A list of characters appearing in Rio and Rio 2.
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Animals
Heroes
Blu the Blue Macaw (Full name: Tyler Blu Gunderson)
Voiced by: Jesse Eisenberg
Tyler "Blu" Gunderson (b. 1996) is the primary protagonist of the Rio franchise. In the first film, Tulio speculated that Blu was the last male of his kind. He is shy and socially awkward, but extremely intelligent and resourceful for a bird. While he could log on to a computer, open bird cages and use a skateboard, he had one minor set-back: he could not fly. He is definitely the opposite of his mate, Jewel. When he found the girl of his dreams, he was forced to put his fears aside and find out if he really had what it took to soar.
- Acrophobic Bird: A literal example. He gets over it by the end of the first movie, though.
- Amazon Chaser: Initially, he was put off by Jewel due to her aggressiveness, short temper, and violent tendencies; it's when she starts using her Action Girl fierceness to defend Blu (mostly against Mauro and Nigel) that it becomes one of the qualities that make him fall for her.
- Badass Adorable: Awkward, geeky and sheltered as he might be, he can become a badass in a heartbeat when his loved ones are threatened.
- Badass Bookworm: Blu's knowledge over what humans study comes to help in a few scenes.
- Battle Couple: Sometimes is this with Jewel.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Jewel in the first film. They at first didn't get along, but they got better.
- Berserk Button: Downplayed. It doesn't make him go berserk, but calling him a "pet" is a real good way to get on his bad side.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Even Blu has his limits. He is a very genial, caring, intelligent bird, but he's no pushover and will fight if necessary.
- Blue Is Heroic: He's a blue macaw and the main character.
- Break the Cutie: Goes through a lot over the course of both movies.
- Butt-Monkey: A lot of what he goes through is Played for Laughs, especially the embarrassing moments and misfortunes caused by his clumsiness.
- Chained Heat: Throughout half of the first movie, Blu is chained with Jewel. At first, they didn't like it (or each other), but gradually get use to it as they fall in love.
- Character Development: A little more confident and outgoing in the sequel, especially when around his family.
- Chekhov's Skill: Most of the skills he learned while growing up in Minnesota proved to be quite useful.
- Classical Anti-Hero: Initially. He was socially awkward and not that good physically. But, Blu got a lot braver, although he's still awkward even in the sequel.
- Cowardly Lion: While usually meek and non-confrontational, it turns out Blu has a very colourful courage and distinct bravery, and will never give up on anything.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Downplayed. Blu becomes jealous of Jewel and Roberto's closeness in the sequel, but doesn't go "crazy" and appears more annoyed by the latter's showoff-y antics than much else.
- Dark and Troubled Past: When he is first seen as a chick in the first movie's opening, his parents are nowhere to be seen. And soon enough, he is captured by poachers. Fortunately, the crate containing him is dropped and he was found by Linda.
- Deadpan Snarker: Sometimes. Usually when he has to deal with those who are not so friendly towards him. Being voiced by Jesse Eisenberg also helps.
- Fish out of Water: Somewhat, he hails from Rio but was kidnapped at a young age and brought to the U.S. So it is pretty awkward for him when he returns to his homeland after so long.
- Good Parents: His parenting skills are a bit unorthodox (for birds, anyway), but he's a very kind and loving father who always holds the needs of his family to his heart.
- Hikikomori: Due to his timid nature and that it's freezing in Minnesota.
- Insecure Love Interest: Blu has a lot of insecurity over his relationship with Jewel.
- In the first movie, he tries to drive Jewel away out of fear that he's not good enough for her.
- In the sequel, he becomes worried that Jewel prefers Roberto over him.
- Instant Expert: Zig-zagged. In the second film, he fails to use his beak to break free of some vines the first time around, but manages to pull it off the second time (and even cuts some rope that had trapped Linda and Tulio inbetween).
- Last of His Kind: In the first movie, he was said to be the last male of his kind. Turns out he's not in the second film.
- The Leader: He has the ability to quickly take charge of a situation, putting together very effective plans and giving orders in a surprisingly confident tone.
- Love at First Sight: Subverted. He is briefly awestruck by Jewel when they first meet until she attacks him when he starts to make his move. Afterwards it turns into disliking. His romantic feelings for her start for real after their dance, though.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: The non-actiony, shy Feminine Boy to Jewel's aggressive, action-y Masculine Girl.
- Meaningful Name: Blu is...well, blue.
- Middle Name Basis: His full name is "Tyler Blu Gunderson", but (save for Linda's Full-Name Ultimatum at the beginning of the first movie) he is known solely as "Blu".
- Minnesota Nice: It's a wonder the Brazilian birds have never mistaken him for a Canadian.
- Nice Guy: He was raised in Minnesota after all. Despite being awkward, unable to express himself and even a bit clumsy with words, he is very softhearted and sweet.
- No Social Skills: Because of spending his life with Linda, he doesn't really do all that great in talking to other birds after going to Rio. He gets better at socializing in the sequel.
- Not Used to Freedom: Blu the parrot is let out of his cage. He greatly misses the cage and doesn't know how to stay safe.
- Official Couple: With Jewel. They have The Big Damn Kiss in the first movie and have three children together.
- Papa Wolf: In the Rio: Snakes Alive! graphic novel, he twice leaps to defend his family from the giant snake Ssssalbatore.
- Parental Abandonment: We never see her or any of his other family in either movie.
- Pitbull Dates Puppy: Jewel is a fiesty Action Girl and Blu is a wimpy nerd who are annoyed by each other at first because of their differences but they end up falling in love in the first movie and in the sequel, they are a Happily Married couple.
- Platonic Life-Partners: An interspecies example. With Linda (a female human).
- Raised in Captivity: Blu may be a pet bird but still he's a wild, undomesticated animal at heart. He's been tamed by humans and lacks basic survival skills. Once he is left to his own devices, his lack of survival skills prove to be an obstacle.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The shy, quiet Blue to Jewel's hot-tempered, somewhat violent Red.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: The Savvy Guy to Jewel's brash, hotheaded Energetic Girl.
- Socially Awkward Hero: Justified since he was raised by humans (particularly Linda) and what little time he is seen interacting with other birds have presumably mostly been negative.
- Spiders Are Scary: In the original film, Blu is freaked out by the thought of a spider on his back. In the sequel, he gets scared by them twice.
- Strong Girl, Smart Guy: The highly intelligent smart guy to Jewel's Action-y strong girl, though he can also pulls his own weight when he needs to.
- Stronger Than They Look: At the end of the first film, he is able to fly while carrying an injured Jewel simultaneously despite having never done so before and in the sequel he ends up carrying both himself, Nigel (unknowingly), and a whole bunch of dynamite to a high-enough altitude before the latter exploded.
- Took a Level in Badass: At the climax of the film. Though he does show signs of this during the brawl with monkeys.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: A son-in-law version, but he seemingly becomes this to Eduardo during the second movie.
Jewel the Blue Macaw
Voiced by: Anne Hathaway
Jewel is the deuteragonist of the Rio franchise. "The Gem of the forest" may be her pseudonym, but don't let those long shiny eyelashes and silky light blue feathers fool you. She's one sassy chick with an attitude and has the opposite personality in most ways of her mate, Blu. She loves to fly and cherishes her freedom, and would never look into a cage, let alone fly into one. When she finds herself stuck with a domesticated "pet," she learns that being grounded may not be so bad after all. Eventually, she learns to be more trusting, as shown when she lets Tulio tend to her wing at the end of the first movie.
- Action Girl: She used physical force against Nigel twice in the first movie. Although she was overpowered both times, she is still a bird that doesn't give up a fight.
- Anti Heroine: Mostly a Knight in Sour Armor with some hints of Pragmatic Hero. She, like Blu, grows out of this by the end of the first movie.
- Badass Adorable: A bird not afraid to get her wings dirty and has been called the "Gem of the Forest".
- Badass in Distress: Both when Nigel captures her and hurts her wing. Rather legitimate reason for the latter though, considering it was damaged quite badly at the end.
- Battle Couple: Sometimes is this with Blu.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Blu in the first film. They at first didn't get along, but they got better.
- Bilingual Bonus: When she first meets Blu, she grabs him by the throat and says "Who are you? What are you doing here?" in Brazilian Portuguese.
- Blue Is Heroic: A blue macaw, and a hero.
- Break the Cutie: Like her mate, Jewel has her own share of tragic events in her life. See Dark and Troubled Past.
- Broken Bird: Because of her Dark and Troubled Past, she became aggressive, cynical, and overall, a little rough around the edges. Becomes a literal example after her wing gets badly injured.
- Chained Heat: Throughout half of the first movie, Blu is chained with Jewel. At first, they didn't like it (or each other), but gradually get used to it as they fall in love.
- Character Development: She becomes more trusting and patient through her adventure with Blu, and learns to accept the differences they have. She is also much kinder and caring by the beginning of the sequel.
- The Chief's Daughter: Her father is the leader of a flock of blue macaws.
- Childhood Friends: With Roberto. She's known him since she was a chick.
- Curtains Match the Windows: Her blue feathers and blue eyes.
- Daddy's Girl: Is shown to be this in the sequel to Eduardo, as Eduardo does care about her a lot.
- Dating What Daddy Hates: In the sequel her father doesn't really like Blu and is quite harsh to him, but changes his opinion at the end of the film.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Only implied in the first movie, but the sequel reveals that as a chick, Jewel was separated from her flock by a fire started by loggers, and believed herself to be the only survivor.
- Deadpan Snarker: A funky attitude with a witty tongue.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: While Jewel starts off as bitter, generally distrustful of others, and rather self-centered, she gradually softens up over the course of the movie, particularly as she gets to know Blu. By the beginning of the sequel, she has defrosted completely.
- Deuteragonist: Of the "Rio" franchise, which focuses on her love of the wild.
- Eating the Eye Candy: She can't help but stare as Roberto shows off his pecs.
- Gaussian Girl: In one scene, right before showing her actual personality.
- Good Parents: Jewel is a supportive mother and has a close relationship with all her children.
- Hates Everyone Equally: She hates humans, is rather intolerant of Blu (at first), is aloof toward the others (Nico, Pedro, Rafael), and does not like dogs (at least when they're drooling on her). She gets better though.
- The Hero: Between her and Blu, the latter being the protagonist, she is the one who takes action and more prone to violence in self-defense. Right up until she injured her wing.
- I Just Want to Be Free: In the first film, all Jewel wanted to do was escape the bird sanctuary.
- Ineffectual Loner: She is perfectly capable of living in the wild on her own, showing how she managed to survive from the fire during her childhood to the day she met Blu. However, all those years of being the last of her kind clearly have taken a toll on her mental and emotional health.
- In-Series Nickname: Roberto calls her "Ju-Ju" while her aunt Mimi calls her "little wildflower."
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She can come as rather aggressive, rude, and even a bit selfish, but she also has a sweet heart and is more than willing to help Blu when he needs it (especially when it comes to flying). The heart of gold becomes more apparent as the movie progresses, with the jerk part being pretty much gone by the beginning of the sequel, where she's portrayed as a sweet and loving Nice Girl.
- Last of Her Kind: Turns out not to be this.
- Like Parent, Like Child: Like her father, Jewel is aggressive and has (or had) a disdain for humans and pets.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: The aggressive, action-y Masculine Girl to Blu's non-actiony, shy Feminine Boy.
- Missing Mom: According to the Rio 2 novel, Jewel's mother died during the fire that seperated her from the tribe.
- Nice Girl: Becomes this in the sequel, where she's extremely polite and sweet.
- Official Couple: With Blu. They have The Big Damn Kiss in the first movie and have three children together.
- Plucky Girl: Jewel is very plucky and does not give up so easily.
- Polite Villains, Rude Heroes: The Rude Hero to Nigel's Polite Villain.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: At first. While she is considered The Hero for most of the story, she hates humans to the bone for taking everything from her as well as being very prejudicial against pets (which causes her initial conflict with Blu). Fortunately, she gets better thanks to Character Development.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The hot-tempered, somewhat violent Red to Blu's shy, quiet Blue. Averted in the sequel.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: The Energetic Girl to Blu's practical, intellectual Savvy Guy.
- Single-Target Sexuality: Despite having good-looking Roberto for a childhood friend, it's implied that Blu was the only bird that she has ever really had romantic feelings for.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Initially, Jewel was put off by Blu, due to his domestic origins, inability to fly, and their terrible introduction. During their adventure throughout Rio however, she discovers his bravery, kindness, and ingenuity, and gradually falls for him because of these qualities. The moment when Blu jumps out of the smugglers' plane after her clinches it.
- Strong Family Resemblance: When she reunites with her father in the sequel, he tells her she looks just like her mother.
- Strong Girl, Smart Guy: The Action-y strong girl to Blu's highly intelligent smart guy.
- Took a Level in Kindness: By the sequel, Jewel loses her prejudice against humans and pets.
- Trademark Favorite Food: In Rio 2, it's revealed that Brazil nuts are her favorite food.
- Tsundere: Type A in the first movie; tsuntsun (hostile) most of the time but giving occasional hints of deredere (kinder) towards Blu from time to time, eventually becoming fully deredere towards him after the dance. She evolves into a Type B in the sequel, where she is sweet most of the time, but will bring out her tougher side if she feels it's necessary.
- Violently Protective Girlfriend: Jewel does not take kindly to threats against Blu.
Rafael the Toco Toucan
Voiced by: George Lopez
Rafael is a exceptionally romantic bird with twenty-one kids and was the life of party in his day. He serves as one of the three tritagonists of the Rio franchise, the other two being Nico and Pedro. Once known as "The King of Carnival", this Toco Toucan now has twenty-one kids and a wife who keep him close to the nest. He would never leave such familial bliss, except maybe to help some young birds who are in need... and the opportunity to visit Carnival one more time!
- The Charmer: He easily manages to sweet-talk Eva into letting him take Blu and Jewel to Luiz.
- Deadpan Snarker: Shades of this. Specifically when Blu fails at admitting his feelings for Jewel or commenting on his children's behavior.
- Happily Married: Despite being a literal Henpecked Husband, he's very content in his marriage.
- Henpecked Husband: A literal example by his wife. However, he still loves her with all his heart.
- In-Series Nickname: His friends and Eva tend to call him "Raffi".
- Interspecies Romance: A downplayed example. He's a toco toucan mated with a keel-billed toucan.
- The Lancer: To Jewel and Blu.
- Rafael is nicer and more open than Jewel's Jerk with a Heart of Gold nature and reclusiveness.
- He's a more "go with your feelings"-type of guy, contrasting with Blu always thinking with his head.
- Life of the Party: When he was younger. Even still, Rafael is fond of carnival and celebrations, and is enthusiastic, encouraging others if they are hesitant or nervous about something.
- The Mentor: He served as this when trying to teach Blu how to fly. In a more personal note, he often gives Blu relationship advice ranging from the sound (be yourself, be honest and communicate, listen to your heart) to the questionable but nonetheless well-meaning (do whatever it takes to please your spouse and put aside your own needs.)
- Nice Guy: A lover of romance and friendship. Always willing leading to lend a hand for his friends. He even admitted that he would give up the chance to go to Carnival (the place he was called "The King"), because he rather be with his wife and kids.
- Red Baron: Known as "The King of Carnival" in his younger days.
- Shipper on Deck: For Blu and Jewel. He gives the former numerous amounts of advice on how to woo the latter.
Pedro the Red-Crested Cardinal
Voiced by: will.i.am
Pedro is an obese Red-crested Cardinal, and the best friend of Nico. He befriends Blu and Jewel and serves as one of three tritagonists in the Rio franchise, the other two being Rafael and Nico. He and Nico share a samba club together in the marketplace of Rio de Janeiro.
- Attack! Attack... Retreat! Retreat!: Pedro was about to fight Nigel, until Nico reminded him about Nigel's talons, to which at this point they both immediately flee.
- The Big Guy: Pedro is the biggest of his friends and knows capoeria.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Pedro may not be all that smart, but he has shown awesome capoeira skills when fighting the marmosets.
- Fat and Skinny: The fat to Nico's skinny.
- Fat Comic Relief: A comedic, silly cardinal, and is obese.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Nico. They are always seen together, flying together, dancing together, singing together, and partying together.
- I Know Karate: More like, "I Know Capoeira". During the battle against the marmosets.
- Nice Guy: Pedro is a nice, outgoing type of bird.
- Red Is Heroic: Pedro is a Red-Crested Cardinal and one of the good guys.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The loud, energetic Red Oni to Nico's calm, cool-headed Blue Oni.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The louder, more Hot-Blooded Manly Man to Nico's thoughtful, quiet Sensitive Guy.
- Shipper on Deck: For Blu and Jewel. During their journey through Rio, Pedro attempts to play a song to "create a mood" for the bird couple.
- Those Two Guys: With Nico. They don't really have a specific role, except for some comic-relief and musical moments.
- Verbal Tic: Has a tendency to squawk when he's singing or dancing.
Nico the Canary
Voiced by: Jamie Foxx
Nico is a Yellow Canary, and Pedro's best friend. He and Pedro became friends with Blu when he first came to Rio de Janeiro. Nico wears a blue-green bottlecap as a hat, which he can also use as a tambourine and a weapon, similar to a Frisbee. He also owns a Samba Club with Pedro within the marketplace of Rio. He serves as one of the three tritagonists of the Rio franchise with the other two being Rafael and Pedro.
- The Charmer: He shows shades of this by being a charismatic and charming canary. During his song I Wanna Party he attracts the attention of all the birds in the place, who enjoy his music, and later helps create a romantic atmosphere that favors Blue and Jewel.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He's as laid-back and comical as Pedro, but has proven to be quite smart when faced with the marmosets.
- Deadpan Snarker: If there's snarking to be done, you know Nico will do it.
- Fat and Skinny: The skinny to Pedro's fat.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Pedro. They are always seen together, flying together, dancing together, singing together, and partying together.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: To Pedro. He reasons with Pedro that they couldn't fight Nigel because of his deadly talons and that they should get help instead.
- Nice Guy: Nico is a nice, friendly, sociable and outgoing type of bird.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The calm, cool-headed Blue Oni to Pedro's loud, energetic Red Oni.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The thoughtful, quiet Sensitive Guy to Pedro's more louder, Hot-Blooded Manly Man.
- Shipper on Deck: Nico creates a "romantic mood" for Blu and Jewel.
- Shorter Means Smarter: The shortest bird of the cast and happens to more cool-headed than his best friend.
- Weaponized Headgear: Uses the bottle cap he wears on his head like a boomerang to knock out some marmosets clinging to Blu and Jewel (as they were sent by Nigel to capture them) so that they can escape from them with Kipo carrying them both as they are chained together and Blu does not know how to fly.
- The Smart Guy: Quite knowledgeable when it comes to people and places around Rio.
- Those Two Guys: With Pedro. They don't really have a specific role, except for some comic-relief and musical moments.
Allies
Luíz the Bulldog
Voiced by: Tracy Morgan
Luiz is a Bulldog whose bark is much worse than his bite. He proves that you can't always judge a book by its cover. You may think he's gonna bite you, but really he's just going to smother you with drool. This fruit hat wearing bulldog just can't wait for Carnival. He lives in a garage in the Santa Teresa Neigborhood of Rio de Janeiro.
- Animal Stereotypes: Luíz is often seen drooling, which was used to free Blu and Jewel from their bounds. However, he states its a medical condition in his case.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Although a great friend to Rafael and the other characters, Luiz still has the personality of a chasing, biting, ferocious bulldog.
- Bully Bulldog: Subverted in that he's actually friendly to Blu and the gang, although he mentions occasionally having to suppress his natural instincts to chase them and bite their throats out.
- Demoted to Extra: In the sequel, he only shows up at the beginning and end of the movie, having spent the majority of it trying to catch up to the birds when they leave him behind for the Amazon.
- Dogs Are Dumb: While not entirely "dumb", Luiz is naive.
- Dumb Muscle: He's a tough but ignorant bulldog.
- Hidden Depths: Even though Luiz is portrayed as a somewhat naive dog, he was able to use a table saw in the first movie.
- Nice Guy: A friendly, fun-loving, and kindly bulldog.
- Real Men Wear Pink: "Real Bulldogs Wear Flashy Carnival Costumes".
- Team Pet: The only dog of the main cast.
- Undying Loyalty: He is very loyal to and protective of his friends. When a Carnival performer in a crocodile costume accidentally knocked Blu off Luiz's back, the bulldog attacked him, biting on his foam tail.
Eva
Voiced by: Bebel Gilberto
Eva is a Keel-billed Toucan (unlike her husband, who is a Toco Toucan) and Rafael's wife. She is the mother of their twenty-one chicks. She can't sing very well, yet Rafael hears beauty in her voice (or at least pretends to).
- Almighty Mom: Lampshaded by her husband in the fact she's the only one that can scare her mischievous, rambunctious children.
- Ascended Extra: Has a main role in the video game adaptation and more of a presence in the sequel.
- Happily Married: Even with her harshness and having the ability to scare her kids and husband, Eva does have a happy union with Rafael.
- Hollywood Tone-Deaf: And how! Her singing in the first movie was enough to scare off other birds.Rafael: Like a river of the sweetest honey!Jewel: Wow, I guess love is deaf, too!
- Ironic, considering the fact that her VA is a very talented singer.
- Interspecies Romance: A downplayed example. She's a keel-billed toucan mated to a toco toucan. Their chicks, who are presumably hybrids, resemble their father the most (Toco Toucan), except for their cream-colored, red-rimmed lower bellies.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Both her chicks and her husband are scared of her, presumably because she is really harsh, demanding, and loud, but she still loves them dearly.
Bia
Voiced by: Amandla Stenberg
Bia is the youngest daughter of Blu and Jewel, and one of the three tritagonists of Rio 2. She is the middle child, and has an older sister named Carla, and a younger brother named Tiago.
- Cute Bookworm: She really likes to read.
- Daddy's Girl: Out of Blu and Jewel's chicks, she is the closest to her and her sibling's father, Blu.
- Friend to All Living Things: Has an interest and love for animals.
- Good with Numbers: One of Bia's main talents is mathematics.
- Meaningful Name:
- Bia is often seen with a butterfly. There's a Neotropical genus of butterflies called "Bia," and in the butterfly family Nymphalidae.
- Bia's Russian name is "Умничка" (Umnichka), which means "endearment to an intelligent man".
- Nice Girl: Like father, like daughter. She is polite, well mannered, kind-hearted, and dreamy.
- Strong Family Resemblance: A mini version of Jewel, besides her father's brown eyes.
Carla
Voiced by: Rachel Crow
Carla is the eldest daughter of Blu and Jewel, and one of the three tritagonists of Rio 2. She has a younger sister named Bia and a younger brother named Tiago.
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal: Ever the music lover, she is seen wearing earbuds almost all the time. It's also shown she is an excellent singer.
- Deadpan Snarker: The most sarcastic of her siblings. Like mother, like daughter.
- Informed Flaw: She's supposedly as clumsy as her father. It doesn't come up much, though.
- The Klutz: Carla inherited her father's clumsiness.
- Strong Family Resemblance: A fluffier version of her mother.
Tiago
Voiced by: Pierce Gagnon
Tiago is the only son of Blu and Jewel, and one of the three tritagonists of Rio 2. He is the youngest child of Blu and Jewel's chicks, and has two older sisters named Bia and Carla.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Hinted to be this towards his sisters.
- The Baby of the Bunch: The youngest of his siblings, and also the most immature and impulsive.
- Cheerful Child: Tiago's always cheerful, outgoing, enthusiastic, wild and adventurous (just like his mother).
- Hot-Blooded: "If something needs to be blown up or destroyed, he is the one to go to".
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He sometimes goes a little too overboard with his pranks (tying up his babysitter to FIREWORKS), is extremely mischievous, and has rather bad manners, but he is a sweet kid deep down and does love his family.
- Keet: Boy, is he full of energy.
- Momma's Boy: Like his oldest sister Carla, Tiago is closer to Jewel than he is to Blu.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Tiago has Blu's dark blue feathers, eye color, and beak shape.
Eduardo
Voiced by: Andy García
Eduardo is Jewel's father who appears in Rio 2. He has an older sister named Mimi, and once lost his daughter to loggers. He is reunited with her once again, but is unimpressed with her mate, Blu. He is also the patriarch of the remaining Spix's Macaw clan, all of whom have been hiding in the Amazon Forest.
- Big Little Brother: He has an older sister named Mimi who's noticeably shorter than he is.
- Defrosting Ice King: Towards Blu. He starts out as aloof towards Blu but they eventually got along.
- Doting Grandparent: Eduardo enthusiastically embraces being the grandfather to Jewel and Blu's chicks, wanting them to call him "pop-pop."
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: While trying to teach Blu how to live in the wild. He even has a "buzz-cut" to make the military analogy clearer!
- Humans Are Bastards: Doubles as a Freudian Excuse. He believes all humans are like this as loggers burned down his initial home and separated him from Jewel. As such he does all he can to keep his tribe separated from humanity and won't allow any human items (like bottle caps and fanny packs) to enter his domain. He's ultimately proven wrong when Linda and Tulio save him from loggers after he's knocked out of the air. By the end of the movie he's seen wearing a fanny pack as well.
- In-Series Nickname: Felipe calls him "Old Eddie".
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Old Eddie is tough and short-tempered, especially toward Blu, but he does deeply love and care about his family and tribe.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: As much as he loves his daughter and grandchildren, son-in-law Blu is abused in many ways.
- Shipper on Deck: He doesn't hide his opinion of wanting Jewel to be with Roberto, instead of Blu. He comes around.
Mimi
Voiced by: Rita Moreno
Mimi is a female Spix's Macaw. She's Eduardo's older sister, Jewel's aunt, Blu's aunt-in-law, and Bia, Carla, and Tiago's great-aunt. She is the self-appointed adviser of the Spix's Macaw clan.
- Ascended Extra: Sort-of. In Rio 2: The Junior Novel, Mimi was the one Eduardo aired his grievances regarding Blu to, rather than Roberto.
- Little Big Sister: She's the older sibling, but is noticeably shorter than her brother.
- Nice Girl: Mimi is sassy, kind and very cheerful. She is accepting and welcoming, and smooths arguments and tension. She loves her family and friends, no matter what they may do wrong, and is friendly toward others.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Very much averted—unlike her brother, Mimi's much more accepting of Jewel's relationship with Blu and is the only one of the clan to accept Blu into the clan with open wings.
- Shipper on Deck: She respects Jewel choosing Blu as her mate.
Roberto
Voiced by: Bruno Mars
Roberto is a male Spix's Macaw who appears in Rio 2. He is Jewel's childhood friend, who stirs up Blu's jealousy.
- Always Someone Better: To Blu. Unlike him, he's confident, charming and liked by Jewel's father.
- The Casanova: Implied. He flirts with some female Spix Macaw birds when he's first introduced.
- The Charmer: He's very suave, as he shows when he welcomes Jewel back.
- Chick Magnet: Pun not intended. Roberto manages to make some females faint just by looking at them.
- Childhood Friends: Has known Jewel since they were chicks.
- Dark and Troubled Past: The reason he's so afraid of humans is because he was apparently captured by humans, sold as a pet and treated way worse than Blu.
- Foil: He's almost everything that Blu isn't.
- Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Blu has to slap him when he starts freaking out at seeing human loggers. Likewise Mimi once the final battle gets going so he can join in the fight.
- Heroic BSoD: For most of the film he's portrayed as Ace and the go-to guy for Eduardo However when human loggers near their home, he panics and is entirely useless.
- Hidden Depths: He's apparently set up to have a secret that will throw off his status as a Foil to Blu. Turns out he's afraid of humans. From what little dialogue he tells Blu, it seems he was originally a pet as well. Just treated far worse.
- Honorary Uncle: Tiago takes to calling him "uncle Beto" quite quickly.
- In-Series Nickname: When they were kids, Jewel would call him "Beto."
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: The feathers on his head look like long hair, and is apparently a very handsome bird.
- New Old Flame: Judging from the trailers, he's this for Jewel. He's actually more of an old friend, but his status does make Blu more than a little intimidated.
- Nice Guy: Though he is kind of a show off, but Roberto is an overall decent and good-hearted bird.
- Non-Mammalian Hair: While his "hair" is pretty obviously made up of a bunch of feathers, it's maintained in a way that would be nigh impossible for a real-life blue macaw, no matter how great its groomer is.
- Pec Flex: While boasting about how he built his hollow with his "strength... and brawn", Roberto wiggles his pecs (which Jewel can't help but stare at).
- Pretty Boy: By bird standards, anyway. Being voiced by Bruno Mars helps.
- Screams Like a Little Girl: Just before Blu pulls him out of the way of a bulldozer.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He's terrified of humans.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He is not seen at the very end after the climax.
Felipe
Voiced by: Phillip Lawrence
Felipe is a male Scarlet Macaw, and is the leader of the Red Macaw Tribe. He has been described as a tough bird who doesn't like strangers, and is fiercely territorial of his home.
He is a tertiary antagonist, later befriended by the Spix's Macaw Tribe at the end of Rio 2.
- Enemy Mine: He and the rest of the Red Macaw tribe show up to help the blue macaws fend off the loggers.
- I Shall Taunt You: He enjoys mocking his Spix's Macaw rivals, especially Eduardo.
- Rhymes on a Dime: "Today, in the pit of doom, at high noon. Oh, I'll make some room. Sweep you up like a broom!"
- The Rival: He is Eduardo's biggest rival. And in air soccer, he is the rival of Roberto.
- This Means War!: He says this verbatim after Blu invades the territory of the red macaws and accidentally smacks Felipe in the face with the tree branch he was pulling back.
- Unsportsmanlike Gloating: Really rubs Blu accidentally scoring the winning goal in the blue macaws' net in Eduardo's face.
Tiny
Voiced by: Miriam Wallen (Rio), Kate Micucci (Rio 2)
Tiny is a house finch, and one of the patrons of Nico and Pedro's samba club.
- Ascended Extra: Somewhat, she gets a name in the sequel but her role pretty much amounts to a small joke.
- Badly Battered Babysitter: In the sequel, Luis sticks her with the job of watching Blu and Jewel's kids. The next we see of her they've tied her to a bottle rocket and are about to light it.
- Butt-Monkey: Getting interrogated by Nigel in the first movie and nearly strapped to a bottle rocket in the second.
- Meaningful Name: She is tiny.
- Named in the Sequel: Was only known as "Scaredy Bird" in the first movie's credits.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: In the first movie, when the fight with the Marmosets starts, she quickly proclaims she doesn't know what's going on and ducks into a hiding spot as the birds and monkeys begin to rumble.
Kipo
Voiced by: Bernardo de Paula (Rio), Jeffrey Garcia (Rio 2)
A roseate spoonbill who is another patron at Nico and Pedro’s samba club.
- All There in the Manual: Some tie-in material, such as the McDonald’s toyline of all places, reveal his name. He is only credited as "Spoonbill" in the second movie’s credits.
- Feather Fingers: The most noticeable example of this in the first movie. He uses his wings to shake some maracas while dancing at the samba club.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Appears in only one scene of the first film, but flies Blu and Jewel to the trolley they need to catch in order to get to Luis.
Villains
Nigel the Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo
Voiced by: Jemaine Clement
Nigel is the main antagonist of the Rio film series.
- Arch-Enemy: He sees Blu as one.
- Ax-Crazy: And he gets more and more insane as the films go on.
- Bad Boss: In the sequel, he treats Charlie like a common steed, has the tamuda carry him everywhere, pushes him around (usually physically), and doesn't even let him eat some ants during the boat trip to the Amazon. Which makes Charlie abandoning him at the end no big surprise.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: With Marcel for the first film. Specifically he’s the Big Bad of the bird side of the story.
- Big Bad Ensemble: With Big Boss in the sequel. He spends most of the film trying to get revenge against Blu.
- Boomerang Bigot: He has an intense hatred for exotic birds, despite being one himself.
- Card-Carrying Villain: He relishes the fact he's sadistic, evil, and monstrous. And he's one of the few characters that can manage both this and being
absolutely terrifying.
"We attack at the midnight hour. Because it's more evil!"
- Carnivores Are Mean: He's omnivorous just like any other parrot, but he's the only one shown eating meat on-screen. He torments the birds his owner has captured by chewing on a chicken drumstick in front of them and then asking them to pick out a piece of meat from his beak.
- Catchphrase: PRETTY BIRD.
- Coincidental Accidental Disguise: His attempt to attack a blue macaw he thought was Blu ends up giving him a leaf mask and cape, leading Rafael, Nico and Pedro to think he's auditioning for their talent show.
- The Dragon: Subverted in that he's actually more competent and menacing than his master, making him a Dragon-in-Chief.
- Establishing Character Moment: Forcing a tiny bird to pick bird meat out of his beak, just so he can try to snap the poor thing's leg off.
- Evil Brit: Actually an evil New Zealander but close enough.
- Evil Is Hammy: Even more so in the sequel, where he paraphrases Shakespeare.
- Evil Is Petty: His goal is to make all of the "pretty birds" as ugly as he is.
- Evil Laugh: Given he's a Card-Carrying Villain, he laughs a lot.
- Family-Unfriendly Death: Subverted. He flies into a plane propeller and is implied to have been Killed Off for Real, but he turns out to be Not Quite Dead at the end. Subverted again in the second movie, where he is hit with Gabi's toxins, and most surely would have died if it weren't for Gabi not being poisonous at all.
- Fate Worse than Death: His motivation for vengeance in Rio 2, with his supposed death actually clipping his wings & leaving him flightless. He gets it again at the end of the film when he's dragged off by Gabi after she finds out she's not poisonous. Meaning she can touch him without worry much to his horror.
- Faux Affably Evil: He's rather polite and calm in his speech... even when choking someone or dropping someone from several hundred feet to "convince" them to be his Mook.
- Feathered Fiend: More villainous than the human antagonists.
- For the Evulz: He takes perverse pleasure in torturing and abusing the living crap out of other birds, to the point that he becomes obsessed with making sure Jewel and Blu don't escape his clutches.
- Freudian Excuse: Explains it in song:
- Going Native: After being accepted into the talent show, he walks right past Blu without even noticing him, yelling out that he needs glitter.
- Green-Eyed Monster: He became this after his former life as a TV star, when he got replaced by a prettier bird. Now he wants to take out his bitterness on all the pretty birds in the world.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Marcel is infuriated by his goons' stupidity and remarks that Nigel the cockatoo is ten times more intelligent than both of them combined. Nothing we see contradicts this assumption.
- Ignored Epiphany: In the graphic novel Rio: Snakes Alive.Nigel: "I must ask, was all that evil worthwhile? Perhaps, when once again adored by millions, I'll look upon those less fortunate with kindness. Or, maybe... not! Ha-ha-ha!"
- I'm a Humanitarian: In one scene, he is seen eating a chicken drumstick. While this is actually common in Real Life Cockatoos, he uses it to terrorize other birds for sadistic pleasure.
- "I Am" Song: "Pretty Bird
". Also serves as his Villain Song. - I Was Quite a Looker: Says this before he begins his Villain Song. Judging from the poster, he wasn't lying.
- Jerkass: And given his actions and personality, this is probably putting it lightly.
- Karmic Rape: Dragged off by Gabi at the end of Rio 2.
- Large Ham: Justified, as he used to be a superstar with his own television show and appeared in movies.
- Laser-Guided Karma: After mocking Jewel's broken wing by saying there are now two "useless, flightless birds", Nigel loses most of his feathers, becoming a "useless, flightless bird" himself.
- Laughably Evil: By the sequel he's not the major villain, but the major baddie used for laughs.
- Made of Iron: Survives flying face first into a power transformer (which causes nearly all of Rio to lose electricity) with only some burnt feathers. At the end of the movie, he survives being hit by a plane propeller, but lost most of his feathers.
- Dented Iron: The latter incident clipped his wings.
- Misplaced Retribution: A pretty parakeet stole his thunder while he was in show business and he blames his current mistreatment of other birds solely on this.
- Moral Myopia: In the sequel, he seeks revenge on Blu for causing him pain and misery, even though he delighted in bringing both these things to as many as possible in the previous movie.
- More Despicable Minion: When compared to his master Marcel, who is simply a greedy, uncaring and often unpleasant poacher, this cockatoo is a vile and monstrous sadist with a despicable sense of humour.
- Naked People Are Funny: He loses most of his feathers in the propeller accident. In the second film, when his vest slips off, Gabi quickly covers her eyes but then peeks through her fingers at him.
- Never My Fault: Blames his predicament in the second movie entirely on Blu, despite the fact he was antagonizing him and Jewel in the first place and never seeming to realize his downfall was his own doing.
- Not Quite Dead: He gets this twice! At the end of the first film, he flies into an air plane propeller and lives, though with most of his feathers gone. Then, in the second, Gabi accidentally fires a needle laced with her toxins at him. Cue a dramatic death scene that is soon botched when it is revealed she wasn't poisonous at all.
- Obfuscating Disability: He is first seen as a "patient" at Tulio's aviary, but his "sickness" is quickly revealed to be fake.
- Oh, Crap!: He gets a good one before getting hit by the plane's propeller in the climax. Also gets one earlier when he flies into an electrical transformer.
- Poke the Poodle: "I poop on people and I blame it on seagulls! (It was him!)"
- Polite Villains, Rude Heroes: The polite villain to Jewel's rude hero (though he's never too polite).
- Revenge: His goal in the sequel is to kill Blu for costing him his ability to fly.
- Smug Super: Nigel is extremely fond of himself and regards everyone but his master as complete morons. (...Sometimes he's correct.)
- Staying Alive: To the point that with some lyrical changes, "I Will Survive" describes him perfectly.
- Surrounded by Idiots: His attitude after learning that the marmosets failed to capture Blu and Jewel.
- Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: It's a pretty typical CGI family comedy — with a psychotic, genuinely frightening cockatoo as one of the villains.
- Villain Song: See the "I Am" Song example. In the sequel, a dramatic reading of "I Will Survive".
- Would Hit a Girl: Nigel had no qualms attacking and subduing Jewel. He would have killed her on the first meeting had Marcel not sternly told him he needed her alive.
- Would Hurt a Child: In the first movie, Nigel asks a terrified chick to remove a piece of chicken he claims is lodged in his beak. When the chick reluctantly attempts to do so, Nigel tries to bite his leg off and then maniacally laughs about it.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: In the first movie, he poses as a wounded bird to get into a animal sanctuary and later let in Marcel so he and his assistants can kidnap the birds within.
The Marmosets
Voiced by: Brian Baumgartner
A group of marmosets who steal from tourists, lead by a brown one named Mauro. They act as tertiary antagonists, but mostly because they're scared of Nigel.
- Advertised Extra: They were quite prominent in the original movie's promotional materials, despite the fact that they didn't have much more than five minutes of screentime.
- All There in the Script: Their leader, Mauro, is only named in the tie-in video game.
- Ax-Crazy: They are rather... mentally ill.
- Con Man: They have one distract people with dance moves, while the others pick-pocket.
- Cute Little Fangs: They have small, sharp canines to show their viciousness.
- Law of Chromatic Superiority: The head Marmoset, Mauro, is brown unlike his grey minions.
- Maniac Monkeys: They are crazy and evil monkeys.
- Punch-Clock Villain: They're only antagonistic to the heroes because Nigel threatened them.
- Smug Snake: Mauro. When Nigel comes to the Marmosets looking for assistance, Mauro sneeringly asks What's In It For Me?. Nigel responds by carrying him up into the sky and letting go, leaving Mauro desperately begging for Nigel to save him.
- The Trickster: Regularly pick-pocket unsuspecting tourists.
Gabi
Voiced by: Kristin Chenoweth
Gabi is the secondary antagonist of Rio 2. She is a small frog who is madly in love with Nigel.
- Abhorrent Admirer: Has a crush on Nigel, but he doesn't like her back.
- Abusive Parents: When she learns she's not actually poisonous, she mentions that her parents always told her she was. Carla then quips "You just have really mean parents." It's not confirmed, though.
- Adorable Evil Minion: She's adorable and perky and also stark raving bonkers.
- Affably Evil: She's crazy as they come and head over heels for Nigel, but also perky and amicable.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Gabi admits that she loves it when Nigel gets all "dark and brooding".
- Amphibian Assault: Nigel tries using her toxic secretions to kill Blu. Except then we find out she's not poisonous at all.
- Cute and Psycho: She's cute, pink, and small, and also an insane Yandere.
- Cute Is Evil: Looks adorable but is just as villainous as Nigel.
- The Dragon: She's Nigel's sidekick.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: She is insane, but deeply loves Nigel.
- Ignored Enamored Underling: She's quite open with her feelings toward Nigel (even saying "love ya" at one point), but Nigel doesn't even notice.
- Interspecies Romance: Gabi (a frog) desperately wants one with Nigel (a bird).
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: She knows her venomous skin would kill Nigel if they were to touch, so she tries to make him happy without getting close to him... until the end when she finds out she is not actually poisonous.
- Love Makes You Evil: She's so devoted to Nigel that she happily goes along with his attempts at Revenge against Blu, to the point of allowing him to use her venom in his efforts.
- Meaningful Name: Gabi is extremely talkative, in other words, she likes to gab a lot. Lampshaded by Nigel.
- Motor Mouth: Gabi loves to gab on and on.
- Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: According to her actress, anyway. We don't see a lot of it in the film, though it is implied that she's only on the side of evil because she loves Nigel.
- Perky Female Minion: To Nigel, and is quite excited.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: She's got surprising strength for a frog that could fit in your shoe, at least enough to drag a struggling cockatoo five times her size.
- Poisonous Person: She's a poisonous frog or so it seemed. It's just that people mistake her for a truly poisonous frog, and her parents raised Gabi making her believe the fact.
- Psycho Pink: Gabi is a pink frog who will kill anyone just to win Nigel's love.
- Stalker with a Crush: Has an unhealthy obsession with Nigel. However, Nigel disregards Gabi's affection for him, and sees her mostly as a mere minion.
- Villain Song: "Poisonous Love", which is also a Villain Love Song to another villain!
- Yandere: To Nigel. "There isn't a bird that I wouldn't KILL for you!"
Charlie
Voiced by: N/A
Charlie is the quaternary antagonist of Rio 2. He is a non-speaking tamandua anteater and one of Nigel's former henchmen. He was forced to tap dance for tourists until Nigel freed him. He will do almost anything for ants (red ants make him crazy).
- Aardvark Trunks: Though his snout is portrayed fairly realistic, his tongue is still overly long.
- Informed Flaw: His official profile states that red ants "make him crazy." This is not shown in Rio 2, though the junior novelization shows him receiving a burst of energy (and intense pain) from eating one.
- Meaningful Name: The bowler hat, lack of voice and pantomime makes him "Charlie Chaplin as an anteater".
- Overly-Long Tongue: Which is used to not only capture things, but as a climbing rope, a sling elastic...
- Punch-Clock Villain: He's only an adversary because since Nigel released him, Charlie opted to come along with him.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Gabi learns she's not really poisonous, she pounces on Nigel, smothering him with affection. Nigel calls Charlie for help, but Charlie just dances offscreen, giving Nigel a mocking double thumbs up.
- Somewhere, a Mammalogist Is Crying: Real life tamandua are excellent tree climbers, using their claws to climb up. Charlie, however, seems ill at ease with it, using his tongue like a brace (similar to a lumberjack). The official site also refers to him as a giant anteater.
- The Voiceless: He doesn't speak at all in the movie.
Humans
Heroes/Allies
Linda Gunderson
Voiced by: Leslie Mann, Sofia Scarpa Saldanha (younger Linda)
Linda Gunderson is Blu's former owner and best friend. She formerly lived and worked in her own bookstore, Blue Macaw Books, in Moose Lake, Minnesota, and now lives and works in the Livraria Blu book store in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where she's happily married to her sweetheart, Tulio.
She is the secondary protagonist of the Rio franchise.
- Action Girl: Not so much in the beginning, but in the end, she hijacks a Carnival float and drives it at a plane. Ups it in the sequel when she commanders a bulldozer and prevents a logger from nearly crushing Eduardo. Girl loves her birds!
- Animal Motifs: Linda has wide eyes, like of an owl Tulio mentioned, which was his favorite bird.
- Badass Bookworm: Proves to be quite the badass biker later on.
- Beware the Nice Ones: During the search for Blu, Linda shows herself capable of performing daring feats, such as driving a motorcycle (claiming it is "just like driving a snowmobile") and hijacking a Carnival float, later attempting to ram the smugglers' plane with it.
- Character Development: Linda, over the course of the first movie, becomes less of a My Beloved Smother to Blu.
- Cute Bookworm: In Moose Lake, she was the owner of a bookstore "Blu Macaw Books".
- Deadpan Snarker: Linda can sometimes be sarcastic.
- Friend to All Living Things: Her first scene established her as such when she finds a baby Blu and immediately decides to take care of him.
- Happily Married: To Tulio in the sequel.
- Mama Bear: Towards Blu. When she learns that Blu had been kidnapped, her first order of business is to look for him. And when she's found him, she will NOT hesitate to hijack an entire parade float and drive it into a plane if it means getting Blu back.
- My Beloved Smother: While he never outright states it, Tulio does imply that it was Linda's doting that caused Blu to be so introverted and never learn to fly.
- Nerds Are Sexy: She is a nerdy Cute Bookworm, and Tulio certainly finds her attractive.
- Nice Girl: Linda is kind, empathetic, and loving.
- Official Couple: With Tulio by the end of the first movie. They are married by the sequel.
- Pardon My Klingon: When she calls Tulio out for letting the birds get captured, she gets in his face and gives a few angry squawks of her own."Squawk squawkity squawk squawk! [beat] I'm sorry, I didn't mean to curse!"
- Parent Service: Her dressed up for Carnival has her showing a lot more skin.
- Parental Substitute: Acted as the closest thing to a mother to Blu.
- Platonic Life-Partners: An interspecies example. With Blu (a male Blue Spix Macaw bird).
- Sexy Whatever Outfit: The midriff-baring bird-themed outfit she wears at Carnival.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Her in the macaw dancer outfit.
- Significant Green-Eyed Redhead: Linda has short, red hair and green eyes. She was also the one to find and raise the main protagonist for 15 years.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Linda is more interested in brains than brawn.
- Supermodel Strut: When Túlio first sees her in the sexy carnival costume, she's moving with sensual sway to her hips. Given it's from his POV, she's likely not actually doing it and it's just a Crush Filter effect.
- Took a Level in Badass: Does a lot more later on: During the search, Linda shows herself capable of daring feats, such as driving a motorcycle (claiming it is "just like driving a snowmobile") and hijacking a Carnival float, later attempting to ram the smugglers' plane with it.
Túlio Monteiro
Voiced by: Rodrigo Santoro
Tulio Monteiro is an ornithologist from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He serves as the secondary deuteragonist of the Rio franchise, the other being Jewel.
He has a deep love for all avian species, his favorite being the spotted owl, and has a fondness for the music of Lionel Richie.
He is married to Linda in Rio 2, and they have an adoptive son, named Fernando.
- Brainy Brunette: An expert ornithologist.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He is very eccentric and even acts like a bird, but he is very serious about his line of work, with it being protecting and rescuing birds.
- Butt-Monkey: Especially in the beginning.
- Cloudcuckoolander: He can be eccentric at times, such as when he was dressed as a blue macaw: Seeing himself in the mirror, he started squawking and walking around bird-style.
- Ditzy Genius: Tulio is intelligent but is also eccentric.
- Friend to All Living Things: After getting to the center in the first film, one of the first things he does is give the birds under his care birdseed from his own mouth. All of them flock up to him.
- Good Is Not Dumb: Tulio may be a lover of birds and a dorky nice guy, but he proves to not be entirely naive when he meets Fernando — claiming that he's probably scamming them. And he's not entirely wrong, given how Fernando was involved with Blu and Jewel's kidnapping.
- Happily Married: To Linda in the sequel.
- Informed Ability: Zigzagged. He tries to get Blu to fly by throwing him, feeds birds seed from his mouth (human saliva is toxic to birds), attempts to "communicate" with birds in a way that stresses them out, and leaves Blu and Jewel completely alone when he should be monitoring them like a hawk. However, he's 100% competent when it comes to rehabilitating wounded birds.
- Mad Scientist: A heroic version.
- Nerds Are Sexy: He's an ornithologist who studies birds and he's got the manly, geeky charm.
- Nice Guy: Tulio is kind-hearted and heroic.
- No Social Skills: He thinks nothing of manhandling someone else's pet, offering a guest birdseed from his own mouth, and squawking loudly in public.
- Non-Action Guy: Even after he Took a Level in Badass, Linda still did most of the action-y stuff.
- Official Couple: With Linda by the end of the first movie. They are married by the sequel.
- Papa Wolf: To the birds in his care.
- Took a Level in Badass: Downplayed; He is far more brave and willing to take action in the sequel (though he still falls behind Linda in terms of sheer nerve).
Fernando
Voiced by: Jake T. Austin
Fernando is a young Brazilian orphan boy (adopted by Tulio and Linda later on) who initially worked for the smugglers, but later helped Linda and Tulio find Blu and Jewel.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Fernando grew up as an orphan, whatever happened to his parents is left a mystery. And he somehow found his way associating with bird smugglers.
- Demoted to Extra: Only gets a cameo in the sequel.
- Friend to All Living Things: Even though he smuggled Blu and Jewel, he genuinely thought they were going to a nice place (a lie told by Marcel) and apologized for putting them there. He even attempts to free the latter two just before the smugglers took off before being caught by Nigel and Marcel, and later goes to work at the bird sanctuary.
- Guilt-Ridden Accomplice: The biggest reason for his Heel–Face Turn was because of the guilt he felt in taking Blu and Jewel from the aviary and the anguish it gave their caretakers.
- Happily Adopted: Implied in the end, by Linda and Tulio.
Finally confirmed by the directors. - Heartwarming Orphan: A 12-year-old orphan who wants a family, is a sweet guy, and loves animals (mostly birds).
- Heel–Face Turn: He works for the villains at first, but he eventually turns around and helps Linda and Tulio locate their hideout and even confesses to stealing the birds.
- I Got Bigger: In the sequel, he now is taller and his voice is deeper.
- Irony: A good example - he used to help bird smugglers to make money, now he's a caretaker of a sanctuary to protect the jungle and the animals that live there.
- Nice Guy: He's actually a sweet kid despite working for the smugglers.
- Only in It for the Money: The only reason he worked with the villains. Otherwise, he is a kind-hearted kid who gets his redemption in the end.
- Parental Abandonment: Fernando's real parents' identities were never revealed in the movies.
- Street Smart: For a kid at his age, it is impressive how street smart he is. For example, he can drive a motorcycle, make his own home on the streets, and somehow quickly was able to find someone to trade Tulio's Jeep for a motorcycle.
- Street Urchin: He used to sleep on a rooftop.
- Token Good Teammate: The only guy amongst the smugglers who is compassionate to the birds and doesn't want to harm them in the first movie.
- You Remind Me of X: Marcel commented that Fernando reminded him of himself as a child: smart and resourceful. Thankfully, those are the only things they have in common - Fernando makes a full Heel–Face Turn, while Marcel doesn't learn and ends up in jail.
Villains
Marcel
Voiced by: Carlos Ponce
Marcel is the secondary antagonist of Rio. He is Nigel's owner and the leader of the smugglers.
- Bad Boss: He holds his two henchmen, Armando and Tipa, in contempt over their incompetence and clumsiness. He was even willing to abandon them when their plane started to crash, taking the only parachute for himself, thereby displaying an uncaring nature.
- Beard of Evil: Sports a nice looking goatee...still a bad guy though.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: With Nigel, specifically, he is the Big Bad on the human side of the story in the first movie.
- Catchphrase: "Idiots."
- Deadpan Snarker: Shows his dry humor when surrounded by his incompetent lackies.
- Enraged by Idiocy: Not necessarily literal but he tends to get highly annoyed and/or frustrated w Armando or Tipa act or do something idiotic (like attempt to pass off two chickens, painted blue, as Blu and Jewel after they escape).
- Evil Poacher: But a more realistic one. He's not a sadist who gets a kick out of hurting animals. He's just a greedy and uncaring human.
- Jerkass: The only one he treats with any sort of respect is Nigel.
- Only Sane Man: Compared to his bumbling henchmen, he's the most serious and doesn't bother being humorous.
- Put on a Prison Bus: The credits confirm he was arrested offscreen.
- Sinister Shades: Always seen wearing a pair of sunglasses.
- Surrounded by Idiots: So much so that he trusts Nigel more then he does his own men.
Tipa and Armando
Voiced by: Jeff Garcia (Tipa) and Davi Vieira (Armando)
Tipa (fat) and Armando (skinny) are Marcel's two bumbling henchmen. They served as tertiary antagonists of Rio.
- Affably Evil: They are reasonably more nicer than Marcel, especially Tipa.
- Bumbling Henchmen Duo: Marcel's incompetent goons. Marcel remarks that Nigel the cockatoo is ten times more intelligent than both of them combined
- Fat Idiot: Tipa. Although skinny Armando isn't that smart either, Tipa is worse.
- Fat and Skinny: Tipa is the fat one while Armando is the skinny one.
- Friend to All Children: Tipa really likes Fernando, as it is first revealed that he asks Marcel's permission to keep him, but Marcel refuses. Then, it is revealed again that he asks Armando's permission to let Fernando come when he has (secretly) taken Linda and Tulio to their hideout, and Armando reluctantly agrees, and they have him act as an egg-boy at Carnival.
- Minion with an F in Evil: Tipa, especially. He's far less hostile than Marcel and acts friendly to Fernando.
- Put on a Prison Bus: They also got arrested alongside Marcel, as shown in the credits.
- Real Men Wear Pink: They have no problem wearing sparkly chicken costumes.
- Rhetorical Question Blunder: When Marcel calls Nigel ten times smarter than both of them combined, Tipa sarcastically asks why he doesn't put the bird in charge then, which Marcel then does to Armando's irritation.
Big Boss
Voiced by: Miguel Ferrer
Big Boss is the main human/tertiary antagonist of Rio 2. He is the leader of the illegal loggers who are deforesting the Amazon.
- Bad Boss: He treats his workers terribly, even mocking the foreman for losing a game of checkers to a monkey.
- Big Bad Ensemble: With Nigel in the sequel. He is the one actively pushing the logging operation and stands in the way of stopping it.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Word of God states that he attained his position via bullying and coercion.
- Eaten Alive: He ultimately gets eaten by an anaconda.
- Ecocidal Antagonist: He leads an illegal logging business that is threatening the Amazon rainforest and cares little for the lives of the endangered macaws that live within the rainforest, or even the lives of other humans trying to help the birds.
- Evil Sounds Deep: With the gravely husky voice of Miguel Ferrer.
- Flat Character: He's barely on screen and makes his motives pretty clear right from the outset. But otherwise he's not really all that interesting.
- Jerkass: A thoroughly unpleasant individual to practically everyone.
- Lack of Empathy: Doesn't care about endangered macaws or anyone trying to help them. Only that they're in the way of his logging operation and he wants them gone by any means necessary.
- No Name Given: Never given a name onscreen, and is credited as "Big Boss".
- Pet the Dog: The only being he treats with any sort of kindness is his pet monkey.
- Sinister Sweet Tooth: Often seen sucking on cherry lollipops.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In the Rio 2 junior novel, Big Boss is picked up by a tree harvester (piloted by Tiago) after lighting the dynamite.
- Tempting Fate: After capturing Linda and Tulio, he mocks them saying "It's a shame really: you came all this way to protect the jungle. Let's see if it will return the favor, treehuggers." It does in the climax with Blu leading the charge.
- Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: He rivals Nigel in terms of being dark, villainous and vicious, treating his workers like dirt, putting Linda and Tulio through the wringer and endangering the Amazon with his extreme actions.
