Rated G.
Starring the voices of Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, George Lopez, Tracy Morgan, Will.I.Am and Jamie Foxx
Directed by Carlos Saldanha (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Ice Age: The Meltdown and Robots)
I love when a kids’ movie makes me laugh this much.
Captured as a young bird from the wild, Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) is a domesticated Spix Macaw living thousands of miles away from his homeland, Brazil. When his human owner Linda (Leslie Mann) discovers that he is the last male of his kind, they head south to Rio de Janeiro to meet the only other female. But it’s far from love at first sight between the socially-awkward, flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel (Anne Hathaway). Shortly after Blu’s arrival, the two rare birds are captured by greedy animal smugglers and find themselves lost in the Brazilian rainforest. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on a hilarious and clumsy adventure where they learn about friendship, love, courage and spreading one’s wings to fly.
Rio has it all…big, bright, beautiful animation, humor, a touching story and some wonderful lessons to talk to your kids about.
So let’s start with the animation. This is a Twentieth Century Fox Animation film; they have also produced films like Horton Hears a Who!, Robots and Ice Age. And the quality is just as good…if not better. From the bright colors of the birds to the beauty of Rio de Janeiro, the animation is perfect.
Secondly, the humor is off the chart. Whether it’s the awkwardness of Jesse Eisenberg or the ridiculousness of Tracy Morgan…the movie is just flat out funny. I had more than a handful of good laughs.
Finally there is the story and lessons that made Rio one of my favorite movies of the year. Not only is it fun for everyone in the family, but it has so many great lessons about friendship, love, courage and teamwork.
I loved laughing throughout this one with my family laughing with me. Without a doubt Rio is Worth Buying.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
YES!!
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: As I said there are some great lessons in the film but the reoccurring theme is friendship.
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: Proverbs 18:24 says, “There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.”
There are times when this verse just doesn’t make sense, and Rio captures that irony perfectly. I mean how could a woman and a bird have that kind of friendship. But the two characters need and support one another.
They live out Proverbs 18:24. They are closer than family…or even species.
What qualities do you think a person needs to be a friend like that?
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: There are several passages that help us live out Proverbs 18:24.
Take some time to read these verses and think about how you can live out the principles of these verses.
Matthew 7:12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” [The Golden Rule]
Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
John 15:12-14 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
