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Description
Blu and Jewel... in black and white.

Note: A screen shot was used as a reference.

------------

Although I saw Rio quite some time ago, I never posted up my thoughts about it in detail. Below is my review on the film. Beware, for there be spoilers ahead!

-----

~ Rio Review ~

Set in picturesque Rio de Janeiro, painted with stunning visuals, and supporting an all star cast, including the voice talents of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan, and Jamie Foxx, Blue Sky Studios' latest full-length animated feature, Rio, is as aesthetically pleasing as it is charming story-wise.

There are many things about this film to praise, most notably the animation, design, and environments. It's undoubtable that the film-makers did their research in regards to all three. They succeeded in immersing the audience in the locations chosen -- the illusion of hang-gliding over Rio is definitely felt in one of the more memorable sequences. Equally as appealing are the designs, each one complimenting the personality of the characters, particularly that of our main character, Blu. As for the animation, it's beautiful. This is to be expected, but I must say that Blue Sky really hit a home run in regards to the birds. Watch (footage of) real birds enact such movements and behaviors as walking, fondling objects, climbing with their feet and beak, and, of course, flying, and compare it to that of the birds in this film, namely Blu and Jewel. It's impeccable. Just as notable is how they utilized such animation and paired it with comical gestures, postures, and expressions to make things that much more interesting. Taking Blu's introduction to Jewel as an example, I love the way Blu plops/sits down on the tree limb, as well as a little smirk that Jewel pulls in the same scene. In general, the animation for all of the characters was altogether authentic and fluid, exercising subtlety where needed. My heartfelt congratulations to the crew for delivering a film rich in aesthetics and animation.

Story-wise, it has its share of positives and negatives. The overall idea of a dying species forced to mate against their will is a humorous one. (It's also an idea that other studios have vowed for, specifically Crest Animation Productions with their very forgettable film, Alpha and Omega, and Pixar's scrapped project, Newt.) The manner in which it was carried out in this film was charming and memorable, although there were things about it that I found to be rather generic, predictable, and recycled. Additionally, there were various aspects of the film that may have served the overall story better had they been omitted or changed, and certain moments could have, perhaps, been stronger. Allow me to exaggerate....

• The relationship between Blu and his owner, Linda, is touching, but I wish it could have been elaborated upon. Linda was very charming as a youngster, and I can't help but feel that it would have been interesting to actually see the bond between her and Blu grow instead of catching glimpses of it via photographs... until we eventually reach their adulthood. Even though the film is essentially about Blu and Jewel, I was left wanting to see and know more about the close relationship Blu and Linda had; unfortunately, the two are separated early on in the film, so intimate moments with them are limited, which is a shame, because I really liked such touching sequences as the "Blu and Linda in the doorway" scene.

• Linda had the tendency to burst into tears whenever Blu was unceremoniously stolen from her. Although this happened a grand total of only two times, and though this reaction was most likely an aspect of her personality, it seemed a bit... unnecessary. Perhaps this is simply personal taste, but I felt that the sequences where Linda thought she had lost Blu forever would have been more meaningful had they kept her quiet -- crying silently or coming close to crying, perhaps -- instead of bursting into tears.

• The orphan boy, Fernando, played a rather pivotal role in the film. He was an interesting and likable character, but what of his backstory? Granted, only so many eggs can fit in one basket, and it isn't always the best decision to stuff more character histories than is necessary into an hour and a half long film, but knowing just a little bit more about Fernando's past might have helped to connect with him more. Perhaps I just have a fondness for backstories, though. We don't really need to know more about him, as he's not the central focus, but still....

• Nigel was another interesting personality, but it felt like his history was quickly taped on for the sake of further emphasizing the fact that he was evil instead of allowing the audience to truly sympathize with him as a character. A song was the "easy way out" to explaining his history, I take it, but it did nothing to either make me fear him or empathize with him more.

• Throughout the film, I noticed that several of the pudgier male characters seem to share the same design... with minor alterations. Assuming that this was done just to save time and money, it doesn't bother me too much, but it still left me thinking that several characters could have been played by one -- the restaurant waiter... playing the bird sanctuary guard... playing one of Marcel's henchman....

• This may just be me being picky, but there may be possible references to other animated films. Not that this isn't to be expected, but it was kind of bothersome. The most notable ones I caught were a reference to Surf's Up (at the end of the "Fly Love" scene, when Nico did that impression of a bomb exploding) and to The Fox and the Hound (when Nigel experiences "aftershocks" of electrocution while flying off). Again, though, I'm probably just being unnecessarily critical.

• The ending was rushed. Surely they could have spent just a couple more minutes showing how everything came together (the construction/opening of Linda's new book store; the adoption of Fernando by Linda and Tulio; the birth of the new bird sanctuary; etc...)? Additionally, Jewel's reluctance to be accepted/handled by humans didn't seem to match up with how she reacted at the end. From my perspective, she'd been mistrusting of us two-legged folk for quite some time. Yes, something had to be done about that wing of hers, but I kind of expected her to put up a bit of a fight, or at least be less certain of what the humans were going to do to her, regardless of how much she trusted Blu.

All of this having been said, there were still many positives, including such things as...

• ... the "Fly Love" moment, where Blu is attempting to impress Jewel. That had to be one of the funniest bits in the film.

• ... Jewel's solo near the middle of the film. Gotta love the look on Blu's face as he watches her singing, entranced. What a beautiful moment.

• ... the carnival serving as something of a "ticking bomb" in the film. The way it conflicted with the characters was entertaining, as well.

• ... the lighting. Don't even get me started on this. The visuals are stunning in themselves, but the colorful and expressive lighting only added to them.

• ... the rendering work done on the feathers, fur, hair, clothing, etc.... The rendering team did a marvelous job. Excellent work, guys!

• ... the score and music/vocals, which nicely and effectively complimented the story. Both are equally pleasant and engaging. Normally, singing bits in computer animated films is a "miss" for me, but the vocals in this film are ones that I didn't mind. In fact, I looked forward to hearing more as the story went on. That was unusual... and refreshing.

All in all, this is a delightful film that is humorous, charming, and just plain ol' fun to watch, preferably with a cup of hot chocolate and six marshmallows. Sure, some scenes could have, perhaps, been slowed down or sacrificed to make way for more meaningful ones, and already significant moments could have been given more breathing room, but, overall, the film benefits from nice pacing, memorable characters, and a heartfelt story. Good job, Blue Sky Studios!

-- Mitch

-------

Blu and Jewel are the property of Blue Sky Studios.
"Rio" is © Blue Sky Studios.

Description
Blu and Jewel... in black and white.

Note: A screen shot was used as a reference.

------------

Although I saw Rio quite some time ago, I never posted up my thoughts about it in detail. Below is my review on the film. Beware, for there be spoilers ahead!

-----

~ Rio Review ~

Set in picturesque Rio de Janeiro, painted with stunning visuals, and supporting an all star cast, including the voice talents of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan, and Jamie Foxx, Blue Sky Studios' latest full-length animated feature, Rio, is as aesthetically pleasing as it is charming story-wise.

There are many things about this film to praise, most notably the animation, design, and environments. It's undoubtable that the film-makers did their research in regards to all three. They succeeded in immersing the audience in the locations chosen -- the illusion of hang-gliding over Rio is definitely felt in one of the more memorable sequences. Equally as appealing are the designs, each one complimenting the personality of the characters, particularly that of our main character, Blu. As for the animation, it's beautiful. This is to be expected, but I must say that Blue Sky really hit a home run in regards to the birds. Watch (footage of) real birds enact such movements and behaviors as walking, fondling objects, climbing with their feet and beak, and, of course, flying, and compare it to that of the birds in this film, namely Blu and Jewel. It's impeccable. Just as notable is how they utilized such animation and paired it with comical gestures, postures, and expressions to make things that much more interesting. Taking Blu's introduction to Jewel as an example, I love the way Blu plops/sits down on the tree limb, as well as a little smirk that Jewel pulls in the same scene. In general, the animation for all of the characters was altogether authentic and fluid, exercising subtlety where needed. My heartfelt congratulations to the crew for delivering a film rich in aesthetics and animation.

Story-wise, it has its share of positives and negatives. The overall idea of a dying species forced to mate against their will is a humorous one. (It's also an idea that other studios have vowed for, specifically Crest Animation Productions with their very forgettable film, Alpha and Omega, and Pixar's scrapped project, Newt.) The manner in which it was carried out in this film was charming and memorable, although there were things about it that I found to be rather generic, predictable, and recycled. Additionally, there were various aspects of the film that may have served the overall story better had they been omitted or changed, and certain moments could have, perhaps, been stronger. Allow me to exaggerate....

• The relationship between Blu and his owner, Linda, is touching, but I wish it could have been elaborated upon. Linda was very charming as a youngster, and I can't help but feel that it would have been interesting to actually see the bond between her and Blu grow instead of catching glimpses of it via photographs... until we eventually reach their adulthood. Even though the film is essentially about Blu and Jewel, I was left wanting to see and know more about the close relationship Blu and Linda had; unfortunately, the two are separated early on in the film, so intimate moments with them are limited, which is a shame, because I really liked such touching sequences as the "Blu and Linda in the doorway" scene.

• Linda had the tendency to burst into tears whenever Blu was unceremoniously stolen from her. Although this happened a grand total of only two times, and though this reaction was most likely an aspect of her personality, it seemed a bit... unnecessary. Perhaps this is simply personal taste, but I felt that the sequences where Linda thought she had lost Blu forever would have been more meaningful had they kept her quiet -- crying silently or coming close to crying, perhaps -- instead of bursting into tears.

• The orphan boy, Fernando, played a rather pivotal role in the film. He was an interesting and likable character, but what of his backstory? Granted, only so many eggs can fit in one basket, and it isn't always the best decision to stuff more character histories than is necessary into an hour and a half long film, but knowing just a little bit more about Fernando's past might have helped to connect with him more. Perhaps I just have a fondness for backstories, though. We don't really need to know more about him, as he's not the central focus, but still....

• Nigel was another interesting personality, but it felt like his history was quickly taped on for the sake of further emphasizing the fact that he was evil instead of allowing the audience to truly sympathize with him as a character. A song was the "easy way out" to explaining his history, I take it, but it did nothing to either make me fear him or empathize with him more.

• Throughout the film, I noticed that several of the pudgier male characters seem to share the same design... with minor alterations. Assuming that this was done just to save time and money, it doesn't bother me too much, but it still left me thinking that several characters could have been played by one -- the restaurant waiter... playing the bird sanctuary guard... playing one of Marcel's henchman....

• This may just be me being picky, but there may be possible references to other animated films. Not that this isn't to be expected, but it was kind of bothersome. The most notable ones I caught were a reference to Surf's Up (at the end of the "Fly Love" scene, when Nico did that impression of a bomb exploding) and to The Fox and the Hound (when Nigel experiences "aftershocks" of electrocution while flying off). Again, though, I'm probably just being unnecessarily critical.

• The ending was rushed. Surely they could have spent just a couple more minutes showing how everything came together (the construction/opening of Linda's new book store; the adoption of Fernando by Linda and Tulio; the birth of the new bird sanctuary; etc...)? Additionally, Jewel's reluctance to be accepted/handled by humans didn't seem to match up with how she reacted at the end. From my perspective, she'd been mistrusting of us two-legged folk for quite some time. Yes, something had to be done about that wing of hers, but I kind of expected her to put up a bit of a fight, or at least be less certain of what the humans were going to do to her, regardless of how much she trusted Blu.

All of this having been said, there were still many positives, including such things as...

• ... the "Fly Love" moment, where Blu is attempting to impress Jewel. That had to be one of the funniest bits in the film.

• ... Jewel's solo near the middle of the film. Gotta love the look on Blu's face as he watches her singing, entranced. What a beautiful moment.

• ... the carnival serving as something of a "ticking bomb" in the film. The way it conflicted with the characters was entertaining, as well.

• ... the lighting. Don't even get me started on this. The visuals are stunning in themselves, but the colorful and expressive lighting only added to them.

• ... the rendering work done on the feathers, fur, hair, clothing, etc.... The rendering team did a marvelous job. Excellent work, guys!

• ... the score and music/vocals, which nicely and effectively complimented the story. Both are equally pleasant and engaging. Normally, singing bits in computer animated films is a "miss" for me, but the vocals in this film are ones that I didn't mind. In fact, I looked forward to hearing more as the story went on. That was unusual... and refreshing.

All in all, this is a delightful film that is humorous, charming, and just plain ol' fun to watch, preferably with a cup of hot chocolate and six marshmallows. Sure, some scenes could have, perhaps, been slowed down or sacrificed to make way for more meaningful ones, and already significant moments could have been given more breathing room, but, overall, the film benefits from nice pacing, memorable characters, and a heartfelt story. Good job, Blue Sky Studios!

-- Mitch

-------

Blu and Jewel are the property of Blue Sky Studios.
"Rio" is © Blue Sky Studios.