Rio Experiential

          I recently saw the film Rio and was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. I did not expect it to be appealing to me because it is an animated movie with a target audience of mainly children, but it actually had me laughing at parts and enjoying it. There were many production elements that were used to make the film what it is and made it so enjoyable.
         One of the main things that I noticed as soon as the movie began were the visual elements. The film started off showing all of the birds in the jungle of Brazil and all of the surrounding land. The colors were extremely vibrant, and each bird was a different bright color such as red, blue, or yellow. The trees were bright greens and all of this immediately grabbed my attention. Just seeing the colors made me alert and focused on the movie, and intrigued to watch it and see what would happen next. The colors instilled a sense of happiness in the viewers, and the overall mood the movie gave me during those colorful scenes was upbeat. Near the end of the film, the parade also contained vibrant colors and loud music that set the tone of the movie. The colors were not always so bright, however, because there were some scenes in the movie that showed a different kind of mood. When the birds Blu and Jewel get captured, the colors are very dull and dark. This sets the tone of the movie, giving a sad and scared vibe. The colors that were used were very important in how the audience would comprehend the mood of the film.
         Another element that added to the film was the music that played as well. The opening scene of the movie also contained music as well as the different colors. All of this combined gave a tropical feel that made me wish I was there or at a beach! I loved how bright and cheery the majority of the movie seemed because of the different colors and sounds that were combined. The music used was also traditional Brazilian music for some parts which related to the setting of the film, making it very interesting to see and hear some of the Brazilian culture.
         Along with the music, I thought the actors and actresses that were picked to voice the characters were well chosen. Jesse Eisenberg was the voice of Blu, and I thought that was perfect. When Blu first meets Jewel, he is very awkward and does not know what to do or say to her. I thought Jesse Eisenberg's voice was a good fit for that because it fit the character traits that Blu had of awkward, especially around females. Anne Hathaway was also a good choice for Jewel because she made Jewel seem very self assured and confident.
         Another production element of the film was the animation that was used. Even though it was not actually real, when the scenes of Brazil were shown, it was so perfectly done that it almost looked real. The scenes with the parasailers flying right by when Blu is trying to learn to fly were also great. It made it seem like you, the viewer, were right there along with them. The angles used in this scene were also very well done because you got a view from the same height as the birds and also when they were actually flying.
         Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. The ending left me feeling happy and there were multiple times where I laughed and went 'aww' at how cute Blu and Jewel were together! The movie would definitely not be the same either without the amazing colors that were used, the music, the actors and actresses who voiced the characters, and the animation and camera angles. Everything worked together perfectly to make Rio a memorable movie that I would definitely recommend to people of all ages.