Tropical birds

Rating: 8/10 (15 March 2012)

Has anyone ever thought animated movies were easy to make? Well, stay until the end because the six or seven minutes of credits of "Rio" is an eye opener. There are hundreds of people involved in a project of this magnitude in all kinds of specialties. What appears to be a simple film, one has no idea in what goes on to get the finished product to look this good as one sits in a theater, or at home watching magic happening in front of one's eyes.
The magic of "Rio", a film conceived and directed by Carlos Saldanha, is a labor of love. Mr. Saldanha and his collaborators created a simple story about a rare bird that is in danger of extinction. The story and screenplay was written by the director and six others writers who take us from a frozen winter time Minnesota to the Brazilian city of Rio, as carnival is about to start.
The film makes a point about the way the colorful tropical birds are stolen from their natural habitats and smuggled to other countries where most of them are sold as pets. Being kept in cages is not exactly what nature intended for these gorgeous creatures, but that is the fate for most of them, unfortunately.
"Rio" is, after all, a picture targeted for younger audiences. As such, the creators had nothing but sheer entertainment and not social criticism in mind when they set out with this production. The film is light hearted and a joy to watch. The well known actors that lend their voices to the birds are perfectly matched. The colors are outrageously beautiful. The best thing for anyone is to sit back, relax and enjoy this marvelous trip to that enchanting place called Rio.