Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway return as the (literal) lovebirds for this colourful sequel. The trailer starts with the countdown to New Year, and Jewel tells Blu that they need to get out into the wild. So, the couple and their three kids fly away from Rio and go the Amazon, where they meet several other Blue Macaws, one of whom turns out to be Jewels’ father (Andy Garcia). He takes a liking to his Grandkids, but isn’t so fond of Blu. The rest of the trailer is comprised with many shots of the Amazon jungle and the birds and creatures within, plus returning to the characters from the first film who are still in Rio, such as Nico (Jamie Foxx), Luiz (Tracy Morgan) and Pedro (will.i.am). The trailer ends as baddie Nigel speaks of his evil plans and indulges in an evil laugh.
The first Rio, which came out back in 2011, was well received critically and even became the 13th highest grossing film of that year, beating the likes of Super 8 and Rango. So I think it’s safe to say that Blue Sky, who also made Horton Hears a Who, Robots and the Ice Age franchise, have another success on their hands. However, this is their first sequel outside of the Ice Age films, of which the 3rd and 4th were harshly received by some. No doubt it will make money, but will it sway fans of the first film? It certainly looks like it, as fans will surely find lots of fun to be had in this animated follow up.