Rio 2

Birds of a feather, blue or lavender, aren't that together.

Since the first trip to Rio was a hit, Fox and Blue Sky Studios booked another one. Rio 2 has a lot of stuff going on, but what does it all mean?

Blue (Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hatthaway), established last time as the only Spix's Macaws, aren't alone anymore. They have kids: fun-loving Carla, brainy Bia and adventurous Tiago. News reports come in that they're even less alone. A whole flock of Spix's Macaws exist in the Amazon, and the Birds of Blue Feather fly off to meet whatever family is there.

And the family is huge. There's Jewel's father, Eduardo (Andy Garcia), resident tough-bird Roberto (Bruno Mars) and Jewel's Aunt Mimi (Rita Moreno). They're happy to see Jewel again, but not her "pet" mate.

Meanwhile:

Evil loggers threaten the Macaw Habitat. Jewel and Blu's humans get abducted by the nameless foreman (Miguel Ferrer).

Side-characters Nico, Pedro and Rafael (Jamie Foxx, will.i.Am and George Lopez) host auditions for a talent show.

Nigel the Cockatoo (Jemaine Clement) gathers some new sidekicks to seek revenge on Blu for dispatching him in the last film.

And there's a flock of Scarlet Macaws that hate our Blue-feathered friends.

What's a bird of Blue Feather to do?

As with the first movie, it's a display of nature at its most colorful. The animals look great, especially Nigel's new sidekick, Gabi the Tree Frog. Unlike the first movie, the soundtrack is just average. None of the songs are bad, but none stand out on their own.

Now to the subplots. Team Nigel's subplot acted like background noise for most of the film; but when Nigel threatens to impede Blu in the climax, suddenly he's a threat. The talent show auditions feature a pair of turtles, slow as molasses and funny for it. The loggers, save for the foreman, were typical human villains; the Scarlet Macaws were just extraneous.

The main plot with our Blue-Feathered friends was OK for the most part. Nothing unique. But then we see the loggers advance and we realize how capable Blu is in this crisis, while tough-bird Roberto isn't. That moment got my attention.

Rio 2 should be a decent family outing in either 3D or Flatscreen. It should appeal to kids most of all. It's not the best family film out now, but let's not imagine how this could get worst.

This is another place to catch the Almost Home short, a set-up for this fall's Home.