I desperately needed a break to clear my mind, and nothing works better than spending a few hours losing yourself in a movie plot, coupled together with the awesome sound effects which you can only get in the cinemas. Rio might look and sound like any other animated film at first, but after watching it, I must admit that it really blew my mind away. Firstly, it highlighted the extinction of the avian species, and second, the sights and sounds of the Brazilian street carnivale make me want to book myself on a flight to Rio de Janeiro on the spur of the moment.
The main highlight of the movie is Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), a (obviously) blue macaw, who happened to be the last male of his species, and was somehow caught from the Brazilian forests and sent to Minnesota in the US. He was rescued by a little girl named Linda, and they formed a tight bond over the years.
Túlio, a professor, came looking for Blu to mate with the last female of the blue macaw species to save them from being extinct. Linda and Blu debated long about going to Rio, and finally agrees to give it a go.
Being displaced from their everyday surroundings, Linda and Blu found it difficult to blend in, but with the (kind) help of Professor Túlio, they felt even more at unease. He insisted that Blu was to be groomed, but he ended looking ridiculously silly that I could not help but laugh out loud. Blu was obviously nervous meeting a girl, and he tries to make himself comfortable by singing, but he’s horrible at it. Meanwhile, Jewel (Anne Hathaway), the female macaw, is intent on escaping from captivity. She’s used to the wild, while Blu is a ‘domesticated’ pet macaw.
Blu falls for her, but the shelter is then raided by smugglers, who are let in by the head smuggler's cockatoo, Nigel, who was posing as a sickly bird. Blu and Jewel are captured and chained together. Nigel introduces himself to them through song, explaining that he used to be a performing bird on a TV show and is now being ignored.
After he departs, Blu and Jewel manage to escape. As they flee, Nigel chases them through the slums of Rio, and after losing Nigel, Blu and Jewel get lost in the nearby jungle. The next day they meet a family of toucans. The father, Rafael, offers to take them to see his friend Luiz, who could remove the chain. Rafael also tries to teach Blu to fly, telling him that he just needs to "feel the rhythm" of his heart. After Blu tries (hilariously) and fails to fly, the group head into town, where they meet Pedro (will.i.am) and his canary friend Nico (Jamie Foxx).
Marmosets, a group of monkeys are ‘little’ thieves in Rio, working as a gang to steal jewelry and electronic devices from tourists. Cute but mischievous, they offer great humorous moments in the movie as they communicate with each other through SMSes!
Linda and Túlio try and find Blu, assisted by the repentant Fernando, zooming down the streets of Rio on a motorcycle which he had traded for with Túlio’s jeep. Pedro and Nico take Blu and Jewel to a bird's samba club, where Blu starts to dance, culminating in a beautiful duet with Jewel. They are then attacked by the marmosets, but their bird friends fend them off long enough for Blu and company to escape.
Fernando leads Linda and Túlio to the smugglers hideout, where they learn the criminals plan to use carnivale as a cover to regain Blu and Jewel and escape with their stolen birds.
Blu and Jewel finally meet Luiz the bulldog, a supposed chainsaw professional, who attempts to saw through the chain, but unintentionally uses his drool to lubricate Blu and Jewel's feet enough for them to slip through. Jewel is overjoyed at being able to fly again, but Blu isn't, knowing they will have to part ways. Unfortunately, Jewel is then captured by Nigel. When Pedro and Nico inform Blu of Jewel's capture, he decides to mount a rescue, using Luiz as a steed to follow Nigel.
Linda and Tulio make their way into Carnivale by posing as dancers, but Blu is captured by Nigel as well as Rafael, Nico, and Pedro. Linda and Tulio follow the smugglers, but are too late to stop them from taking off in their plane. During the flight, Blu manages to break out of his cage, and they all fly away except for Jewel, who knows Blu is afraid to because he still can't fly. Nigel then appears, holding down Blu and smashing a cage onto Jewel's wing, injuring her. Blu manages to blast Nigel out of the plane by attaching a fire extinguisher to his leg and is accidentally hit by the plane propeller.
Jewel, now flightless, is pushed out of the plane by a falling cage, and Blu jumps out after her. Jewel is surprised and touched that Blu went after her, and as they fall, she kisses him. Blu is then overcome by the rhythm of his heart, holds out his wings, and flies, saving himself and Jewel.
A happy ending, but it is definitely one that teaches that good triumphs over evil in the end, and also that hard work and perseverance pays back. A movie that is suitable for all ages, and is recommended for those intending to visit Brazil as it sets you in the mood for Carnivale and samba!
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