Rio

The vibrant film inspires viewers to fly and be free!

Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) is a rare breed of macaw that is adopted at a young age by a little girl, Linda after being kidnapped from his birth place Rio de Janeiro. Because he was domesticated in the small town of Moose Lake, Minnesota, Blu never learned to fly. Blu and Linda spend their days in Linda’s book shop and lead a pretty simple life, until one day a bird expert, Tulio from Rio de Janeiro visits seeking the rare macaw male in hopes to breed him with the only known existing female of their kind. Blu is less than thrilled to make the journey, as he is perfectly happy in his cozy home. Linda takes the trip to Brazil with Blu and he is introduced to the only female blue macaw, Jewel (Anne Hathaway). Jewel is attractive, sassy, and independent. She is too busy trying to escape the sanctuary when Blu meets her, and is desperately attempting to get away from the cage she lives in which makes Blu ponder if there’s a lot more to life.

Their escape, however, immediately leads to capture by greedy poachers. The story then follows their journey to free themselves from the chains that tie them together. Along the way they meet other helpful birds Rafael the Tucan (George Lopez), Pedro (Will.i.Am), Nico (Jamie Foxx), and a slobbering bull dog (Tracy Morgan) who all bring variety and comedy to the film. The adventure is wildly entertaining as the animation is visually spectacular, with vibrant colors and a villainous cockatoo named Nigel (Jermaine Clement). I loved all of the characters, but Blu and Jewel were the starring favorites. Linda and Tulio were quirky love birds (pun intended) who added a nice element to the picture.

The film delights children of all ages- Harlan (our resident aged 6½ film critic) was giggling at the fumbling birds and was captivated the entire film. He simply loved it, and other children in the theater seemed to be happily entertained. The plot was family friendly and easy enough for the little ones to follow.

See Rio for a colorful pick me up!