Birds of a Feather

As a field, migrant studies focuses mainly on the migrant journey: first their journey to choose to migrate, how that migration happens, and then the consequences of their migration on themselves and their communities. In my paper, I argue the migrant narrative is incredibly comparative to the narrative of Blu's character journey in Carlos Saldahna's 2011 film Rio. The film's interpretation of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro is simplified, as are the characters, but Blu's journey to self-acceptance of his American upbringing and his Brazilian heritage rings very true to migrants everywhere. Through his experiences through the film and his relationships with the other characters, Blu's concept of home evolves into something almost as beautiful as the spectacular city Saldahna created this film for.