Rio

Rio – A Spix’s Macaw is stolen from the wild by traffickers as a chick and an accident lands him in the home of loving owner, Linda, who names him Blu, and the pair soon become inseparable. Many years later, an ornithologist tells Linda that Blu is extremely rare and the only hope for the species is for him to mate with a female, so they head out to Rio to make this happen. Unfortunately Blu’s rarity attracts the attention of traffickers and when he and the female, Jewel, are taken, they must do all they can to get back to the people who care about them but as Blu can’t fly, survival becomes increasingly difficult.

Rio (2011) – Director: Carlos Saldanha

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29039991

Rating: U

Running Length: 96 mins

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann

Genre: Animated, Comedy

REVIEW: RIO

Taking the then dangerously endangered species of the bright blue, Spix’s macaw (which is now sadly extinct in the wild), Rio follows Blu, the last known male of the species who due to a twist of luck found himself taken in by a loving owner after being smuggled out of his home of Brazil. His comfortable life with his owner is thrown into turmoil when a well-meaning ornithologist persuades her to take him to Rio de Janeiro to mate with the last known female. While animals mating and their procreation may be something kids can see on any nature documentary, it is something else to have an animated movie, full of loveable anthropomorphic characters discussing such things, especially with mainly human reactions to the idea of sex (particularly nervousness and sass).

The other major plot point is the very real and very inhumane practice of animal trafficking. With the exception of one, all the characters involved in this are unrelenting and show no remorse for the abuse they are inflicting on the animals and callously laugh about the fate that awaits them once they are sold. While this is an important issue for discussion with children, it is likely to open up a discourse that may be difficult to approach in an age appropriate way and therefore become distressing for all concerned. ‘Rio’ does its best to raise awareness of these important themes but taking such an adult concept and crowbarring it into a brightly coloured, wise-cracking kids movie is perhaps a step too far for many parents.

All that being said, ‘Rio’ is a lot of fun. Blu and Jewel have good chemistry and the supporting characters add enough substance to round everything off well. It may not be to everyone’s tastes but it certainly ticks plenty of boxes that will keep the kids entertained and while some awkward questions may be raised, most of the more adult humour will go over young heads.

CONTENT: IS ‘RIO’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The colourful, musical opening introduces us to Blu, who is only a chick. He falls from a tree and when he lands, he realises that he is alone and starts to become afraid. A cage is put over him and he is taken away in a van with other birds. It is clear that this van has driven a long way and when it has an accident, Blu’s cage is thrown from the back, he is afraid until he is taken in by Linda who gives him a loving home.

An ornithologist tells Linda that Blu is the last known male of his species and that if the species is to continue, he must be ‘introduced’ to the last known female of the species. The camera focuses on Blu who, knowing what this means, looks shocked and gulps.

When Linda and Blu arrive in Rio, it is nearly the day of the Carnival and people are getting in the mood for the party. A woman walks across the street in a skimpy bikini, she dances and wiggles her behind as she walks.

Blu meets two birds in Rio and, when they discover his nervousness in being introduced to a female, they advise him to be confident and to make the first move, presuming that she will respond to this positively and be very responsive to his advances.

Blu is put in the female bird’s enclosure and once he is trapped in there, he bangs on the glass and begs to be let out. The female approaches him and says ‘come on, we don’t have much time’, this make Blu even more nervous; he tries to kiss her but it turns out that she actually wants to escape. As the humans want to set the right mood for the birds, romantic music begins to play and the lighting dims, however the female bird attacks Blu; the humans watching comment ‘Wow, that was fast! We should give them some privacy!’

The cockatoo, Nigel, could be quite scary for younger kids as he is very aggressive throughout and helps the traffickers kidnap Blu and Jewel. He initially appears as a pitiful, broken little bird but it soon becomes clear that this is an act. He is very abusive to other birds, gripping one tightly around its throat and has to be reminded that it needs to be kept alive. He tells a group of caged birds that he has something stuck in his beak, they all shrink back and shiver in fear. One of the birds is shoved forwards and is forced to put its foot through Nigel’s open beak to remove a seed on the other side, Nigel suddenly bites the bird’s foot, causing it to squeal and shoot back into its cage.

A character overhears the traffickers discussing what will happen to the birds once they have been sold. One says ‘Plucked, stuffed, eaten, who cares? The point is we’re going to be rich!’

While searching for Blu, a character spots one of his feathers and licks the entire length of it. We mention this in case kids may imitate such behaviour.

Blu starts choking and Jewel gives him the Heimlich manoeuvre, some characters see them from a distance and it looks like the pair are mating, one of the characters says ‘Yep, that’s my boy!’

Blu and Jewel are taken onto a plane which flies away and it appears that they are gone forever, however the pair aren’t beaten yet.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘RIO’ FOR KIDS?

With adult themes that may be too strong for little kids, ‘Rio’ is unlikely to be a movie that everyone enjoys but kids are bound to love the vibrant visuals and plethora of great jokes. We feel this movie is appropriate for kids aged 5 and over but would recommend parental supervision for the first viewing.

• Violence: 1/5 (a man slaps another around the face. A character is knocked unconscious with a chloroform soaked rag)
• Emotional Distress: 2/5 (the birds being kidnapped and the concept of animal smuggling could be upsetting for kids)
• Fear Factor: 2/5 (the conditions the birds are kept in could be frightening for kids and Nigel’s violence towards helpless animals could be scary)
• Sexual Content: 2/5 (the entire plot of the movie revolves around two birds mating in order to continue the species. Jewel, a fiercely independent female, is never given a choice in the matter. A lot of innuendo including some based on male prowess. Due to it being set around the time of the Rio Carnival, women are often seen wearing skimpy costumes. There is a close-up of a beach ball bouncing off the behind of a woman who is wearing bikini bottoms)
• Bad Language: 0/5
• Dialogue: 2/5 (a character explains that some birds have been rescued by smugglers and says the ‘poor birds are often hurt of killed in the process)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of endangered species, animal trafficking, procreation, continuation of a species, searching for a missing pet, celebration and festivities, exploitation, remorse, righting a wrong, adapting to new surroundings and getting out of your comfort zone.

Words by Laura Record

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