Bruno Mars joins jungle adventure

MANILA, Philippines - Bruno Mars joins the vividly delightful and upbeat musical world of Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hathaway) in Rio 2 where director Carlos Saldanha brings the adventure into the wild thick forest of the Amazon.

With the success of Rio, the call for a sequel came quickly. Having already teased a new life together for Blu and Jewel — and their three new arrivals — in the film’s finale, Saldanha pitched his idea for a new story. What if Blu and his family aren’t the last Blue Macaws, he posited. What would happen to the family dynamic?

If meeting a critical father-in-law, Eduardo (Andy Garcia) weren’t enough, Blu must also contend with Jewel’s childhood friend Roberto, played by Mars. “Roberto is pretty much the opposite of Blu — all charm and suaveness — and he can sing like an angel,” says Hathaway. 

Mars also lends his signature vocal stylings to the track Welcome Back, in which his character Roberto expresses his joy in reuniting with Jewel. 

Rio 2 (in 2D and 3D) will open April 9 nationwide in cinemas from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.