Late to the conversation. I didn't get a chance to see the movie until this past week. I want to go again with Patricia soon, but here are my first reactions. 

1. As someone who lived a couple years in Brazil, I thought they portrayed the locale decently. I didn't feel it with quite the magic or versimilitude of, say, "Nemo," Happy Feet," "Brother Bear," or almost anything from Studio Ghibli ("Princess Mononoke"). And of course they offered a sanitized vision, family- and market-friendly; but to their credit they included substantial images of Rio's vast slums, as well as its iconic neighborhoods and landmarks, the botanical/zoological gardens and tropical forests in the surrounding hills. They could have enriched their portrayal of Brazilian culture a lot more, as well as honing the specific physical and behavioral characteristics of the various birds and other animals in the cast. All were OK, but none stood out for me. This is Fox, though, not Pixar or Disney, so perhaps we should be grateful for whatever part of the glass got filled. 

2. I'm glad they showed parrots as intelligent and resourceful in ways they really are, as for instance Blu's acquired knowledge of locks and cages. And the film makers got parrots emotionally right to some extent — I genuinely felt Jewel's desperation as she was flying around madly trying to escape her room. I also appreciated the insane parrot ("I'm a pretty bird!"), symbolizing the emotional trauma birds suffer from captivity and confinement. Even the villain's motiviation — the self-hatred and/or jealousy toward other birds Nigel feels after being displaced from the center of human attention — has a ring of birdy truth. 

3. Yes, the story was simplified and sanitized, but Kudos for making parrot smuggling the great evil and species conservation the great good. And thanks too for building a little complexity into smuggling. They made a point of showing that the system not only involves evil, insensitive profiteers (portrayed correctly as being both smart and dumb), but that it ultimately recruits and corrupts the most desperately poor of human society, who may find it one of the few options to supplement a very meager income. Brazil's swarms of homeless, orphaned children are a national disgrace known worldwide, and I credit the film makers for including such a character in the person of Fernando, the boy who initially steals Blu for the smugglers. 

Where they pulled their punches too much for me here was in failing to show how the crisis of which Blu and Jewel are the symbols is connected to both internal conditions of economic development and ecological destruction in the Third World and to demand for exotic species in more affluent countries. I waited in vain for an explanation of why Blu and Jewel's species had been wiped out. In the case of the real Spix's Macaw, habitat destruction for commercial agriculture in the São Francisco valley was a major factor in the bird's extinction within its natural range and presents a nearly insurmountable impediment to reintroduction there now or in the future. An image of denuded forest and two sentences from Tulio would have been enough for me. 

4. I was pretty pleased with the model they presented of bird care and bird-human relations. Certainly there were some "Oh, no!" moments — the hot chocolate, feeding from a human mouth, the rotating ceiling fan at the lab in Brazil.... But for me these were outweighed by the responsibility and love Linda showed. I think Sheri covered this topic pretty well on the Discuss list. What struck me most was that Linda was willing to change her life for Blu. Not only did she make him the center of her home, but in the end she chose to release him and actually moved to Brazil to be near him (OK, maybe the boy bird nerd might have figured obliquely ... and OK, ok, I guess it's pretty well established that any Minnesotan would move to the tropics for a bag of flour or less). 

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As Vinny, Mira Tweti, and others have pointed out, the film makers' good intentions in no way guarantee the public will take the right messages to heart, and past experience suggests we may face a flood of little Rios surrendered or dumped months or years down the road. Preventing that would seem to be our best focus, rather than trying to ape the Arizona folks with a primate screaming that might involve more effort to organize than either profit or recognition gained. 

We should be realistic in our expectations, too. Rio is a commercial film by Fox, lighthearted adventure pitched to appeal to a broad audience. So it softens the brutality and avoids preaching. We can gently correct the few egregious errors, like the chocolate, but generally I'd be supportive of the movie's portrayal of human-parrot relations, concern with species conservation, smuggling, and many specific points in the film that ring true. 

The movie offers lots of talking points, which we can use privately in postings to other lists, conversations, letters or op-eds and any other forum you can think of. This would be a great time for volunteers who take parrots into elementary schools to do so whenever possible. Talk about the real Rios of the world and about the work, time, and expenses caring for a real parrot (even a little one) can be. 

Something I would like to say to people who are smitten or fascinated or whose kids are begging for a bird: 

Yes, there is a way you can have a real Rio in your home. The way to do that is to find a bird rescue group in your area. They always need more volunteers and foster homes for the birds they take in. Don't adopt one just yet, be a foster parent at first and care for a bird awhile. And no, you don't have to take a bird that has severe health or behavioral problems. There are many young, healthy ones abandoned or lost who need homes. It doesn't really matter what kind you foster (you will have a range of choices, no doubt). Get to know the bird's personality and behavior. Whatever kind you take in, you will learn a lot that you later can apply to any bird you adopt. And there's much less risk than with buying one. Most rescue groups will provide you with a cage and give you lots of advice. If the bird gets sick, they'll pay for medical care. If you decide you love the bird you can adopt it. If you don't, you can give it back and try another. Or you may decide having a bird isn't for you. But if you do want a bird in the future, wherever you get it, your experience of fostering will prove extremely valuable, and whatever you ultimately decide, you will have made a difference in a bird's life. 

A final thought: Rio is the highest grossing film of 2011 to date. Reviews generally have been positive. Spin-off products are being sold. So you can be sure there will be sequels, just as with Ice Age. If we write people involved with the project, thanking them for their obviously sincere interest with parrot welfare, etc., and offering constructive feedback, stating our concerns directly and respectfully, maybe we can have some effect on future scripts. 

jonathan