Rio (2011) - Movie Review for Parents

Bottom line: Rio presents a flavorful, family-friendly adventure that goes down in the richly beautiful and cultural setting of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Contains some mild rude humor.

Rio - Overview

Blu (voice of Jesse Eisenberg) is a brainy pet blue macaw who lives with his adoring owner, Linda (voice of Leslie Mann). Their quiet and cozy life in Minnesota is disrupted when they get a visit from Tulio (voice of Rodrigo Santoro), a Brazilian ornithologist. Tulio informs Linda that Blu is the last male of his kind, and he convinces her to take a trip to Rio de Janeiro, so Blu can meet Jewel (voice of Anne Hathaway), the last female blue macaw.

When he arrives in Rio, though, Blu finds that Jewel is not as receptive as he had hoped. He wants nothing more than to go home, but suddenly, he and Jewel are nabbed by a band of smugglers. Jewel's free spirited determination and Blu's brain power come in handy as the two escape from the smugglers and their bitter henchmen, Nigel the cockatoo. But, the two are not free yet. They are chained together, and there's one major problem: Blu cannot fly.

Thankfully, Blu and Jewel are befriended by birds like Rafael the toucan (voice of George Lopez), Nico (voice of Jaime Foxx) and Pedro (voice of Will.i.am), who not only lend them a wing, but also get them in the festive spirit for Carnaval. The entire city is alive with preparations for the big Carnaval parade, but Blu and Jewel must focus on removing their chains and getting back to their homes before Nigel comes along again to spoil the party.

Rio - Guide Review for Parents

Colorful characters, vibrant animation and a lively beat come together to put Rio in a rare category of movie gems: G-rated films that the whole family can appreciate and enjoy. While the storyline is fun and the voice acting is fabulous, those are not the things that make Rio stand out in this day and age of animation glory. Nope, Rio's brilliance comes from the exotic locale. The spice and flavor of the Marvelous City, Rio de Janeiro, brings this festive flick to life and adds a rich cultural backdrop that will grab the interest of moviegoers of all ages.

The film is full of energy and life, and has a great theme about living to the fullest. I came away wanting to learn to Samba and try hang gliding off of Pedra Bonita Mountain. My youngest daughter (3) kept her 3D glasses on through the whole film for the first time ever, and she can't seem to remember "Rio," so she calls the movie "the booty-shaking movie." There is definitely a lot of feathered booty shaking in the movie! The only complaint I have, and I like the 3D overall, but it did make parts of the movie seem a little dim and some of the backgrounds blurry.

Rio contains a few mild rude words like "idiot," "butt," and "shut up." Also, there are a few instances of mild sexual innuendo (mostly to do with birds). Of course, the Carnaval (Portuguese spelling) costumes are skimpy, but nothing compared to the ones you see in pictures of the real thing. Some perilous scenes may frighten very young children. See the "content overview" below for more detailed explanations of content.

Rio Blu-ray Review

Rio - Content Overview

• Violence (Medium): Rio contains some slapstick and cartoon violence involving both people and birds (lots of falling, slamming into things, stuff like that). Also, the mean cockatoo, Nigel, is physically threatening and abusive to other birds and creatures. He squeezes one bird, musing aloud whether it's head will pop. He grabs a couple of birds by the throat, and he maliciously drops a monkey from high in the sky in order to force him to do his bidding (he stops the monkey's fall just in time).
• Scary Scenes (High): Young children may be scared by the scenes listed under "violence." Also, there are a couple of jump scenes in the movie that may startle kids.
• Sex/Nudity (Medium): The movie contains some mild innuendo about the hope that Blu and Jewel will mate. They have a fight which looks to the humans like, well, something else. Two birds kiss, and two humans almost kiss. The Carnaval costumes in the movie are very skimpy, and when Tulio sees Linda in hers, he gets that dropped jaw bug-eyed look. The Carnaval dancers shake their booties in their skimpy costumes. Meaning to be romantic, a bird sings the lyrics, "Take her to the floor" (he is cut off and told to let another bird sing a romantic song).
• Drugs and Alcohol (Low) People at a restaurant are shown to be drinking what looks like wine.
• Language (Low): A few rude words/phrases like "idiot," "shut up," "I hate you," and "butt" are used.

• Disrespectful/Imitative Behavior (High): Nigel is bitter that he lost is fame and wants to make everyone ugly like himself. He is conniving, mean and manipulative. Also, he sings that he likes to "poop on people"and blame it on pigeons. Jewel can be sarcastic and teases Blu. Tulio lets birds eat birdseed out of his mouth.
• Sad/Unsettling Scenes (Medium): Several times during the movie, Blu feels unsettled, sad or scared due to being kidnapped and in a strange country. He feels bad that he can't fly.
• Movie Topics Kids Might Have Questions About: Rio, Carnaval, smugglers, endangered species, birds mating