rio follows the story of blu, a domesticated macaw living in minnesota, usa, who never learnt to fly, and who thinks that he is the last of his kind.

learning about the existence of another macaw in rio de janeiro, he travels across the continent to meet his female equivalent, jewel.

the movie then follows the pair's adventures in rio, evading rare animal smugglers, and eventually teaching blu how to fly.

blu ends up falling in love with jewel and they decide to escape captivity and head to the jungle where they will be free.