An all-star musical cast led by multi-platinum artist will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas, Jamie Foxx, Bebel Gilberto, Taio Cruz, Ester Dean, Siedah Garrett, Jemaine Clement (of Flight of the Conchords), and Brazilian sensation Carlinhos Brown, along with film composer John Powell join together under the guidance of Brazilian music legend and executive music producer, Sergio Mendes, for the original motion picture soundtrack of RIO, a 3D animated motion picture event from 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, opening April 15th. The soundtrack album will arrive in stores April 5th on Fox Music/Interscope Records.
From the makers of the hit ICE AGE series comes RIO , a comedy adventure about taking a walk on the wild side. Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) is a domesticated Macaw who never learned to fly, living a comfortable life with his owner and best friend Linda (Leslie Mann) in the small town of Moose Lake , Minnesota . Blu and Linda think he’s the last of his kind, but when they learn about another Macaw who lives in Rio de Janeiro , they head to the faraway and exotic land to find Jewel (Anne Hathaway), Blu’s female counterpart. Not long after they arrive, Blu and Jewel are kidnapped by a group of bungling animal smugglers. With the help of street smart Jewel, and a group of wise-cracking and smooth-talking city birds, Blu escapes. Now, with his new friends by his side, Blu will have to find the courage to learn to fly, thwart the kidnappers who are hot on their trail, and return to Linda, the best friend a bird ever had.
Leading the musical contributions is “Hot Wings (I Wanna Party),” an original song by will.i.am (as the redheaded bird, Pedro) that he sings with his ‘sidekick’ Jamie Foxx (as the yellow canary, Nico). R&B/Pop star Taio Cruz contributes a new, original song, “Telling the World”, that captures the heart of the film. Sergio Mendes adds a brand new recording of his classic bossa nova hit with Brasil ’66, “Mas Que Nada.” Mendes, who also serves as executive music producer of RIO , brought in Carlinhos Brown to further shape the film’s music and sound. The album is the latest in Fox Music’s deep catalog of distinguished soundtracks, responsible for over 60 million units in worldwide sales.
In addition to Eisenberg, Hathaway, Mann, will.i.am, and Jamie Foxx, characters in RIO are also voiced by Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Rodrigo Santoro, and Jane Lynch. RIO was directed by Carlos Saldanha, whose box office hits include Ice Age (2002), Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009).
RIO: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK – full track listing:
1. Real In Rio– The Rio Singers
2. Let Me Take You To Rio (Blu’s Arrival) – Ester Dean & Carlinhos Brown
3. Mas Que Nada (2011 Rio Version) – Sergio Mendes featuring Gracinha Leporace
4. Hot Wings (I Wanna Party) – will.i.am & Jamie Foxx
5. Pretty Bird – Jemaine Clement
6. Fly Love – Jamie Foxx
7. Telling The World – Taio Cruz
8. Funky Monkey –Siedah Garrett, Carlinhos Brown, Mikael Mutti, and Davi Vieira
9. Let Me Take You To Rio (Remix) – Ester Dean featuring Ivete Sangalo
10. Balanco Carioca – Mikael Mutti
11. Sapo Cai – Carlinhos Brown & Mikael Mutti
12. Samba De Orly – Bebel Gilberto
13. Valsa Carioca – Sergio Mendes
Digital version includes bonus