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Blu (voice of Jesse Eisenberg) and his family take flight for the Amazon after Jewel (voice of Anne Hathaway) decides their children should explore the world. Meanwhile, the overprotective father grows concerned that his family will leave him once they've experienced life in the wild. Tracy Morgan, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, George Lopez, and Leslie Mann reprise their roles in this sequel from director Carlos Saldanha and producers John C. Donkin and Bruce Anderson -- the creative trio behind the original 2011 hit. Directed by Carlos Saldanha, the lusciously animated Rio 2 begins with Blu the macaw (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) comfortably navigating a human kitchen and reveling in the joys of domestic life. His three hatchlings have adopted a variety of human traits, ranging from a healthy interest in the natural sciences to a less admirable penchant for wearing an iPod at all times. Blu and the kids appear to be thriving, but the wild-born Jewel (Anne Hathaway) longs for the days when home was inside of a tree and breakfast consisted of a simple Brazil nut. Although the feathered family is functional, albeit untraditional, it's apparent that they might benefit from a bit of counseling. This, however, is not to be. When Jewel overhears a news report about her former guardian, ornithologist Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro), and Blu's onetime human companion, a woman named Linda (Leslie Mann), she is shocked and heartened by the revelation that there may be a flock of blue macaws living in the rain forests of the Amazon. Soon, she decides that her family should leave the relative safety of Rio for a chance at reconnecting with other members of their species. While Blu is less excited by this prospect, he is happy for the opportunity to see Linda again, and packs a number of human accoutrements for the journey (the most notable of which are a fanny pack and a Swiss army knife with a spork attachment). Although the parrots quickly confirm that the rumors are true and the colony of blue macaws exists -- in fact, the patriarch is none other than Jewel's father (Andy Garcia) -- their victory is short-lived. Not only does Blu have serious problems adjusting to a significantly wilder existence, but a nearby tycoon hopes to raze the land on which the birds have made their home. If that weren't bad enough, the deranged cockatoo Nigel (Jemaine Clement) has returned to exact revenge on Blu, this time with the help of a spunky tree frog (Kristin Chenoweth) at his side. Rio 2 has two major drawbacks: The plot is completely formulaic, with none of the tension or sentimentality of similar animated features, and Eisenberg's Blu becomes so neurotic and stereotypically nebbish that it's difficult to root for him at times. However, there's certainly nothing wrong with a well-told tale of the good versus the greedy, especially when it has an underlying message about the importance of forest conservation. On this count, Rio 2 delivers. The pace is neither too slow nor too frantic, and the frequent musical interludes are fun, colorful, and delivered with clear enthusiasm from the actors who lent their voices to this film (particularly crooner Bruno Mars as a lothario of a blue macaw named Roberto). Clement, Tracy Morgan, will.i.am, and Jamie Foxx reprise their roles from the first movie without missing a beat, and newcomers Garcia, Chenoweth, and Amy Heidemann (playing a sloth who delivers staccato, aggressive rap verses) fit in seamlessly. While Rio 2 is a far cry from Frozen (2013), Brave (2012), and other winners in the cutthroat world of animated features for children, it would be right at home in the middle of the pack. There's no shame in that, and the combination of consistently whimsical music and dialogue and a subtle message in favor of environmental conservation will make Rio 2 a worthy edition to any family-friendly film collection.
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
Product Details
Actors: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jemaine Clement
Directors: Carlos Saldanha
Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, AC-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English (DTS 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: English, Portuguese, Spanish
Dubbed: French, Portuguese, Spanish
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 2
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: July 15, 2014
Run Time: 101 minutes
Cast & Crew
Anne Hathaway Voice Only
Jesse Eisenberg Voice Only
will.i.am Voice Only
Jamie Foxx Voice Only
George Lopez Voice Only
Tracy Morgan Voice Only
Jemaine Clement Voice Only, Voice Only
Rodrigo Santoro Voice Only
Leslie Mann Voice Only
Jake T. Austin Voice Only
Natalie Morales Voice Only, Voice Only
Rita Moreno Voice Only, Voice Only
Rachel Crow Voice Only, Voice Only
Amandla Stenberg Voice Only, Voice Only
Pierce Gagnon Voice Only
Andy Garcia Voice Only, Voice Only
Janelle Monae Voice Only, Voice Only
Kristin Chenoweth Voice Only, Voice Only
Bruno Mars Voice Only, Voice Only
Carlinhos Brown Voice Only
Jim Conroy Voice Only
Bernardo De Paula Voice Only, Voice Only
Nola Donkin Voice Only
Miguel Ferrer Voice Only
Jeff Garcia Voice Only
Jeffrey Garcia Voice Only
Jason Harris Voice Only
Amy Heidemann Voice Only
Kevin W. Keane Voice Only
Philip Lawrence Voice Only
Gracinha Leporace Voice Only
Sergio Mendes Voice Only
Kate Micucci Voice Only
Bebel Gilberto Voice Only
Pablo RamÃrez Voice Only
Marco Antonio Regil Voice Only
Peter Pamela Rose Voice Only
Carlos Saldanha Voice Only
Sofia Scarpa Saldanha Voice Only
Manoela Scarpa Saldanha Voice Only
Rafael Scarpa Saldanha Voice Only
Cindy Slattery Voice Only
Randy Thom Voice Only
Claira Nicole Titman Voice Only
Miriam Wallen Voice Only
Pierre Gagnon Voice Only, Voice Only
Technical Credits
Carlos Saldanha Director
Bruce Anderson Producer
John C. Donkin Producer
Renato Falcao Cinematographer
Christian Kaplan Casting
Sean M. Murphy Production Manager
John Powell Score Composer
Josep Prieto Sound/Sound Designer
Randy Thom Sound/Sound Designer
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