Rio 2 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rio 2 |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Carlos Saldanha |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Carlos Saldanha |
| Starring | |
| Music by | John Powell |
| Cinematography | Renato Falcão |
| Editing by | Harry Hitner |
| Studio |
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| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | March 20, 2014 (International) April 11, 2014 (United States) |
| Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $103-130 million |
| Money made | $498.8 million |
Rio 2 is an animated musical comedy film from 2014. It was made by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Carlos Saldanha. This movie is a sequel to the popular 2011 film Rio. It is the second film in the Rio movie series.
The first Rio movie was set in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rio 2 starts there, but most of the story takes place in the amazing Amazon rainforest. Many of the original voice actors returned, including Jesse Eisenberg as Blu and Anne Hathaway as Jewel. New voices joined the cast, like Bruno Mars and Andy Garcia.
Rio 2 was released around the world starting on March 20, 2014. It came out in American theaters on April 11, 2014. The movie earned about $498 million worldwide. Critics had mixed feelings about it. They liked the animation, the voice acting, and the songs. However, some thought the story and characters could have been better. The film is dedicated to Don Rhymer, one of the screenwriters, who passed away in 2012.
Contents
Story of Rio 2
The movie begins with Blu and Jewel, two rare blue Spix's macaws, living happily in the city of Rio with their three children: Carla, Bia, and Tiago. Jewel, however, feels that her kids are becoming too much like humans, just like Blu. She misses the wild.
Meanwhile, their human friends, Linda and Tulio, are exploring the Amazon rainforest. They discover a blue macaw feather, which suggests that other Spix's macaws might still exist! When this news is shown on TV, Jewel gets excited. She believes they should travel to the Amazon to help find these other macaws. The kids are thrilled, but Blu is not so sure. He loves his comfortable city life. Still, Jewel convinces him to go.
Their friends Rafael, Nico, and Pedro decide to join them. They want to find new talent for the upcoming Carnival celebration. Luiz, a bulldog, tries to follow but accidentally gets left behind. Blu packs a fanny pack full of human gadgets, like a GPS, which Jewel finds annoying.
A bad guy named Big Boss, who leads a group of illegal loggers, finds out about Linda and Tulio's search for the macaws. He orders his workers to find and stop them. At the same time, Nigel, the evil cockatoo from the first movie, is back! He wants revenge on Blu. He teams up with a silent anteater named Charlie and a tiny poison dart frog named Gabi, who is secretly in love with him.
After arriving in the huge jungle, Blu and his family don't find anything at first. But soon, they are led to a hidden flock of blue macaws living in a secret part of the Amazon. There, Jewel has a joyful reunion with her long-lost father, Eduardo, her aunt Mimi, and her childhood friend, Roberto.
Eduardo isn't very impressed with Blu. He sees Blu as too human-like. Eduardo is also very protective of their home because loggers burned down their previous one. He doesn't want Blu to tell Linda and Tulio about their secret sanctuary, even if it could help protect them.
While searching for the macaws, Linda and Tulio are captured by the loggers. Back with the macaws, Blu tries his best to fit in with the flock. His family is doing well, but Blu's love for human tools makes it hard for him to connect with the other birds.
In a sneaky move, Nigel disguises himself and wins a talent show. This allows him to perform in the Carnival show that Rafael, Pedro, Nico, and Carla are putting together.
One day, Blu tries to pick a Brazil nut for Jewel. He accidentally goes into the territory of the scarlet macaws, who are enemies of the Spix's macaws. Their leader is a tough macaw named Felipe. Blu accidentally starts a war between the two tribes over food when he hits Felipe with a branch. The "war" turns into a football (soccer) match. Blu accidentally costs his team the game and their territory by scoring an own goal!
After an argument with Jewel, Blu almost decides to leave Linda and his human life behind for his family. But then, he sees the loggers destroying the forest. He rushes back to the flock and inspires them to fight back. This finally earns him Eduardo's trust.
Using Blu's knowledge of human technology and help from the scarlet macaws, the birds and other jungle animals work together. They manage to stop the loggers' machines. During the fight, Eduardo gets hurt. Linda, driving another tractor, saves him. Big Boss tries to blow up the trees with dynamite, but Blu stops him. Nigel then attacks Blu, but Gabi accidentally knocks Nigel out with a porcupine quill. Luckily, Bia reveals that Gabi is not a poison dart frog at all, but a harmless tree frog!
With Linda and Tulio now protecting the flock, Blu and Jewel decide to live in the Amazon with their children. Eduardo finally accepts Blu into the flock. Nigel and Gabi are sent to Rio for study. Nico and Pedro's Carnival show, Amazon Untamed, is a big success. And Luiz finally arrives in the Amazon for a visit!
Voice Actors
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- Jesse Eisenberg as Blu, a male Spix's macaw who loves his family.
- Anne Hathaway as Jewel, a female Spix's macaw who wants her family to live in the wild.
- Jemaine Clement as Nigel, a sulphur-crested cockatoo who wants revenge on Blu.
- Kristin Chenoweth as Gabi, a tiny frog who is Nigel's loyal sidekick.
- will.i.am as Pedro, a rapping red-crested cardinal.
- George Lopez as Rafael, a friendly toco toucan who loves Carnival.
- Bruno Mars as Roberto, Jewel's smooth childhood friend.
- Leslie Mann as Linda, Blu's kind human owner and Tulio's wife.
- Rodrigo Santoro as Tulio, a Brazilian bird expert and Linda's husband.
- Rita Moreno as Aunt Mimi, Jewel's caring aunt.
- Tracy Morgan as Luiz, a bulldog who helps his bird friends.
- Jake T. Austin as Fernando, Linda and Tulio's adopted son.
- Andy Garcia as Eduardo, Jewel's protective father.
- Jamie Foxx as Nico, a yellow canary who wears a bottle-cap hat and is Pedro's best friend.
- Rachel Crow as Carla, Blu and Jewel's oldest daughter, who loves music.
- Pierce Gagnon as Tiago, Blu and Jewel's youngest and playful son.
- Amandla Stenberg as Bia, Blu and Jewel's smart middle daughter.
- Miguel Ferrer as Big Boss, the angry leader of the illegal loggers.
- Janelle Monáe as Dr. Monae, a veterinarian.
- Bebel Gilberto as Eva, Rafael's wife.
- Philip Lawrence as Felipe, the leader of the scarlet macaws.
Making the Movie
On January 25, 2012, it was announced that a sequel to Rio was being planned. The movie was set to come out before the World Cup. In April 2012, Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway agreed to voice Blu and Jewel again. In October 2012, director Carlos Saldanha signed a deal with 20th Century Fox to direct more films, including the Rio sequel.
Sadly, screenwriter Don Rhymer passed away on November 28, 2012, while working on the movie. In January 2013, Rodrigo Santoro confirmed he would return as Tulio. He also hinted that the new movie would be set in the Amazon rainforest.
The first preview for Rio 2 was shown in April 2013. It was later released online and played before the movie Epic. Singer and entertainer Bruno Mars joined the cast as Roberto after the director saw him perform on Saturday Night Live. Bruno Mars even helped shape his character's look and personality.
Movie Release
Rio 2 first came out in international theaters on March 20, 2014. The movie had its big premiere in Miami, Florida, on March 20, 2014. It was then released in theaters across the United States on April 11, 2014.
Before Rio 2 started in theaters, a short film called Almost Home was shown. This short film was made by DreamWorks Animation to promote their 2015 movie Home.
Promoting the Movie
To promote Rio 2, the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, used the film as part of its New Year's Eve celebration at Copacabana Beach in 2014. Director Carlos Saldanha and music composer John Powell were involved.
The popular game Angry Birds Rio also released three new episodes that were connected to Rio 2. These episodes came out in December 2013, February 2014, and April 2014. In April 2014, the store Kohl's started selling Blu, Gabi, and Luiz plush toys as part of their charity program.
Other companies like Burger King, General Mills, and Liberty Travel also helped promote the film.
Watching at Home
Rio 2 was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 15, 2014. A special sing-along version of the movie was released on November 4, 2014. The movie also became available for streaming on Disney+ in the United States on August 4, 2023.
Music from Rio 2
The music for Rio 2 featured songs by both Brazilian and American artists. Brazilian musician Sérgio Mendes helped produce the soundtrack with the film's composer John Powell. They had also worked together on the music for the first Rio movie.
The soundtrack album, called Rio 2 (Music from the Motion Picture), was released on March 25, 2014. The song "What Is Love," performed by Janelle Monáe, was released as a single from the album on March 4. John Powell's orchestral score was released as a separate album on April 15, 2014. The group Barbatuques performed the song "Beautiful Creatures" at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
What's Next for Rio?
Future Movies
Director Carlos Saldanha has mentioned that there could be a Rio 3 movie. In April 2014, he said he had "a lot of stories to tell." In January 2022, it was officially announced that a third Rio film is being developed. Jim Hecht is writing the script for it.
Spin-off Show
On October 25, 2019, it was announced that a TV show focusing on the characters Nico and Pedro was being developed for Disney+. However, it's not clear yet if this spin-off will still happen.
See also
In Spanish: Río 2 para niños
