There are appealing elements in both “Rio” films, most notably director Carlos Saldanha’s colorful depiction of South American wildlife and scenery. Since “Rio 2” is a musical, Saldanha also deserves credit for collecting a nice batch of tunes and working them into his feature in organic and pleasing ways. The trouble is, these strong points are saddled to a pedestrian script. The story is set after events in the original Rio, and it is essentially an animalized version of “Meet the Parents.”

The painful rout of Brazil’s soccer team by Germany may be a metaphor for the deeper political losses that Brazil has experienced in the past year. Last summer students were marching down the streets of major cities like Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, and Sao Paulo protesting higher transport costs.These demonstrations, coupled with public outcries about the cost of hosting a World Cup and an Olympics in 2016 marked a turning point in the Brazilian success story.