Voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Andy Garcia, and Jermaine Clement
Directed by Carlos Saldanha
Music and Lyrics by various
Rio was a smash in 2011, one of the biggest animated films of that year. It was likely inevitable that it would get a follow-up, especially after "Real In Rio" was nominated for an Oscar. This one proved to be an even bigger hit, one of the biggest of 2014. Is it as much fun as Rio was, or should this one get cut down? Let's begin back at Rio as everyone prepares to celebrate the New Year and find out...
The Story: The birds are celebrating when Linda (Leslie Mann) and Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) are exploring the Amazon. After a close encounter with a waterfall, they discover a Spinx Macaw feather, proving there's more out in the wild. After hearing about it on TV, Jewel (Hathaway) thinks she and her family should search for their relatives in the Amazon. Blu's not crazy about the idea, but their children love it. They're joined by Rafael (George Lopez), Nico (Jamie Foxx), and Pedro (will.i.am), who are scouting performers for their big Carnival showcase.
They eventually discover the Macaws living in an uncharted part of the Amazon. Jewel's father Eduardo (Garcia) is happy to see his daughter again, but thinks Blu is too domesticated and tries to teach him the ways of the jungle. He doesn't trust humans after loggers destroyed their original home. Blu being so close to Linda makes him suspect, especially after he accidentally causes a war with their rivals the Scarlet Macaws. Blu's knowledge of human technology is more useful than Eduardo wants to admit when they're attacked by the same loggers who burned their original home. Nigel (Clement) is still out there, too, looking for revenge with poison dart tree frog Gabi (Kristen Chenoweth) and anteater Charlie.
The Animation: Just as gorgeous this time around, and probably the best thing about this. The musical numbers, with the many birds in Busby Berkeley formations, are beautifully rendered. There's gorgeous details in the Amazon and in Rio as everyone celebrates the New Year. The birds flying to the Amazon is especially lovely as they soar around familiar landmarks and shining waters.
The Song and Dance: Once again, it's the supporting cast who really shine. Bruno Mars is usually a singer, but he manages to acquit himself relatively well here as Jewel's macho childhood friend whom her father wishes she'd married. Garcia also does well as Jewel's militant father. The three kids are hilarious, especially when talking their father into going on a jungle trek. There's some nice action sequences, too. The finale with the birds helping Linda and Tulio attack the loggers is well-composed and genuinely exciting.
Favorite Number: We open with a huge New Year's celebration in Rio to "What Is Love," with the cast dancing and Blu trying to stop his kids from shooting off fireworks (and not succeeding). "Let Me Take You To Rio" gives us a creative montage of the birds flying to the jungle via Blu's GPS and creative pop-up pictures from his daughter's book. "Poisonous Love" is Chenoweth's big solo as Gabi trills to the Nigel, the object of her affection (and obsession). Mars gets to pour his voice into "Welcome Home" as Roberto, Jewel's childhood friend, does just that.
"Beautiful Creature" is the flock's song, apparently one that they've performed so often, "it's in our blood." This is where the Busby Berkeley comes in as we see the birds flying in lavish formations. Nico and Pedro's attempts at finding an act dig up everything from a mosquito orchestra to a capybara who sings "Memory," but each and every one gets eaten or killed. Gabi and Nigel have far more luck with their more dramatic "I Will Survive." "Bola Viva" is the big soccer match between the birds for their home. The movie ends with a reprise of "What Is Love," this time performed with all of Nico and Pedro's discoveries in the jungle.
Trivia: Disney supposedly has a third movie in development.
What I Don't Like: Can we say "cliched?" Basically, this is mining any fish-out-of-water tropes they didn't hit in the first movie. I don't know why Jewel had such a hard time respecting Blu's wishes and treated him so badly after they found her family. The Macaws were no prizes, either, especially Eduardo. They barely let the guy have the chance to explain anything.
The side stories with Pedro and Nico looking for talent and Nigel's revenge plot are shoved in to give those characters something to do and have nothing to do with anything. In fact, Nigel is reduced to a goofy comic relief character here with the annoying Gabi after being one of the scarier villains in the first film. They probably could have eliminated Gabi, Charlie, and Nigel all together with no one the wiser. There's also all the violence in the finale and with the gruesome deaths of the animals who sing for Pedro and Nico in the jungle being a bit scarier than the "G" rating warrants.
The Big Finale: Same deal here. If your older kids love animal stories or birds or are interested in learning about other cultures, these are worth checking out once for the songs and animation alone.
Home Media: Easily found on all formats, this time including Disney Plus.
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