Rio 2 – Out Friday – Top 8 Animated Films
It’s a jungle out there for Blu, Jewel and their three kids in RIO 2, after they venture from that magical city into the wilds of the Amazon for a family reunion. Out of his element in a land he doesn't know, Blu must face his most fearsome adversary - his father in law - while evading Nigel's fiendish plans for revenge. All your favorite RIO characters are back, and they’re joined by Oscar® nominee Andy Garcia, Grammy® winner Bruno Mars, Tony® winner Kristin Chenoweth and Oscar/Emmy®/Tony winner Rita Moreno. RIO 2 also features new Brazilian artists and original music by Janelle Monae and Wondaland.
With Rio 2 coming out in UK cinemas on 4th April 2014, we are celebrating its release by taking a look at some of the top animated films of the twenty first century. Enjoy!
| This computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film was produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century in 2002, follows the story of a sabertooth tiger, a sloth, and a wooly mammoth during the Ice Age. During their journey they come across a lost human infant and try to return him to his tribe. Before they can complete their mission of returning the lost infant, the reluctant compatriots will brave pits of lava, dangerous caverns of ice, and even a traitorous plot within their midst. The film also follows the saber-toothed squirrel named Scrat who tries with plenty of struggle to find somewhere to store his prized acorn. This film stars the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, and Denis Leary and was nominated at the 75th Academy Awards for best animated feature. |
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| Mr Peabody is the most accomplished dog in the world. Firstly, he is a talking dog. He is also a business titan, an inventor, a scientist, a gourmet chef, and two-time Olympic medallist. Pretty impressive some may say. He also has a time machine, and he and his mischievous boy Sherman use this time machine to go on the most outrageous adventures known to man or dog. However, things go terribly wrong when Sherman decides to take the time machine out for a joyride to impress his friend Penny, and they accidently rip a hole in the universe, wreaking havoc on the most important events in world history. To save the past, present, and future, Mr Peabody must come to their rescue. Together, the time travelling trio will make their mark on history. This film stars Modern Family’s Ty Burrell as Mr Peabody and Ariel Winter as Penny. |
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| Produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures, Up is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film. The film centres an elderly widower named Carl Fredricksen, and a young boy Wilderness Explorer named Russell. The 78-year old Carl sets out to fulfil his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America and to complete his promise he made to his lifelong love, and he does so in quite an extraordinary way; tying thousands of balloons to his home to make it float through the sky. However, he has a stowaway aboard: Russell, the 8 year old Wilderness Explorer who’s trying to get an Assisting the Elderly badge. Despite the annoyance of the young boy, together they embark on an adventure, where they encounter talking dogs, an evil villain and rare bird named Kevin. This film was co-directed by Bob Peterson and the music composed by Michael Giacchino. |
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| Released by Walt Disney Pictures and the fifth film produced by Pixar Animation Studios, Finding Nemo is a 2003 American computer-animated comedy-drama adventure film, written and directed by Andrew Stanton. We follow the story of the clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks), who is an over-protective father, along with a regal tang named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), whilst they search for his abducted son Nemo (Alexander Gould) all the way to Sydney Harbour. Along the way, Marlin learns to take risks and realises that Nemo can take care of himself. This film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and is the best-selling DVD of all time, with over 40 million copies sold as of 2006. A sequel, Finding Dory, is in development and it set to be released in 2016. |
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| The Croods is a 2013 American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is set in a fictional prehistoric Pliocene era known as The Croodaceous, a period which contains fantastical creatures and nature, when the “Leader of the Hunt” is threatened by the arrival of a prehistoric genius who comes up with revolutionary inventions, like fire, as they trek through dangerous but exotic land to find a new home. This film features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman. The Croods received positive reviews, and proved to be a box office success. |
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| This film by DreamWorks Animation is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated fantasy film loosely based on the British book series of the same name by Cressida Cowell. The story takes place in a mythical Viking world, where a young Viking teenager named Hiccup aspires to become a dragon slayer, which is the tradition in his tribe. After finally capturing his first dragon, and with a chance to finally be accepted in his tribe, he finds that he cannot kill the dragon and instead befriends it. This film features the voices of Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, and David Tennant. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score at the 83rd Academy Awards. Two sequels are currently in development and are scheduled to be released in June 2014 and June 2017. |
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| Shrek is 2001 American computer-animated fantasy-comedy film produced by PDI/DreamWorks, and released by DreamWorks Pictures, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz. Shrek is a green ogre and when he discovers his swamp has been ‘swamped’ with many fairytale creatures by the scheming Lord Farquaad, Shrek sets out accompanied by a large donkey named ‘Donkey’ to persuade Lord Farquaad to give his swamp back. Instead, a deal is made for Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona who is waiting for her one true love. However, when they head back, it starts to become apparent that Shrek has feelings for Fiona, but Fiona is keeping something secret. Shrek won the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was nominated for six British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards. |
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| Toy Story is about the ‘secret life of toys’ when people are not around. When Buzz Lightyear, a space-ranger, takes Woody’s place as Andy’s favourite toy, Woody does not like the situation and gets into a fight with Buzz, resolving in Buzz falling out of the window. This is where the adventure begins, with all the toys going on a crazy journey to save Buzz and be safely returned back to their owner Andy. This film was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures, and was the first feature length computer animated film and the first film produced by Pixar. Woody is voiced by Tom Hanks and Buzz Lightyear is voiced by Tim Allen. |
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| Rio 2 Film Page RIO 2 IS OUT IN UK CINEMAS ON 4TH APRIL |