> I think Rio 2 is a better, more dynamic score and songs than Rio 1 overall (I listen to both soundtracks in film order), but you're right that the sequel's crappy plot - piss-poor pacing and ending - actively makes the score worse than the sum of its parts.

I actually watched Rio 2 for the first time as part of this rundown to figure out how to sequence the songs and score. It didn't offend me, but gosh, what a mess! It's a classic 'why pick a plot when 5 plots will do' follow-up film - which wasn't a problem in, say, Ice Age: The Meltdown (that sucker holds up very well). No wonder we didn't get a third.

Interestingly, the sequel's partial focus on the younger generation (Blue's children) mirrors what Blue Sky Studios was also trying to do with its later Ice Age sequels (Manny's daughter and her friends). I suppose 'how do you do, fellow kids?' isn't the worst way to combat diminishing returns, but it is a tad irritating when you do it in multiple films released around the same time.