New York International Children’s Film Festival will present a pre-release screening of Blue Sky Studios’ Rio 2 on Sunday, March 30 at DGA Theater. Directed by Oscar® nominated Carlos Saldanha (Ice Age, Rio), Rio 2 is a follow-up to the 2011 hit Rio, and features the return of the voices of Oscar® winner Anne Hathaway, Oscar® nominee Jesse Eisenberg, Oscar® and Grammy winner Jamie Foxx, acclaimed musical artist will.i.am, actor-musician Jemaine Clement, comedic actress Leslie Mann, actor and Brazilian native Rodrigo Santoro, actor-comedian George Lopez, and actor-comedian Tracy Morgan. Joining the franchise for the first time are Oscar® nominee Andy Garcia, Grammy winner Bruno Mars, and Tony® and Emmy® winner Kristin Chenowith, and Oscar®/Emmy®/Tony®/Grammy winner Rita Moreno. The film also features original music by Janelle Monáe, Wondaland Arts Society, and new Brazilian artists Barbatugues, UAKTI, and prominent Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Milton Nascimento.
The Festival, which marks the conclusion of its 17th edition this weekend, will follow the special event screening with its annual Awards Ceremony and Best of Fest Screening. Awards will be presented in four different categories, in addition to the Parents Magazine Parents Award and the Best Animated Short and Best Live Action Short Jury Awards. New York Int’l Children’s Film Festival is an Oscar®-qualifying festival. Recipients of the Festival’s Special Jury Awards are eligible for Oscar® consideration in the Best Animated and Best Live Action Short Film categories.
Rio 2 releases nationwide on April 11, 2014 and is rated G.