but will definitely appeal to a variety of audiences who are interested in a colourful musical comedy.