RIO Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album to be Released April 5th on Fox Music/Interscope

NEW YORK, March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 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).

SOURCE Interscope Records