Rare macaw Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) lives in Minnesota with his owner Linda Gunderson (Leslie Mann). He's content with his domesticated life, apart from the fact he's constantly teased about his inability to fly.
Blu is the last male of his species, so ornithologist Túlio (Rodrigo Santoro) invites Linda to bring him to Rio de Janeiro to mate. But in Túlio's aviary, Blu meets Jewel (Anne Hathaway), a pretty polly desperate to escape to the wild. The feathered friends make a bid for freedom, but it comes to a crashing halt when psychotic cockatoo Nigel (Jemaine Clement) lures them into the clutches of evil smugglers.
With Túlio and Linda on the case, Blu and Jewel manage to break free, but the flightless macaw must learn to soar if he's going to survive in the wild.
The makers of Ice Age take a trip to warmer climes with this lively, colourful animated tale. Perhaps not as high profile as the year's other big animated releases - sequels to Cars and Kung Fu Panda - Rio still took over £300million at the worldwide box office, and earned an Oscar nomination for its cha-cha-charming opening number Real in Rio.
Not all of the plot points are hugely original, but the vibrant, sweeping visuals are a treat for the eyes while Jane Lynch, Tracy Morgan and Jamie Foxx are among those who pop up in a starry, well-chosen voice cast.
Rio is a Film programme that first aired in 2011 and has been classified a U certificate.
