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Review of Rio 2 (John Powell)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you have that acquired taste for John Powell's animation music and appreciated the infusion of Brazilian tones into his own mannerisms in the preceding score.

Avoid it... if you demand ultra-hyperactive interludes of frantic comedic action in your Powell scores, because Rio 2 concentrates on the romantic and adventure genres far more often, a positive development for many other listeners.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Rio 2: (John Powell) Sometimes national pride manifests itself in odd ways, and for Brazil, the Rio franchise has crept into the long list of defining cultural representations of the country, especially after the promotion of Rio 2 in conjunction with the 2014 new year's and World Cup celebrations. The sequel to the Blue Sky Studios hit from 2011 was not received with the same generous critical response, but audiences rewarded it with higher box office grosses nevertheless. The primary cast members from Rio return to guide the macaws from that film (along with the family they have produced in the interim) into a mystery in the Amazon rain forest, replacing the bird-out-of-place comedic elements of Rio with some more traditional action fare in Rio 2. For the filmmakers, the project also allows for a gratuitous amount of advancement of a political agenda, once again teaching younglings around the world about the evils of deforestation. The humor and colors of the concept continue to inspire composer John Powell just as much as director Carlos Saldanha, Powell being a Brit for whom the delving into the Latin and, more specifically, Brazilian tones for Rio proved to be a rewarding personal journey. Despite his plethora of work and stylistic influence in the action and thriller genres, the veteran has emerged as a dominant force in the realm of animation scoring. It's interesting to compare the major players in the genre over the decades prior to this franchise, because composers can become hopelessly stuck in the animation rut if they are not careful. For those like John Debney in the 1990's and Danny Elfman more currently, the genre can become tiring very fast. For James Horner in the 1990's and Powell now, there are those workmanlike endeavors in the genre but also a few outstanding triumphs. Typically, all of these scores receive some variation of a three-star review, but at least with Powell, there are glimpses of solid four-star moments littered throughout these works, Rio 2 included. For him specifically, there are always comparisons to Chicken Run ready to be made, and there's even a moment early in Rio 2 with one such moment to reminisce about. Ultimately, these Rio scores are a lot of cultural flash and not much substance, however, leaving his collectors scrambling back to the easily superior How to Train Your Dragon scores.

For those die-hard Powell enthusiasts, at least Rio 2 represented a return to work by the composer after a voluntary break from the industry in 2013, and those listeners will be pleased by how easily he slips back into his formula for success. Many of the same basic elements from Rio return, but not with the same applications. Whereas the previous score had more emphasis on truly wild and wacky cartoonish personalities, Rio 2 forces a similar ensemble of sounds into more of an adventure genre journey. The continued collaboration with Brazilian musicians is easy to appreciate, and their contributions merge without issue into the performances by the Los Angeles orchestral group. Occasional vocal accents are typically fleeting until the romantic tones of "Lollipops are Bad for Your Teeth." Crazed whistling is held to a minimum and the outright deviations into 1960's lounging style are restrained as well. A light, high range choir makes itself heard at a few points of wonder. The addition of the UAKTI percussion group is a notable feature, a cue like "Battle for the Heart of the Forest" especially mixing their contributions in a dynamic fashion. A harpsichord is afforded to the sinister moments, likely for the heavy of the tale. The thematic base is strong enough to sustain the score but not really remarkable. The main theme for the franchise still steals a healthy portion of its beginning from Marc Shaiman's City Slickers (only two cues in this score allow the theme full ensemble performances), and a new love theme introduced for this film is a bit heavy on the sappy John Barry characteristics. The best material in Rio 2 is located in its midsection, the long "Escorted to the Clan" belonging in any collection of Powell's best cues for the genre despite being a bit more serious than surrounding material. Parts of "River Boat to the Loggers" are similar in tone, but listen for some amusing interplay between whistlers and woodwinds. It should be mentioned that Powell's score once again shares melodic structures with the original songs, some of which cast ensemble pieces that Powell contributed to. Those songs are not included on the score-only album for Rio 2, which does, though, open with a samba rendition of the 20th Century Fox theme certain to keep Alfred Newman turning over in his grave. The score album features fewer of these truly intolerable comedic moments, making Rio 2 a more palatable overall experience apart from the film. Don't expect too much from the music in this franchise, however, especially if you're anything near Alfred Newman's generation.  ***

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 55:31

• 1. 20th Century Fox Fanfare (Rio 2 Samba Version) (0:24) • 2. Batucada Pagode - featuring Carlinhos Brown (1:36) • 3. Over the Falls - featuring Milton Nascimento (3:39) • 4. Breakfast in Rio (3:08) • 5. Fireworks on the Roof - featuring UAKTI (1:27) • 6. Traveling Family (1:59) • 7. Sideshow Freaks - featuring UAKTI (3:09) • 8. Stalking the Ferry (2:07) • 9. River Boat to the Loggers - featuring Carlinhos Brown and UAKTI (2:59) • 10. Escorted to the Clan - featuring UAKTI and Barbatuques (5:41) • 11. Up Carla's Monkey - featuring UAKTI (2:16) • 12. Spider Invite - featuring UAKTI and Barbatuques (2:46) • 13. Humans are Longer Than They Told Me - featuring UAKTI (2:23) • 14. Tongue-a-pult to Blu's Nightmare! (2:08) • 15. Red Bullies - featuring UAKTI (3:19) • 16. Tantrums Lead to Explosions - featuring UAKTI (3:43) • 17. Lollipops are Bad for Your Teeth - featuring Milton Nascimento, UAKTI, and Barbatuques (3:55) • 18. Battle for the Heart of the Forest - featuring UAKTI and Barbatuques (4:46) • 19. Romeo and Juliet's Unfortunate Demise - featuring UAKTI and Barbatuques (3:53)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes a list of performers and a personal note from the composer about his involvement in this franchise.

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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Rio 2 are Copyright © 2014, Sony Classical and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 8/8/14 (and not updated significantly since).