BIG SCREEN: Rio Revieux (Rated PG)

As Rio opens, we meet Blu (Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network), a little hatchling macaw who is observing the beauty and wonder of his lively South American jungle home. Before he’s even able to take flight and join the rhythmic rituals around him, he’s snatched by bird smugglers and winds up being raised by a young girl in Minnesota. He grows up to become a perfectly content, but overly domesticated bird, whose neurotic personality closely resembles that of a feathery, midwestern Woody Allen. To his dismay, one day his owner Linda (Leslie Mann) is persuaded to escort him back to Brazil in an effort to mate him with another blue macaw—a decidedly UNdomesticated bird named Jewel (Anne Hathaway)--to save his endangered species. But, instead, Blu winds up on a wild adventure that takes him back to the jungle, as well as Rio’s flamboyant carnivale, accompanied by a host of colorful characters. Time to bird-up, Blu!

This is one of those no-harm, no-foul kid flicks that really doesn’t require a whole lotta analysis. It’s adequately silly and maintains a kid-friendly pace. The visuals are good, the tail-feather-shaking soundtrack is infectious (seriously considering getting it for my kid), and some of the supporting characters are quite amusing. Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Jamie Foxx, George Lopez, and Tracy Morgan definitely add a lot of vocal color to compliment the visual. But, New Zealand actor Jemaine Clement absolutely steals the show as a delightfully villainous and really unattractive cockatoo, who’s out to destroy the “pretty birds.”

And while Jesse Eisenberg is endearingly awkward, I have to say, at first it sorta bugged me that the sassy Brazilian girl-bird who challenges Blu to toughen up and get back to his roots is voiced by, um, Anne Hathaway. Hello? We have no fiery, Brazilian—or at least, slightly more ethnic--actresses to choose from anywhere on the planet?! But after the first few minutes of annoyance, the two settled into an acceptable, if not standard, love-hate banter. Fine. Whatever.

It's cute and overall, like I said, no-harm, no-foul (is there a "fowl" joke in there? I'll spare you). Was it clever? No. Was it groundbreaking? Nah. Designed to stimulate adults? Not exactly. But did the kids dig it? Yep. Good enough.

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