Flash-forward 15 years and Linda (Leslie Mann) owns a bookstore and Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) is her constant companion. Imagine her surprise when a Professor of Ornithology named Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) comes to the store to inform her that Blu is the last living male Blue Macaw and, in order to save the species, he wants Linda and Blu to travel to Rio de Janeiro to meet the last living female Blue Macaw, Jewel (Anne Hathaway).
At first, Linda is hesitant, but soon she and Blu are headed to Rio with Tulio. Blu and Jewel do not hit it off immediately, as Jewel can't understand why he is so attached to Linda, a human, when all Jewel wants is to return to the jungle. Because they are the last of their kind, they are quite invaluable and are bird-napped by a young boy named Fernando (Jake T. Austin) and handed over to a group of hoodlums hoping to sell them for a fortune. The head of the group is nasty enough, but he has a battle-scarred cockatoo named Nigel (Jermaine Clement) who is vicious and strikes fear into the hearts of every stolen bird they have caged there.
Blu and Jewel manage to escape, but they are chained together and Blu can't fly, so they need to find a way to break the chains that bind them. The pair meet Rafael (George Lopez), who says he has a friend who can help, named Luiz (Tracy Morgan), who turns out to be a slobbering bulldog, who does, indeed, have the tools to set them free. Then Blu has a tough decision to make: does he return to his civilized life with Linda or does he remain free with Jewel, the bird who has stolen his heart? Once the poachers enter the picture again, the decision may be out of Blu's hands, err... claws.
Rio is a feast for the eyes and ears with its robust soundtrack and glorious bursts of color coming from every direction. Not only are their beautiful birds in so much of the movie, but Rio de Janeiro during Carnival is such a spectacle and the film captures the excitement perfectly. Rio looks amazing on Blu-ray and I was especially impressed with the way metallic finishes were handled. Since many of the costumes and floats in Carnival are made from glittery materials, you could find these finishes in several key parts of the movie and they looked fantastic. Also, since much of the film involves percussive-heavy music, your surround sound speakers will be pulsing with intense sound throughout the film.
During his journey, Blu and Jewel will meet two street-smart birds named Nico (Jamie Foxx) and Pedro (Will.i.am, Black-Eyed Peas) who help them along their journey, and add a spicy punch both to the story and to the soundtrack. Tracey Morgan as Luiz is hysterical and Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway have great chemistry together as Blu and Jewel. You can even find Wanda Sykes, Jane Lynch and the legendary musician Sergio Mendes (who also worked on the soundtrack) in bit speaking roles.
There are a number of hefty featurettes for those who want to learn more about the film and what inspired it. There are featurettes on the voice actors, the music of Rio, Will.i.am and his process while working on the soundtrack, as well as one on the city of Rio itself. There's a deleted scene, two music videos, a music jukebox with videos/songs from the film, a video to learn the Samba with characters from the film and an application to make your own postcards from Rio, although I had trouble getting that to work properly. Finally, the set includes a DVD and a portable copy of Rio, so you can take the film on the go.
Rio is a fantastic, family-friendly movie busting with all of the personality, charm, sights and sounds that Rio de Janeiro has to offer and would make a wonderful addition to anyone movie collector's film library. Highly recommended.
