Blu, Jewel and their three kids are living the perfect domesticated life in the magical city that is Rio de Janeiro. When Jewel decides the kids need to learn to live like real birds, she insists the family venture into the Amazon. As Blu tries to fit in with his new neighbours, he worries he may lose Jewel and the kids to the call of the wild.
Blue Sky Studios have come a long way from their humble beginning - when they were just a one-room office with three computers and a coffee machine. Owned by Twentieth Century Fox, the American CGI-animation studio has worked on a number of high profile films, primarily those that integrate live-action with computer-generated animation. May sees the release of EPIC, their latest offering - a colourful and exciting journey which takes us down to the forest floor, and features voices from stars such as Amanda Siegfried, Chris O'Dowd, Christoph Waltz, Pitbull, and Beyonce Knowles. To mark the release, here's a retrospective of Blue Skies' best animations to date in their short but highly colourful existence.
Bunny (1998)
Bunny, Blue Sky's first short film was a surreal, offbeat tale about a cranky elderly bunny rabbit that is disturbed when a pesky moth flies into her kitchen. The short was created whilst the team were working on special effects for massive titles such as Joe's Apartment (1996), A Simple Wish (1997), Alien Resurrection (1997) and Fight Club (1999), but their hard work - done with no financial gain in mind - paid off massively. The short was technically ground-breaking, and transformed the studio from a service company to a feature animation studio. Bunny's unique visual style and heartfelt story helped the film win the 1998 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Blue Sky was officially on the map in a major way!
Ice Age (2002) is the prehistoric tale of three unlikely friends: an obnoxious sloth named Sid, a lone mammoth named Manny and Diego and a ferocious sabre-toothed tiger with a conscience, who band together across treacherously cold terrain to bring a human baby back to his tribe. The producers had originally planned it as a classically animated dramatic family film, but with recent technological advances, they decided to take a risk and make a fully 3D animated feature. The risk paid off. Ice Age broke the record for a March opening - and has since spawned three massively successful sequels.
Based in an anthropomorphic robot world, a young idealistic robot travels to the big city to pursue his dream of becoming an inventor. Whilst there, he finds himself opposing the sinister new management of his company, who have made a cold-hearted decision to stop making spare parts, instead sending old robots to the ‘chop shop' to be shredded and destroyed. It features the voices of Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey and Robin Williams.
The film is the first adaptation of a Dr. Seuss work which is fully animated using CGI technology. The story is about Horton the Elephant who discovers a speck, which harbours the microscopic city of Whoville. Horton makes it his mission to protect Whoville, especially from the evil kangaroo and his neighbours who fail to believe it exists, as they cannot see it. Horton stands by his motto that: A person is a person, no matter how small” and saves the city from destruction.
The title refers to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, where the film is set. It tells the story of Blu, a male blue macaw who lives in Minnesota with his owner, Linda who rescued him when he was small. Highly domesticated and unable to fly, Blu is the laughing stock of the Candian geese that come by Linda's bookstore. He is taken to Rio de Janeiro to mate with a free spirited female blue macaw, Jewel but then drama strikes when they are captured and kidnapped by smugglers. A dramatic escape ensues, with escapades involving the Rio Carnival and an impressive mid-air feat through which Blu really proves himself and finds true love along the way.
Epic (2013)
Epic is an upcoming 3D computer animated fantasy-adventure drama based on William Joyce's children book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs. It is a battle deep in the forest between the forces of good and evil and tells the story of a teenage girl who finds herself in a secret world. Once there, she must help a team of fun and whimsical characters to save their world and in the process save the real world as well.
ANNE HATHAWAY, JESSE EISENBERG AND THE REST OF THE ORIGINAL GANG ARE BACK FOR THE FOLLOW-UP TO THE 2011 ANIMATED HIT AN EXCITING LINEUP OF TOP ACTING AND MUSICAL TALENTS JOINS THE ‘RIO’ FAMILY
LOS ANGELES, CA, (February 22, 2013) – The starring voice cast of Twentieth Century Fox’s 2011 animated smash RIO is reuniting for the follow-up, RIO 2, and they are joined by a flock of top actors and musical talents new to the franchise, it was announced today by Vanessa Morrison, president of Twentieth Century Fox Animation.
The film is now in production at Blue Sky Studios. Twentieth Century Fox’s international rollout begins March 20, 2014, followed by its domestic release on April 11, 2014.
Returning to RIO 2, a world rich with grandeur, character, color and music are Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jemaine Clement, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto, Jake T. Austin, and Jamie Foxx.
Carlos Saldanha, who was inspired to create RIO based upon his experiences growing up in that city, is back as director, as are producers John C. Donkin and Bruce Anderson.
In RIO 2 we find Blu, Jewel and their three kids living the perfect domesticated life in that magical city. When Jewel decides the kids need to learn to live like real birds, she insists the family venture into the Amazon. As Blu tries to fit in with his new neighbours, he worries he may lose Jewel and the kids to the call of the wild.
Joining the RIO 2 team are Oscar® nominee Andy Garcia, Grammy® winner Bruno Mars, Emmy®/Tony® winner Kristin Chenoweth, Oscar/Emmy®/ Tony®/Grammy® winner Rita Moreno, “The Hunger Games’” Amandla Stenberg, singer/actress Rachel Crow, “Looper’s” Pierce Gagnon, and “Today” news anchor Natalie Morales.
Brazilian music legend and RIO executive music producer, Sergio Mendes returns along with composer John Powell. RIO 2 will feature new Brazilian artists and original music by Janelle Monáe and The Wondaland Arts Society, who also voices a role in the film. Soundtrack will be released on Atlantic Records.
Released worldwide in April 2011, RIO’s global box office tally is $486 million. It also was a huge hit on DVD and Blu-ray disc.
With Rio hitting UK cinema screens today the nice people over at DDA have sent me the below, exclusive, images. These show Blu sightseeing around the Bristol area. After this Blue moved onto Stoneheng and then to Oxford
RIO is a 3D motion picture event from Blue Sky Studios, the makers of the “Ice Age” films and one of the most successful producers of animated feature films in the world. The comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota for the exotic wonders of Rio de Janeiro. But Blu’s new life and adventures in Rio are complicated by the fact that he can’t fly. Lucky for Blu, his new menagerie of friends are ready to help him find his inner-hero – and teach him what it really means to soar.
Pieces like this always start the same way. This is no different.
The stars were out for Sunday's screening of Rio. And that's about as far as I can get using the normal start cliché.
If anyone can tell me who the "stars" are in the pictures below I would be grateful. I would only list them as a set of the usual suspects who would go to an opening of an envelope if they could get their images in the press
RIO is a 3D motion picture event from Blue Sky Studios, the makers of the “Ice Age” films and one of the most successful producers of animated feature films in the world. The comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota for the exotic wonders of Rio de Janeiro. But Blu’s new life and adventures in Rio are complicated by the fact that he can’t fly. Lucky for Blu, his new menagerie of friends are ready to help him find his inner-hero – and teach him what it really means to soar.
RIO is a 3D motion picture event from Blue Sky Studios, the makers of the “Ice Age” films and one of the most successful producers of animated feature films in the world. The comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota for the exotic wonders of Rio de Janeiro. But Blu’s new life and adventures in Rio are complicated by the fact that he can’t fly. Lucky for Blu, his new menagerie of friends are ready to help him find his inner-hero – and teach him what it really means to soar.
After a press release from way back in late January announcing that there would be an Angry Birds / Rio tie-in game. The game now has been released, and can be downloaded following the links at the bottom of the page, for your playing pleasure.
With only two weeks left until the release of Rio in UK cinemas, ANGRY BIRDS RIO is swooping in to land on iPads and iPhones everywhere today!
In ANGRY BIRDS RIO, the original Angry Birds are kidnapped and taken to the magical city of Rio, where they eventually escape their captors and set out to save their friends, Blu and Jewel – two rare macaws and the stars of the upcoming Fox motion picture, RIO. Like the incredibly-popular original edition, ANGRY BIRDS RIO will feature hours of gameplay, physics-based demolition challenges and loads of replay value – all with unique twists based on the highly-anticipated film, coming to cinemas in eye-popping 3D April 8
Despite only being launched today, ANGRY BIRDS RIO has already TOPPED THE APP STORE CHART and we are also pleased to make available a special ANGRY BIRDS / RIO video Mash Up to showcase the fun!
Download the UK versions of the games for iPhone or iPad
With a month to go before Rio hits UK cinema screens, Fox has released a new trailer for the film that includes some great cameo appearances. However, there are still only 2 images available as yet but this may change
To watch this video, you need the latest Flash-Player and active javascript in your browser.
RIO is a 3D motion picture event from Blue Sky Studios, the makers of the “Ice Age” films and one of the most successful producers of animated feature films in the world. The comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota for the exotic wonders of Rio de Janeiro. But Blu’s new life and adventures in Rio are complicated by the fact that he can’t fly. Lucky for Blu, his new menagerie of friends are ready to help him find his inner-hero – and teach him what it really means to soar.
A few short days ago I got information about a tie-in game from Angry Birds for the film Rio. Now Fox has released some more footage of the launch event and by the sounds of it the "shock" news about the game.
RIO is a 3-D animation feature from the makers of the “Ice Age” films. Set in the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro and the lush rainforest of Brazil, the comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who thinks he is the last of his kind. When Blu discovers there’s another – and that it’s a “she” – he leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota and heads to Rio. But it’s far from love at first sight between the domesticated, flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on an adventure of a lifetime, where they learn about friendship, love, courage and being open to life’s many wonders.
RIO brings together a menagerie of vivid characters, a heart-warming story, colorful backdrops, energizing Latin and contemporary music, and family-friendly song and dance.
Fox has, just, released some images for Rio. They have released the trailer, a tie-in game and the first two minutes of the film all before they released images!
RIO is a 3D motion picture event from Blue Sky Studios, the makers of the “Ice Age” films and one of the most successful producers of animated feature films in the world. The comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota for the exotic wonders of Rio de Janeiro. But Blu’s new life and adventures in Rio are complicated by the fact that he can’t fly. Lucky for Blu, his new menagerie of friends are ready to help him find his inner-hero – and teach him what it really means to soar.
Fox has just released the first two minutes of their upcoming animated feature, Rio. All you need to do is click play below.
To watch this video, you need the latest Flash-Player and active javascript in your browser.
RIO is a 3D motion picture event from Blue Sky Studios, the makers of the “Ice Age” films and one of the most successful producers of animated feature films in the world. The comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota for the exotic wonders of Rio de Janeiro. But Blu’s new life and adventures in Rio are complicated by the fact that he can’t fly. Lucky for Blu, his new menagerie of friends are ready to help him find his inner-hero – and teach him what it really means to soar.
UPDATE: I have found the trailer for the game - just scroll down to the bottom of the page.
HELSINKI & LOS ANGELES – January 31, 2011 – ANGRY BIRDS, Rovio’s blockbuster smart phone and tablet game that has become a global cultural sensation, and RIO, one of the year’s most anticipated motion picture events, are joining forces to create a new game, ANGRY BIRDS RIO – representing a first-of-its-kind game development partnership between Rovio and Twentieth Century Fox. The announcement was made by Mikael Hed, CEO at Rovio Mobile, which created ANGRY BIRDS, and Peter Levinsohn, president of new media and digital distribution for Twentieth Century Fox, which releases RIO in UK theatres 8th April 2011 in 3D.
This unique spin-off of ANGRY BIRDS will take flight around the world in March, coinciding with RIO’s gala world premiere event. To celebrate the partnership and give fans a sneak preview of the story surrounding ANGRY BIRDS RIO, in true Rovio style a video can be viewed at: rio.angrybirds.com
"ANGRY BIRDS RIO is a match made in heaven for a mobile application and a major motion picture, and this collaboration with Fox is definitely one the most exciting partnerships we have entered into with the ANGRY BIRDS brand to date," said Mr. Hed. "In addition to expanding the horizons of two fantastic entertainment brands and creating a great new gaming experience, we have also taken the concept of combining a mobile application and motion picture promotion to an entirely new level."
“In partnering with Rovio, we are combining the world’s hottest application developer with one of the motion picture industry’s premier creative forces to introduce the millions of fans of ANGRY BIRDS to the exciting world of RIO,” said Mr. Levinsohn. “Our relationship with Rovio is another great example of Fox Digital Entertainment’s continuing work to extend our content to a variety of digital platforms.”
In ANGRY BIRDS RIO, the original Angry Birds are kidnapped and taken to the magical city of Rio, where they eventually escape their captors and set out to save their friends, Blu and Jewel – two rare macaws and the stars of the upcoming Fox motion picture, RIO. Like the incredibly-popular original edition, ANGRY BIRDS RIO will feature hours of gameplay, physics-based demolition challenges and loads of replay value – all with unique twists based on the highly-anticipated film.
ANGRY BIRDS RIO will launch with 45 dedicated levels and will regularly add new levels via app updates. The game will be available for download on smart phones and tablets worldwide.
About RIO
From the makers of the hit ICE AGE series, RIO is a comedy-adventure about taking a walk on the wild side. Blu is a domesticated Macaw who never learned to fly, living a comfortable life with his owner and best friend Linda in the small town of Moose Lake, Minnesota. Blu and Linda think he’s the last of his kind, but when they learn about another Macaw who lives in Rio de Janeiro, they head to the faraway and exotic land to find Jewel, Blu’s female counterpart. Not long after they arrive, Blu and Jewel are kidnapped by a group of bungling animal smugglers. With the help of street smart Jewel, and a group of wise-cracking and smooth-talking city birds, Blu escapes. Now, with his new friends by his side, Blu will have to find the courage to learn to fly, thwart the kidnappers who are hot on their trail, and return to Linda, the best friend a bird ever had.
About ANGRY BIRDS
The original ANGRY BIRDS game puts you in charge of a quirky flock of birds, who go on an intense assault on the hungry green pigs who have stolen their eggs. In the game, you use a slingshot to send the Angry Birds smashing into the pigs and their puzzling constructions. The exciting physics-based gameplay combines the special powers of the Angry Birds with skill, logic and brute force. In 2010,ANGRY BIRDS was downloaded over 50 million times on various smart phone platforms, and it is also available for PC and Mac.
Fox has just released the first poster and trailer for their upcoming CGI film, Rio.
RIO is a 3-D animation feature from the makers of the “Ice Age” films. Set in the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro and the lush rainforest of Brazil, the comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who thinks he is the last of his kind. When Blu discovers there’s another – and that it’s a “she” – he leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota and heads to Rio. But it’s far from love at first sight between the domesticated, flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on an adventure of a lifetime, where they learn about friendship, love, courage and being open to life’s many wonders.
RIO brings together a menagerie of vivid characters, a heart-warming story, colorful backdrops, energizing Latin and contemporary music, and family-friendly song and dance.
RIO is a 3-D animation feature from the makers of the “Ice Age” films. Set in the magnificent city of Rio de Janeiro and the lush rainforest of Brazil, the comedy-adventure centers on Blu, a rare macaw who thinks he is the last of his kind. When Blu discovers there’s another – and that it’s a “she” – he leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota and heads to Rio. But it’s far from love at first sight between the domesticated, flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on an adventure of a lifetime, where they learn about friendship, love, courage and being open to life’s many wonders.
