It hit almost all the major media headlines in China that a video, aiming to promote the nation's image in America, was played on a big LED screen in Times Square, New York earlier this year. The one minute video featured the high achievers from different walks of life in China and was shown 300 times daily for several weeks.
That might work on a few passers-by with a good knowledge of China. But even a middle school student might figure out the ratio of effort put in to effect achieved by this expensive commercial.
Now let's take a look at an animated movie called "Rio", produced by Blue Sky. It doesn't claim to be a promotional movie. But when the 90-nimute adventure comedy combining lush rainforest, exotic birds, a magnificent carnival, plus football and Samba reached its grand finale, the first idea that occurs to you might be "I want to go to Brazil!"
Blue Sky's last movie, "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs", took nearly one billion dollars worldwide, making it one of the most profitable animated films ever. This time the family-friendly "Rio" is also setting out to target a similarly broad demographic.
Set in Rio de Janeiro, this G-rated animation centers on Blu, a macaw that is thought to be the last one of his kind.He is smuggled from Brazil and by chance is adopted by a bookish small-town girl in Minnesota.
The domesticated bird enjoys the indoor life with his mistress and pledges never to go back to where he really belongs, until one day when he discovers that a female bird of his species lives in the rain forest on the planet's other hemisphere.
For most of the time the story is predictable, but it's always out of your expectation as to how the movie is going to works itself towards a certain point. For example, you might think, and anticipate the moment when Blu eventually learns how to fly, but it is left to the most innovative minds in the audience to figure out how he's going to make it. While the movie is busy enough to grab the kids' attention, adults will not find a boring moment throughout the heart-warming and amusing story as Blu embarks on this intense adventure in his home land.
Voice work is top-notch across the board, with Jesse Eisenberg playing Blu, Anne Hathaway the female bird Jewel, and an array of other big names adding glamour to the supporting characters. Meanwhile, energizing Latin and exotic music also helps pack the story in a glistening wrapper.
It's fair to say that Chinese viewers can get some extra fun out of the movie since the Chinese subtitles are carefully polished and blend in a lot of Chinese slang and current internet buzz words. Even if the dialogue sounds normal at times, the Chinese subtitles do tickle your funny bone.
On my 1 to 10 movie scale, I give the movie "Rio" a real Eight.
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