Rio

Rio is a 2011 American animated musical adventure comedy film directed by Carlos Saldanha and written by Don Rhymer, Joshua Sternin, Jennifer Ventimilia, and Sam Harper. The title refers to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, where the film is set. Produced by 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios, the film features the voices of Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jemaine Clement, Leslie Mann, Carlos Ponce, Jake T. Austin, George Lopez, and Jamie Foxx. It follows Blu (Eisenberg), a domesticated male Spix's macaw, who is taken back to Rio de Janeiro to mate with Jewel (Hathaway), a free-spirited female macaw. They fall in love whilst escaping from bird smugglers and Nigel (Clement), a cockatoo. Saldanha first developed the story concept, in which a penguin is washed up in Rio, in 2006. Learning of the production of the penguin-themed films Happy Feet (2006) and Surf's Up (2007), he changed the concept to involve macaws. He pitched his idea to Chris Wedge, and the project was set up at Blue Sky Studios. During production, the crew visited Rio de Janeiro and also consulted with an expert on macaws at the Bronx Zoo to study their movements. John Powell composed the film's music score. Rio debuted on March 22, 2011, in Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro. and was released in the United States on April 15 by 20th Century Fox. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with significant praise for the music, character writing, and animation. It grossed $484 million against a $90 million budget. It was nominated for Best Original Song for the song "Real in Rio" at the 84th Academy Awards. A sequel, Rio 2, was released in 2014.