Rio
U; Animation
Dir: Carlos Saldanha
Cast: Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, Jesse Eisenberg , Jamie Foxx, Will.I.Am
Rating: ****



What's it about: Talking birds. Talking monkeys. Talking bulldog. There's a lot of talking and singing going on in Rio. But it's more than just mindless chatter. Rio is a fun, colourful 3-D ride that has one of the most odd, yet interesting ensemble put together. How often would you get to see Will.I.Am and Anne Hathway on board the same project? It starts off with a bangu00a0-- a Samba number opens the film in the rain forests of Brazil where Blu (Eisenberg) is an abandoned baby macaw who fails to take off on his first flight. Caged and raised in Minnesota, he grows up to realise he'su00a0 the only male blue macaw left in the world. Thisu00a0 brings a whole load of responsibility to his feeble wings. A bird keeper in Rio comes visiting his caretaker with a proposal that they fly to the sanctuary to meet his only remaining mate Jewel (Hathaway). However, things don't end up as they should and everyone is caught up in a huge feathery mess!

What's hot: Let's be honest. There's nothing ground breaking going on in Rio. In fact, a lot of it has been done and has been seen before. But what's different is the treatment and style with which Carlos Saldanha dishes it out. Smartchoice to set the film in Rio, which hosts the biggest party in the world! Also a special nod to the casting director to get such a variety of talents and voices for the film. Eisenberg, Hathaway, Jamie Foxx and Jermaine Clement are simply brilliant in their roles. Blu and Jewel have a certain awkwardness between them which actually works. The animation is brilliant and so is the soundtrack and song choices. You don't get bored or feel tricked everytime some onebreaks into a song. 3-D is more of an asset than a liability in Rio. Since most of the action takes place in the sky, there areu00a0 ample opportunities to create that sense of depth. George Lopez gets a special nod forplaying Rafael, the suave hornbill, with such colour. The climax doesn't feel rushed. Instead, it serves as the perfect ending to an almost perfect premise. Watch out for the carnival scenes as the screen lights up with samba dancers and crackling fireworks. Don't miss Will.I.Am and Jamie Foxx breaking into an impromptu rap love song for Jewel and Blu. It's top notch!