Rio

Rio (U) 95 minutes 2011 3D

The latest animated offering from the makers of Ice Age - Blue Sky Studios and Director Carlos Saldanha - is Rio, in colourful 3D. Saldanha transports us from the glacial snowdrifts of Ice Age to the humid jungles of our present; from the destruction of our planet to the conservation of a species; and from a sloth named Sid to a bird named Blu.

The story is pleasant enough and concerns the trials and tribulations of a domesticated macaw, Blu, voiced by Jesse "The Social Network" Eisenberg. Blu, the last male of his species, is reluctantly taken to Rio, in order to mate with Jewel, the last of her kind, (Anne Hathaway). However, exotic bird traffickers lurk around every corner and Blu and Jewel must find a way to freedom past Nigel (Jermaine Clement), a hideous cockatoo and an army of marmosets armed only with the help of a red crested cardinal (Will i am), a yellow canary (Jamie Foxx) and a constantly drooling bulldog, Luiz (Tracy Morgan).

While undoubtedly appealing to younger children, the film fails to satisfy on a number of levels. Firstly, it lacks the depth of its some of its more illustrious, animated predecessors and is thus less accessible to adults; where is the toy constantly ruminating over his future, potential obsolescence (Toy Story); the single father desperately trying (and failing) to cope with his child's disability (Finding Nemo); the monster' existential dilemma, questioning his right to frighten young children (Monster's Inc). Moreover, where is the humour and wit? Subtlety and ambiguity have been almost entirely replaced by slapstick and farce, the whole hidden under a plethora of superfluous characters.

But most importantly, just where are the voices. Perhaps only in animated movies are voices so critical; Tom Hanks simply was Woody the Cowboy (Toy Story); David Schwimmer wonderfully well cast as the hypochondriac giraffe (Madagascar); Billy Crystal born to play a neurotic monster (Monster's Inc). Professional as Eisenberg is - cautious neurosis his trademark - he simply does not do birds, a flaw which frankly undermines the entire movie. Hathaway is better but her role is less demanding in a script that is woefully thin. Director Saldanha oversees an explosion of colour and stream of good songs but given a bar set almost impossibly high by the likes of Toy Story and Nemo, Rio simply fails to meet adult expectations.

Good Easter fare but definitely for the youngsters. 6/10.

Dick Morgan
April 2011