RIO Review

In terms of technical sophistication combined with top-notch animated story telling, there's only one Pixar. And the whole world knows it. That said, however, in terms of the former (technical sophistication), the talented folks at Blue Sky Studios (responsible for the "Ice Age" films) have made tremendous strides in terms of giving King Pixar a run for its money. (And I'm sure there's a lot of it.) With the tropical, talking bird film "Rio", they've brought their technical A game. I can just imagine the Blue Sky honchos calling John Lasseter in the middle of the night, boasting "We'll see your photo-realistic "Ratatouille" Paris with a completely life-accurate Rio de Janeiro - during Carnival! And those flying dogs in "Up"? How'z about a whole movie of birds that fly completely realistically, feathers billowing in the wind all the while? Oh, and we've got a dog, too!" Then they'd laugh diabolically and hang up, secure in their confidence that this effort goes beyond merely pretending to the throne. "Rio" really does look magnificent, and 3-D only adds to the effect.

It's the story department where things get almost distractingly conventional. It goes like this; I'm sure you've heard it all before: After being swiped from his native forest in Rio de Janeiro, and never learning to fly, Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) finds himself content having grown up in Minnesota along with Linda (Leslie Mann), a bookish and kindhearted young woman. One day, a rare bird expert from Rio comes into their lives, looking to whisk them both away to his country so that Blu, the last male of his species (the ultra-rare blue macaws), can breed with Jewel (Anne Hathaway), the last female. Of course Linda can't deny this opportunity, although she is still concerned about how the sheltered, domesticated Blu will fare so far from home.

Of course, it turns out she's absolutely right to have been concerned - Jewel is not so much interested in getting it on as getting out. When local thieves show up to swipe the rare birds, Jewel gets her wish. Headstrong and streetwise, she can't stand Blu, but must tolerate him, since she finds herself literally chained to him and on the run, ala "The Defiant Ones". His inability to fly leads to more adventure and frustration. Blu makes excuses while Jewel makes wisecracks. Will Blu ever learn to fly? Will these two ever hit it off and save their species? Will Blu and Linda be re-united? Well what do you think??

To be fair, as predictable and tired as the story mechanics may be, the film remains an immensely enjoyable adventure comedy. Although it is a family film through and through, it's also not afraid to be a little sexy (this is Rio, after all!). I use the term "family film" carefully, not to be confused with "children's movie". I saw "Rio" with two of my young children (ages five and three), and for most of the film, I was almost certain I was enjoying it a little more than they were. Afterwards, they claimed to have liked it, but for some reason were more interested in what I thought. (I didn't have the heart to tell them to wait for the review.) Although they're talking more about the two-month-old "Rango" since seeing "Rio" (is it just me, or are these movies' titles getting shorter and shorter?), I have no doubt that they did indeed enjoy these rare birds.

It should be mentioned that "Rio" also sounds terrific as well - thus prompting another imagined middle of the night phone call: "Hello, Lasseter? We'll match your house-favorite music man Randy Newman with one Sergio Mendes! Between his music supervision, and composer John Powell, we've got "Rio" stocked with booty-shaking Brazilian music, oh yeah! And Mendes' brought along his classic tune "Mas Que Nada", so go dance to THAT! Oh, and your award winning sound designer Randy Thom? On the payroll, baby!!!" Click!

Maybe it's best for them not the mention that "Rio" suffers ever so slightly from celebrity voice overload. Wanda Sykes, Jane Lynch, Jamie Foxx, Will i Am... the list goes on. Most of them do a fine enough job, and get it done as needed. But the fact remains that at best, this kind of wall-to-wall celeb voice talent is at best distractingly serviceable, at worst just plain flat, obvious, and wrong. Jesse Eisenberg, rightfully nominated for an Academy Award for his fine work in "The Social Network", is merely passable, and always so... him. Likewise, Anne Hathaway is also a little out of her element, but continues to be ever the firecracker. As good as these actors can be in live action, it's a shame that so many professional voice actors are so often overlooked these days in favor of going this route. Perhaps the voice actors could turn the tables, and call the Blue Sky honchos in the middle of the night?

"Rio" is clearly a fun movie - it's inspired me to have fun with this review. It's not Pixar level storytelling, but fans of quality animation and musical comedy will not want to miss this. All members of the family will have a good time as well. Blue Sky not only delivers a breath-taking 3D trip around the massive omnipresent Christ the Redeemer statue, but has somehow also managed to present a believable Rio Carnival completely free of dreaded nudity. Book a feathered flight (or a long walk, whatever the case may be) down to Rio today!

- Jim Tudor