Moviegoers are of course familiar with Pixar for their hugely successful computer animated films, Disney for their less successful outings, and Dreamworks for the Shrek series and other movies. But flying largely under the radar is Blue Sky Studios, the people behind the Ice Age movies. Hopefully that will change as they expand out beyond the prehistoric era with the release of the the samba influenced Rio.

Rio is the story of Blu, perhaps the world’s last surviving male blue macaw. Taken from the Brazilian rainforest as chick, he was raised in the relative comfort of Moose Lake, Minnesota. As a result, he’s never learned to fly or fend for himself in the wild, though he picked up a few helpful skills. He and his mid-Western owner are reluctantly brought to Rio de Janeiro where neither fit in with the hopes that Blu will mate with Jewel, the last female blue macaw, to save the species. There are smugglers involved, kidnappings, birds learning to embrace life, a nasty Cockatiel, and plenty of kinetic chase sequences.

The story is simple and cute and definitely plays well to the younger audience. It may not have multiple layers of storytelling that you find in the best animated features, but it’s entertaining, and perhaps only slightly ironic that a children’s movie’s plot largely hinges on bird sex. Rio also (thankfully) goes the Pixar route and keeps the story timeless, rather than throwing in the abundance of quickly dated pop culture references that make the Shrek movies feel very dated.

Carnival is a focal point of the plot, and that spirit of over-the-topness and celebration is played perfectly to the hilt at the right times, without going completely overboard. The movie shines in the third act, which includes the lavish Carnival parade and the spectacle around it.

From a parenting perspective, the key lessons at play in Rio involve cooperation, teamwork, determination, and making the most of your abilities, regardless of what they are. The messages are present but not overplayed, and the emphasis is definitely more on the story than driving home a lesson.

The movie also makes the most of its setting, producing bright and beautiful South American visuals that are easily the biggest selling point to the movie. While we don’t see enough of Rio from up close, the film offers plenty of beautiful panoramas of Rio, from the statue of Jesus towering over the city to the beautiful beaches and colorful boulevards. Once in the city though, everything is seen largely from the birds’ perspectives, and it loses a little bit once everything is reduced to smaller environments and extreme ground level shots, but still feels foreign and exciting.

Voice acting is universally solid, with Jesse Eisenberg’s nebbishness perfectly matching the domesticated Blu, while Flight of the Conchords Jemaine Clement steals the movie as the villainous cockatiel Nigel. The songs are decent, but nothing you’ll be humming afterwards, save for the two (TWO!!) appearances of Lionel Ritchie’s “Say You, Say Me!”. Given the pedigree of will.i.am and Jamie Foxx contributing music, plus the rich musical traditions of Brazilian music, I expected better.

The movie is screening in both 2D and 3D, and while we opted for 2D it didn’t seem to lose anything vs. the 3D version.

Rio is a very enjoyable, very colorful family movie that definitely works as a fun kids’ movie. It successfully hits all the right emotional beats and tells its story with kid friendly themes that parents will appreciate.