Rio

My spouse and I bought this DVD for the grandkids to watch this weekend. So we previewed it last night to make sure it was okay for the 3 yr old. We watched this 95-minute movie and were thoroughly entertained! If you have a 3D TV, you MUST buy this movie...it will be the demo disk you want to show your guests.First, without going into detail about the plot, let me say that the feature moves along quickly throughout. The story develops and holds your attention. The opening Rio theme music is choreographed with a wide array of colorful birds and needs to be watched closely for clever details. The song itself is catchy and really good...better than what you find in the Lion King. There are only a handful of songs, and they are all very good and engaging.When Rafael, the toucan, takes Blu and Jewel to the top of a mountain for flying lessons, his 3D-beak magically emerges from the screen....just one of the several excellent 3D effects. The scene follows the two birds falling, then soaring, and finally landing on a crowded beach. Again, the 3D is incredible and the details are comical and beautiful at the same time. Another scene, which I think is a classic, involves the two riding atop a streetcar, trying to get to know each other. Rafael flies through the blossoming trees on the street, creating a shower of blossoms over the two love birds. This is done to the accompaniment of a serenade. Almost makes you want to go to Rio!Throughout this movie we laughed, and when we weren't laughing, sat there with wide grins soaking up the great vibes from this wonderful movie. Adults will enjoy the smart humor, and young kids will groove to the samba music and colorful birds. Definitely one of the best we've seen!Almost forgot, the movie is preceded by a short animation called 'Scrat's Continental Crack-Up'. You'll recognize Scrat from the Ice Age animations. This is short and VERY funny...a great prelude to a great movie.

Cute move and great for many ages

Good quality, no scratches

Blu a domesticated blue Macaw, who was captured as a chick, cannot fly. And you, my fellow cinemaphobes, know that in the end, someway, somehow, Blu will be flying. After some excellent computer-animated features - ICE AGE, HORTON HEARS A WHO, etc - Blue Sky Studios hit a home run on this, their sixth feature. The visual technology here - especially in 3D - is every bit as good as the best from Pixar, DreamWorks and Disney Studios. Beyond the visuals, though, this is just a fun film for the entire family, with a humorous, heartwarming story...the actual rating is G, not PG; Blue Sky was able to get the original rating changed. There is also some top drawer voice acting in this film, by Jesse Eisenberg, as the nerdy, flightless, Blu; Ann Hathaway, as his love interest, Jewel; Leslie Mann as Linda, the owner of Blu; and Rodrigo Santoro as Tulio, who wants to get Blu and Jewel together because they are the last of their species. Also listen for Jamie Foxx as Nico, a canary who looks like Tweetie-Bird; and George Lopez, as Raphael, a Toucan who helps Blu and Jewel. There is plenty of adventure; plenty of romance between Blu and Jewel and Linda and Tulio; and plenty of song and dance numbers to a Brazilian beat...it ain't called RIO for nothing. And since this is a family movie - great for kids and adults of all ages - you know the ending will be a happy one. One of my favorite animated features and I think it will become one of yours too.

This is a cute movie and it plays well in any of my DVD players. The movie is full of bright colors and cute dialog. It is suitable for families also (no cursing). Highly recommend!

Rio is a beautifully rendered film that is made more spectacular with its 3-D effects. While clearly designed to delight children, it also provides plenty of pleasure for adults through its character development and clever turns of phrase. The boy-meet-girl story is told on two levels: the two rare birds -- one from the city and one from spectacular Rio -- and the two adults -- a shy, but knowing, woman who owns the city bird and a smart, but nerdy botanist who has re-located from the States to Rio in order to study the colorful birds found in the rainforest. The samba rhythms keep the music from becoming cloying and, in fact, add some fine touches.One of the movie's best features is the menagerie (literally) of second fiddles and bit players who waddle or fly --sometimes awkwardly and other times with soaring grace. It's a cartoon, so most of the good guys are genuinely good, while the bad guys might as well be wearing black hats because their evilness is so totally transparent (even when they're pretending to be good guys). But it does bring up a good point about the illegal poaching of rare birds from the rain forests and the willingness of wealthy clients to buy them despite threats of species extinction. Rio shifts into darker color schemes when it enters the lair of the bad guys, so in case you missed the point of where bad vs. good is occurring, the film makes it perfectly clear. The villain bird is a conniving liar who always looks like he needs a bath and flies awkwardly. He's a total contrast with the good hearted birds who are both colorful and beautiful to watchBut the movie's strongest feature has to be the music, which beats with a Brazilian heart throughout the film, and provides the opportunity for some spectacular dancing numbers. My only proviso is that the film pays some obvious tribute to Disney pictures such as Lion King in its biggest number (again, Lion King comes to mind). But the numbers are well-done so you quickly forget that it's all been done before, and concentrate instead of the colorful birds and the heart-warming story. Another highly successful element of the film is its portrayal of the Carnivale parade with its gorgeous animated floats and gyrating dancers moving to the rhythm of Rio.I saw the film in 3D, and the effects were both excellent and subtle enough to keep the film from falling into overdone 3-D cliches. It's worthwhile wearing the glasses to see this one. have a feeling that you wouldn't miss 3-D if you only purchase the 2-D Blu-Ray, but once you've seen it in 3-D there's simply no going back. On my projector/screen combo, Rio was bright and beautiful with memorable moments throughout. And since the samba beat was the glue that held it all together, a good sound system really pays off.We never see anyone heading for the gym, but the heroine is in remarkably good physical condition for a gal from Minnesota who runs a barely successful pet store. But, honestly, who cares about such details. It's a fun movie and I can't wait to show it to my grandchildren.

I love this story! I like how it brings out real issues of deforestation animal smuggling and endangerment but in a fun feel good fashion with lots of music and dancing. There’s adult humor mixed in so it’s equally enjoyable for kids and adults alike! A must see!