Claim: Anne Hathaway is an actress.

Rio is a 2011 American 3D computer-animated adventure film-produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Carlos Saldanha . The title refers to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro , where the film is set . The film features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg , Anne Hathaway , Jemaine Clement , Leslie Mann , George Lopez , and Jamie Foxx . It tells the story of Blu -LRB- Eisenberg -RRB- , a male Spix 's macaw who is taken to Rio de Janeiro to mate with a free-spirited female Spix 's macaw , Jewel -LRB- Hathaway -RRB- . The two eventually fall in love , and together they have to escape from being smuggled by Nigel -LRB- Clement -RRB- , a cockatoo . The theme song , `` Telling the World '' was performed by Taio Cruz .   Saldanha developed his first story concept of Rio in 1995 , in which a penguin is washed up in Rio . Saldanha learned of the production of the films Happy Feet -LRB- 2006 -RRB- and Surf 's Up -LRB- 2007 -RRB- , and changed the concept to involve macaws and their environments in Rio . He proposed his idea to Chris Wedge in 2006 , and the project was set up at Blue Sky . The main voice actors were approached in 2009 . During production , the crew visited Rio de Janeiro and also consulted with an expert on macaws at the Bronx Zoo to study their movements .   Rio premiered on March 22 , 2011 , in Lagoa , Rio de Janeiro , and had its general release on April 15 , 2011 , in North America . The film received generally positive reviews from film critics . Observers praised the visuals , voice acting , and music . The film was also a box office success , grossing over $ 143 million in the United States and $ 484 million worldwide . The film was nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Song for the song `` Real in Rio '' , but lost to the other nominee , `` Man or Muppet '' from The Muppets . A sequel , Rio 2 , was released on April 11 , 2014 .