RIO

Title: Rio

Director: Carlos Saldana

Genre: Animation/Family/Adventure/Musical

Format: DVD

Rating: PG

Rio is about a blue Macaw named aptly, Blu.

Blu is "birdnapped" as a baby from Rio by smugglers that traffic him into the US. He is found after his crate falls from a truck by a little girl named Linda.

Fast forward about 15 years, a man from Rio (Tulio) stumbles into Linda's bookstore to inform her that Blu is the possibly the last male of the species and he has a female (Jewel) at his sanctuary in Rio De Janerio.

He implores Linda to help, to take Blue there so that the two can mate, thus helping restore the species and then they can come back home.

Sounds like an easy enough plan right?

Well, if it were, it wouldn't be that good of a movie, huh?

Blu AND Jewel are birdnapped by the traffickers to be sold to the highest bidder.

While the two don't get along at first, they have no choice but to now work together to get out of the mess so Blu can get back home to Minnesota with his owner Linda.

It took me three painstaking days to finish this movie.

Not because it was bad, but because I have a 15-month-old who gets side tracked very easily.

He could watch it for about 15 minutes at a time (which is a testament to how good this movie is), before moving on to something different like trying to force the dog to eat baby wipes.

ANYHOW, this movie WAS really good!

I love that the creators of child movies, add a little humor in them for the parents who are forced to watch them.

Rio does this brilliantly!

Not only is it a movie packed full of vibrant color, from all the tropical birds to the scenery but the climax of the movie takes place during Carnivale, it also has a star studded cast.

Anne Hathaway is the voice of the feisty blue female being held against her will. George Lopez is the voice behind a hilarious toucan that tries to help Blue and Jewel get together. Tracey Morgan voices a little off but lovable bull dog that is also on the Macaws' side. Not to mention, Jamie Foxx, Will.I.AM., Wanda Sykes and Jane Lynch.

Rio is both a cute movie for the kids AND a funny movie for the parents.

The only part that was a little disturbing was a character named Nigel who is a very evil and very scary looking Cockatoo. I mean, this bird is wicked nuts and if I were a child between the ages of 2-6, I'd probably end up deathly terrified of them.

There are a few times in this movie where what happened should have been his untimely demise was a bit much for little kids, in my opinion, and one time I was just openly shocked at what they did to this crazy bird, but it's not what it looked like.

That's all I can tell you without ruining it.

However, he does have a funny-evil side – in one part of the movie he breaks out in a song and even does a rap impersonation of Weird Al Yankovic.

Other than that, Rio has the normal formula of the awkward meeting of two people (and birds), the attraction they all deny and the funny sidekicks (a crazy little yellow bird that wears a bottle cap as a hat. Voiced by Jaimie Fox) that try to bring them together.

There is also a very funny scene that reminded be a little of West Side Story, when some wild monkeys and birds have a hilarious battle royale.

Rio also in a round about way brings up the topic of the very real issue of animal trafficking and how dangerous to different species it has become.

All in all, it was a great movie that I secretly cannot wait to watch again with my little boy and long for the time when I will be able to finish it one sitting.

I recommend this movie to animal lovers, parents, and anyone looking for a good, clean laugh.

Review written by: Jenn P.