Not to mention -- despite a lot of
talk about 'samba' in the movie -- very few of the songs in
Rio exhibit the flavor of traditional music associated with Rio.
The opening/closing song sequence comes closest, and there's
one soft jazzy ballad during a streetcar ride .. but, as
Dacey points out, they're over before you know it.
The villain's song and the Will.i.am funky business (which I
did actually enjoy in
Madagascar 2) -- along with the horrendously annoying
"Let Me Take You to Rio" -- simply don't feel appropriate to the locale.
A missed opportunity .. similar (IMO) to the lack of 1920's dixieland jazz in
The Princess and the Frog.
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However, as I said earlier .. the film's design and animation are absolutely gorgeous.
Rio is a beautiful movie to behold.
