Polly wants a sequel

By Wei Xi Source:Global Times Published: 2014-4-23 18:18:01

From left: Blu, Jewel and Carla from Rio 2 Photo: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Carlos Saldanha attends a press conference for Rio 2 in Beijing. Photo: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Three years ago, Brazilian director Carlos Saldanha introduced the exciting Latin American city of Rio de Janeiro to the world in his popular animated film Rio (2011), which earned $485 million at the global box office. Now with his new sequel Rio 2 in theaters, the animator is hoping audiences will come and explore the mysterious primeval Amazon jungle together with the characters he helped create.

About a week after Rio 2 premiered in the Chinese mainland on April 11, the film's director sat down with Chinese media outlets in Beijing to discuss his views on the new film and the animation industry at large.

Exploring the jungle

Continuing the story of Rio, Rio 2 brings back the blue macaw couple, Blu and Jewel, along with their three children.

As the film opens, the family learns that other blue macaws have been sighted in the Amazon rainforest. Realizing that they may no longer be alone in the world, Jewel decides that she wants to head back into the wilds of the Amazon. Having grown up among humans, however, Blu is reluctant and more than a little nervous about returning to a lifestyle out in the wild.

As a sequel to a box-office hit, Saldanha admitted that working on Rio 2 carried more than its fair share of pressure and challenges.

"The reason you usually make a sequel is because the first one was very successful. So you have a lot of pressure to make the second one at least as successful as the first one," the director explained. Despite challenges such as creating new characters, writing innovative music and dealing with technical problems, Saldanha said the biggest challenge came from the story itself.

"My biggest challenge is always the story. It's a challenge in every movie I make," he said.

This statement echoes a previous interview with Fox News Latino, during which the director noted that he doesn't like to repeat himself. This is one of the reasons why he chose to set the movie in the Amazon; compared to the familiar city of Rio de Janeiro, the jungle is a mystery even to most Brazilians, including the director himself. 

"I went there and was amazed by how different it was from my preconceptions. It's unique," he told Fox News Latino.

As a parent, the director said that all the characters in Rio 2 are like his children: He loves them all equally. However, in some ways he finds the villains more interesting. "Gabi the frog," he stressed at the press conference in Beijing, "is not only cute, but poisonous; she was just fun to create." 

Calling Nigel, the evil cockatoo, "my other favorite character," the Brazilian animator told Fox News Latino that due to time constraints he was not able to do more with the character in the first movie. As such, when he began Rio 2 he decided to give him a bigger role. 

"I always felt that Nigel was super endearing and super interesting," he explained.

Animated charm

At the age of 49, Saldanha still acts like an energetic boy; always cheerful and never jaded.

This eternal spring of youthfulness can probably be traced to his fascination with animation. "What I love most about animation is the fact that it allows you to bring your inner child, no matter how old you are, out of you," Saldanha told the Global Times.

In his eyes, the beauty of animation lies in the power to "create any world you want to. [It] allows you to take your imagination beyond reality in a very exciting way.

"At the same time you do that, you bring a realism to emotions that allows people to connect with characters in a fun way even though they are animated," he continued.

Saldanha pointed out that his goal with animation always goes beyond just creating fun for the family, he also enjoys discussing problems faced by people today, such as marriage, identity struggles and environmental issues.

Story matters

His first time in China, the Brazilian director described this trip as a "first date," stating that he is looking forward to "the longevity of the relationship and that hopefully there will be great future projects involving the Chinese market in my path."

Participating in a number of activities and forums during the Beijing International Film Festival, Saldanha said he was excited to share his experiences, learn about Chinese culture and look for future collaborative projects. 

Welcoming good stories from anywhere, Saldanha is sure there are plenty of good stories in China that can be adapted in animated form.

"There are some stories that belong very much to a culture, but there are also some messages that are global and would work anywhere," he explained. 

Father to a series of popular animated films, including the Ice Age franchise, Saldanha discussed the steps to creating a good animated film.

"It's very important to start with the script," he said. "The process is trying to create scripts or stories while thinking of an animated movie as a movie and not just animation. The fact that it's a movie means it can appeal to everybody. 

"The way to improve is by doing… Keep thinking of good ideas, create smart scripts and great characters," he added, believing the future of the Chinese film industry lies not only with the domestic market but with the world audience as well. 

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