There are baby play areas where you lay an infant down, and he stares up at some colorful thing that spins around, makes music, and distracts him for a while. That’s this instantly forgettable sequel to the instantly forgettable 2011 first movie, which finds rare macaw couple Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hathaway) learning that maybe they’re not so rare after all. There are antagonists a-plenty, including the original movie’s sinister cockatoo (Jemaine Clement) and a businessman (Miguel Ferrer) illegally logging in the Amazon rain forest. So yes, there’s an environmentally-conscious message, a few moderately amusing jokes, and a few moderately diverting musical numbers. But there’s not a single engaging emotional beat, worthwhile idea or appealingly quirky vocal performance. It’s just there to keep moving and make noise, like jingling your keys in front of the kid for 100 minutes.
By
Scott Renshaw