RioRio: The story of a blue macaw bird

Cast: Voices by Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am

Direction: Carlos Saldanha

Genre: Animation

Rating: (3.5 Out of 5)

There’s bound to be chemistry when a city slicker macaw (Blu) meets a wild free bird (Jewel). The romance between Blu and Jewel does form the core of this high-spirited animation film. And that’s because the characters acquire spunk and soul with the voice-overs of Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway. The constant sparring between the two oddballs gradually grows into a special bond as the chained-together birds seek survival in a city spilling over with bird kidnappers, evil cockatoos, wicked monkeys and a maddening carnival.

But apart from the love birds, there are a host of other characters who spice up the proceedings, like the super villainous Nigel, the friend and guide pelican, the drooling-bumbling bull dog and Blu’s benevolent owner, Linda with her blossoming romance with the ornithologist.

Technically, the film is a feast with state-of-the-art animation. The jungles of South America and the sprawling city of Rio become a riot of colours, specially when the climax builds up during the carnival. The screenplay is witty and evokes many a chuckle, here and there. The star of the show however is Jesse Eisenberg who adds a whole lot of attitude to Blu, the urbane macaw, with his excellent voice-over.

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