Rio (2011)

April 15, 2011

April 15, 2011

Rio is a 2011 American 3D computer-animated musical adventure-comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Carlos Saldanha. The title refers to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, where the film is set. The film features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Jemaine Clement, George Lopez, Tracy Morgan and Jamie Foxx. It tells the story of Blu (Eisenberg), a domesticated male Spix's macaw who is taken to Rio de Janeiro to mate with a free-spirited female Spix's macaw, Jewel (Hathaway). The two eventually fall in love, and together they have to escape from being smuggled by Nigel (Clement), a cockatoo. The theme song, "Telling the World," was performed by Taio Cruz.

Saldanha developed his first story concept of Rio in 1995, in which a penguin is washed up in Rio. Saldanha learned of the production of the films Happy Feet and Surf's Up, and changed the concept to involve macaws and their environments in Rio. He proposed his idea to Chris Wedge in 2006, and the project was set up at Blue Sky. The main voice actors were approached in 2009. During production, the crew visited Rio de Janeiro and also consulted with an expert on macaws at the Bronx Zoo to study their movements.

Rio premiered on March 22, 2011 in Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro, followed by its general release on April 15, 2011 by 20th Century Fox. The film received moderately positive reviews from film critics, who praised the visuals, voice acting and music. The film was also a box office success, grossing over $143 million in the United States and $484 million worldwide. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for the song "Real in Rio", but lost to the other nominee, "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets. A sequel, Rio 2, was released on April 11, 2014.

Skywalker Sound provided Post Production Sound Services: Randy Thom is the Supervising Sound Designer (and uncredited Supervising Sound Editor); Gwendolyn Yates Whittle is a Supervising Sound Editor; Josh Gold, Pete Horner, Teresa Eckton, and Malcolm Fife are Sound Effects Editors; Dennie Thorpe & Jana Vance are the foley artists; Sue Fox (Supervising) & Luke Dunn-Gielmuda are the Foley Editors; Corey Tyler (uncredited) and Sean England are the Foley Recordists; Leff Lefferts is a Supervising Assistant/uncredited Assistant Sound Designer; Brad Semenoff is a Supervising Assistant/uncredited First Assistant Sound Editor; Nia Hansen (uncredited), Jonathan Borland and Miriam Biderman are Sound Effects Recordists, and Steve Orlando was an Apprentice [Sound] Editor.

Storyline

In Moose Lake, Minnesota, a crate containing an orphaned male Spix's macaw hatchling that was smuggled out of Brazil falls from a truck and is found by Linda Gunderson, who names him Blu. Fifteen years later, Blu is highly domesticated, but hasn’t learned to fly. One day, ornithologist Túlio Monteiro invites Blu and Linda to Rio de Janeiro for Blu, the last known male of his species, to mate with the last known female. At Túlio's aviary in Rio, Blu meets his prospective mate, the fiercely independent Jewel, who longs to flee back into the wilderness.

Later that night, while Linda and Túlio are at a restaurant, the macaws are captured by an orphaned boy named Fernando and a sulphur-crested cockatoo named Nigel, both of whom work for a gang of bird smugglers led by Marcel, who wants to leave the country to sell Blu and Jewel on the black market. While Fernando regrets his actions, Nigel tells the macaws of his disdain for "pretty birds" after he was replaced by a parakeet on a television series. Blu's familiarity with cages allows him and Jewel to escape, alerting Nigel and the smugglers to give chase. The macaws are forced to travel on foot due to Marcel having legcuffs applied to his legs. Fernando helps Linda and Túlio search for the macaws the next morning, while Blu and Jewel meet the toco toucan Rafael, whose bulldog friend Luiz will remove their cuffs.

Rafael unsuccessfully tries teaching Blu to fly from the edge of a tall mountain with Jewel. They soon catch up with red-crested cardinal Pedro and his yellow canary friend Nico, both of whom Blu had met the day before. Elsewhere, Nigel coerces a horde of thieving marmosets led by Mauro to capture Blu and Jewel. To help Blu and Jewel get along better, Pedro, Nico, and Rafael take the macaws to a samba dance party, where they begin to fall in love. The marmosets arrive, and after a brief fight breaks out, the five escape on a tram.

At the smugglers' hideout, Fernando, Linda, and Túlio discover the macaws are gone. Fernando gets Marcel's henchmen, Armando and Tipa, to reveal that they will use the Rio Carnival parade to smuggle the birds to the abandoned airport. Blu and the others meet Luiz, whose saliva allows Blu and Jewel to slip out of their cuffs. Once released, Jewel flies happily into the sky with the others while Blu leaves, assuming he would only hold Jewel and the others back.

Nigel captures Jewel, prompting Blu, Rafael, Luiz, Nico, and Pedro to rush to the parade to rescue her, only to also be captured (minus Luiz). Elsewhere, Linda and Túlio pose as dancers in Spix's macaw costumes to access the parade. The smugglers escape and flee to their plane. Using a fire extinguisher, Blu breaks out of his cage and quickly frees Jewel and the other birds, but Nigel attacks the macaws and Jewel's wing is badly injured in the process. Blu activates the fire extinguisher, sending Nigel out of the open cargo door and into one of its engines. The smugglers escape the rapidly-descending plane by parachute while Jewel falls out of the open cargo hatch. Blu jumps out and dives towards her, intent on not leaving her behind. After Jewel kisses Blu, he finally gains his flying abilities, and he carries her to Linda and Túlio.

Now a couple, Linda and Túlio adopt Fernando and start a bird sanctuary and a bookstore branch in Rio. Blu and Jewel raise three hatchlings together and celebrate with their friends. Meanwhile, the featherless Nigel survives the plane crash and is ridiculed by Mauro, while the smugglers are arrested and jailed for their crimes.

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