Watch: Rio

• Director: Carlos Saldanha
• Writers: Carlos Saldanha (story), Don Rhymer (screenplay)
• Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway and George Lopez
• Release Date: April 2011
• Run Time: 97 min
• Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family

1 out of every 8 Americans is afraid of flying. Most of them don’t have feathers.

"Rio" is quite similar to Pixar’s canceled project "Newt". The story sounds dark for kids, but I think the story is better for "Rio" because it makes this "endangered-specie-mating" plot into a subplot and more focus to "learn-how-to-fly" plot. But this "learn-to-fly" plot is a bit predictable. The filmmaking was great. Colorful visuals, often hilarious, and decent directing.

There is nothing wrong with the voice acting. The main cast, Jesse Eisenber and Anne Hathaway are like the bird versions of them. Jemaine Clement really made his character evil. The rest of the cast, Will.i.am, Jamie Foxx and George Lopez adds more fun to the movie. I just wish Tracy Morgan’s character Luiz had more scenes.

The visuals are colorful and very spectacular. It really shows how beautiful Rio De Janeiro is. The flying sequence is indeed breathtaking even if it’s in 2D. The problem of the movie is it’s not so compelling. The ending seems rushed. We will all know what’s gonna happened to this flightless bird. Although the movie has a big heart. The movie is often funny of course.

Overall it’s a fun experience. "Rio" is not like Pixar but it’s still enjoyable for the whole family. After watching all of those awful recent blockbusters, I think "Rio" is the best movie I’ve seen this year so far. It’s an amazing large-scale ride. It could be the studio’s best movie yet.