Blue Sky just released the first trailer for “Rio”. Wow, does it look amazing. Can’t say much about the story, but aesthetically, it looks incredible.

The animation is really, really, I mean really nice. Great job. These guys have always impressed me. But, their animation has just been getting so much better with each film. This new one is another huge step forward. And look wise. Wow. Incredible. Lighting, textures, well, just everything looks great.

Technically, I was blown away by the feathers. Especially on the main Macaw character. I’m sure anyone reading this blog knows, but just in case you aren’t in the industry. Creating nice looking feathers is not easy. It is probably one of the tougher things to do. Not only do they move realistically, but the way they are used to convey the characters emotion… Wow!

Lastly, animating with these rigs must be amazing. These look to be very well thought out. The performance they are able to squeeze out of them is inspiring. Working mostly in commercials, we don’t often have the luxury of fine tuning rigs to this level. It must be a joy to work with.

I must add. Anyone that knows me, knows I’m not a fan boy. So, it is a little unusual for me to give this much praise to anything out there. I almost feel dirty. But, I really like it that much.