Blu then tries to prove himself to Jewel’s spectacle dad,
unknown to the fact that his old enemy, Nigel the Cockatoo, voiced by Jemaine
Clement, no longer able to fly, has followed him to the Amazon, looking for
revenge. Meanwhile, a group of humans are running an illegal logging operation
in the area serving a serious threat to every lifeforms in the rainforest.
Animation filmmaker Carlos Saldanha tries to go bigger
with the sequel to his first “Rio” movie, similar to his method on second and
third “Ice Age” movies. However, “Rio 2” greatly increases the number of
subplots and characters features in the previous film, while also making the
cartoon action and colorful forest on a larger portrait. Sandy Schaefer said in
her review, “The final movie result is a passable kid-friendly adventure, even
though it doesn't offer a lot more than shiny bells and whistles attached to a
sitcom-esque emotional core.”
Saldanha was born and raised in Brazil, so he has a
real appreciation for South America and its rich culture. Schaefer said, “That
shines through in Rio 2, helping to infuse the film with just enough flavor to
elevate it above the bar of being yet another perfunctory animated sequel
targeted at the juice box crowd. Blue Sky's animators successfully combine a
bright tropical color palate with animal character designs that blend
exaggerated (read: cartoonish) features with photo-realistic qualities (see:
the Blue Macaws' feathers).” In the end, is then mixed with enough stylistic additions,
solid voice-acting from the entire cast, and catchy, if also periodic, songs to
make the film easy to sit through (while still reflecting its director’s South
American heritage).
However, there are problems with “Rio 2.” Schaefer
said, “the aspects of the film that make it feel like homogenized Hollywood
sequel fare.” Stylistically, the human characters – including Blu and Jewel’s
former owners Linda (Leslie Mann) and Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) – are subpar in
design. Schaefer said, “they're neither stylized caricatures with tangible
details (a la Pixar's work), nor Expressive snapshots of real people like, say,
the humans in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Similarly, the 3D visual
elements aren't all that effective, as the film is neither structured to
provide an immersive experience nor animated in a manner so that colors and/or
objects really pop out in the third dimension.” However, the 3D doesn’t really distract
from the viewing either, so it’s recommend that those wanting to see “Rio 2”
just decide to put it on Disney+.
Saldanha co-wrote the screen story/script for “Rio 2”
with Toni Brenner and the late Don Rhymer. Based on the writing staff’s
credentials, it may not come has a surprise to hear that “Rio 2’s” main plot
points – Blu proving that he can survive and care for his family without being
dependent on human technology – covers very familiar territory, by giving
respectable yet generic family-friendly movie lessons while ignoring the more
serious ideas that are briefly mentioned, then passed over (like the pros of
cross-cultural integration).
However, a number of subplots int eh film come down to
giving the side characters something to do. That includes a narrative part with
Rafael (George Lopez) and Nico (Jaime Foxx), who join with Blu’s family in
order to find new talent for the Rio Carnival, along with Nigel wanting revenge
– both that, when you look at it, could’ve been cut with little complaints. With
the pros, having so many characters subplots does set up some nice musical
numbers, performed by Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth as Gabi (a poison dart
frog in love with Nigel) and hip-hop singer Bruno Mars as Roberto (Jewel’s
childhood friend). Also, any film that starts with an original tune by Janelle
Monáe must be doing something right.
Schaefer said, “Indeed, the enjoyable music and traces
of authentic Brazilian spirit in Rio 2 tip the quality scale towards
"good," providing enough decent material to compensate for the film's
derivative qualities and storytelling flaws - if only barely so.” Viewers young
and old might not remember much of what happened afterwards, but at least the
film is decent fun while it runs.
This may not as good as the first, but I still think it
wouldn’t hurt to see it. If you want to see it on Disney+, then by all means go
for it. I don’t know how much adults will get into it, but if children who
loved the first one see this, then they will probably get into it fine. This is
probably one of those films you put on for your kids when you want to distract
them so they don’t make too much noise.
Tomorrow I will be looking at another live-action film
that I didn’t really get into in “Disney Month 2024.”
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