An Animated Avian Adventure

Rating: 8/10 (14 October 2019)

As this animated film opens several birds, including a young Spix's macaw are captured in the rain forest outside Rio de Janeiro and taken to America. The young macaw's crate falls off the van in the snow blanketed town of Moose Lake in Minnesota. Here he is found and cared for by Linda, who calls him Blu. Fifteen years pass then Túlio Monteiro, an ornithologist from Rio turns up asking for Linda's help... Spix's macaws are critically endangered and he needs Blu to go to Rio and breed with Jewel, the last known female. The three of them fly there but Jewel and Blu don't initially hit it off... she is certainly unimpressed that he can't fly. This is the least of their problems though; they are stolen, and chained together by thieving bird smugglers and Nigel, their evil sulphur-crested cockatoo. They manage to escape but their adventure is far from over. Meanwhile Linda and Túlio learn of their disappearance and start searching for them; as do the smugglers.
This film is quite different from the stories one gets from Disney/Pixar; it is brasher in style and a little cheeky at times. This isn't a criticism though; it provides plenty of good laughs, child-friendly thrills and a touch of romance... in other words something for everybody. The main characters are good; I liked how Blu and Jewel's relationship gradually develops and Linda and Túlio work together to find the birds without their relationship becoming obviously romantic. I was less amused by Pedro and Nico, to cliché comedy sidekicks who were more irritating than entertaining... of course they may appeal more to younger viewers who are the real target audience. The character designs were impressive and the animation was top notch. I loved the scenes were we fly through the jungle and soar above Rio; they were clearly designed to show case the film's 3D on the big screen but still work on a small TV screen. The voice cast, which includes Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg as Jewel and Blu, does a fine job bringing their characters to life. Overall I'd say that this is well worth a watch if you enjoy animation or are just looking for something that can be enjoyed by all the family.