Rio (2011)
Where to Watch
- Carlos Saldanha originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Carlos Saldanha's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- The original script for Rio was written over a decade before production finally began in 2011.
Rio is a 2011 American animated comedy produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Carlos Saldanha. Jesse Eisenberg voices Blu, a domesticated Spix's macaw raised in a bookshop in snowy Minnesota who believes he is the last of his kind. When ornithologist Tulio discovers Blu's existence and reveals that a female Spix's macaw named Jewel, voiced by Anne Hathaway, lives in Rio de Janeiro, Blu is brought to Brazil to mate and save the species.
When both birds are captured by smugglers, the flightless, bookish Blu must overcome his fears and learn to fly to rescue Jewel during Carnival. Carlos Saldanha, a Brazilian filmmaker, poured authentic love for his home country into the film, showcasing Rio de Janeiro's landscape, music, and culture with infectious enthusiasm. The Carnival sequences were visually spectacular.
Rio earned $484 million worldwide on a $90 million budget. The film was praised for its entertaining execution of its genre formula.
