Rio

This animated tale revolves around Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg), a rare blue macaw who is snatched from his rainforest home by poachers before he learns to fly. Rescued by a bespectacled girl named Linda (Sofia Scarpa Saldanha), Blu is raised in snowy Minnesota. Flash forward 15 years: a Brazilian ornithologist visiting Linda's (now voiced by Leslie Mann) bookstore informs her that Blu may be the last male of the species, and asks her to bring him to an institute in Rio de Janeiro to mate with a female counterpart named Jewel (Anne Hathaway). But feisty Jewel is unimpressed by pampered, über-nerdy Blu's efforts to win her affections; she's far more interested in escaping from the bird sanctuary. Their floundering courtship is interrupted when the pair are stolen by another gang of avaricious smugglers, led by Marcel (Carlos Ponce) and his cohort, a cannibalistic cockatoo named Nigel (Jemaine Clement). Ever-bickering yet bound together, Jewel and Blu escape on foot (since Blu can't fly) and are chased through Rio's streets during Carnival, with its festive music and dance. Eventually, of course, earthbound Blu is driven by his natural skyward instinct, and Jewel realizes his worth. Infectious music by Sergio Mendes, mixed with songs by will.i.am of the Black-Eyed Peas, Jamie Foxx, and Bebel Gilberto, add to the appeal. Utilizing iridescent CGI, Brazilian-born director Carlos Saldanha creates a flamboyantly colorful, tropical frolic of a family film. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a deleted scene (2 min.), the music videos “Welcome to Rio” and “Telling the World” by Taio Cruz, the “Rio de JAM-eiro” music jukebox, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are an “Explore the World of Rio” featurette with clips and text on the real locations, “Saving the Species: One Voice at a Time” on the voice cast—including Jesse Eisenberg and Jamie Foxx (25 min.), the production featurettes “Boom-Boom Tish-Tish: The Sounds of Rio” (14 min.), “The Real Rio” (10 min.), and “The Making of Hot Wings” with will.i.am (8 min.), the “Carnival Dance-O-Rama” game, a “Postcards from Rio” activity, bonus DVD and digital copies of the film, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package on the Blu-ray edition for an entertaining animated film.] (S. Granger)