Chico & Rita (2010) User Reviews

Seductive sounds and a disarmingly warm animation style

[jamesgill-1 · 7/10 · 15 November 2010]

The new animated romance Chico and Rita follows the relationship of two young Cuban musicians: Chico is a gifted piano player looking to bring the sound of Havana to New York; Rita is a beautiful singer who treads the precarious path between Latin musicians and white investors looking to cash in on the popularity of this new music. Like all star crossed lovers, their journey is not an easy one – their musical and romantic tribulations will continue over 60 years against the striking backdrops of Havana, New York, Paris, Hollywood and Las Vegas.

The real strength of the film is its ability to portray a classic love story in both an innovative, sensual and sensitive way. The syncopated grace of Cuban Jazz combines with a disarmingly child-like animation to create a sparkling tribute to 1940s and 50s Havana culture.

The film exudes real passion for both the music of the period and the locations of the film, beautifully re-crafted within the animated landscape. The Cuban sound is brought to life with a truly uplifting assortment of records, including classics from Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gillespie and Thelonius Monk. Like the heady improvisation of a be-bop trumpeter, this film bounces between soft melody and excited fragmentation, always bursting to give the audience something new and exciting.

Yet this does not mean that the film is purely for Jazz aficionados – the affection that directors Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba bring to their work ensures that this film doesn't become simply a musical tribute aimed at a conceited minority. The scale of the narrative will leave you breathless, and yet the story is all told through the seemingly innocent hand of traditional cartoon animation. In a post-Pixar world, this kind of hand-drawn animation has gained a retro charm all of its own. Chico and Rita is a delicate reminder that genuine action and emotion can still be expressed without the pixellated glossiness of CGI.

Chico and Rita really succeeds in bringing the colour and vibrancy of early 50s Havana back to life – from the delightfully evocative soundtrack, to the re-telling of a classic love story through the medium of hand-drawn animation, the film is a fitting expression of the vision and compassion of its creators.

Find more reviews at www.singleadmission.co.uk

A moving story of the troubled love affair between a man and a woman and between two countries

[clivy · 8/10 · 26 June 2011]

Like the earlier reviewer, once I saw on the DVD box that "Chico and Rita" featured the music of Woody Herman, Dizzy Gillespie, Theolonius Monk and Charlie Parker- in addition to the Cuban music!- I knew I had to see the film. I wasn't disappointed.

My father was a big band pianist and I grew up in Miami. From an early age I gained an appreciation of jazz and swing from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s and a keen awareness of Cuban culture. I used to listen to the local Spanish language radio stations and I have a deep fondness for Cuban music. Chico and Rita dazzled me from its start with its rich portrayal of life in Havana in the days when Cuba was a popular travel destination for Americans. I loved the homage to the famous Tropicana nightclub. The film doesn't shy away from showing how life in the glamorous capital was for its citizens like Chico and his friend Ramon, young black men who lack money but are talented and ambitious. From its start it reveals frankly how they are barred from entering nightclubs and hotels not just because they are poor but also because the establishments are for whites only. The beautiful Rita can gain entrance, only because she has to work as an escort for rich Yankee tourists. The movie is a tribute to the Latin American musicians and singers who became a major influence on American music and popular culture. As Chico and Ramon search for success in New York clubs and Rita becomes a Broadway and Hollywood sensation real life stars Chano Pozo and Tito Puente make appearances. I very much appreciated the nod to Nat King Cole' s making Spanish language songs hits worldwide; it was great to discover in the documentary included in the DVD that Nat King Cole's brother Freddie honored his brother's memory by adapting his style in his vocals for the film.

The animation is sensational: the portrayals of the Havana seafront and the New York skyline are breathtaking. I was tickled by the newly arrived Chico and Ramon's struggles to adjust to the unfamiliar snowscapes around them and the ice under their feet: they made me remember how I was shocked by my first winter after a lifetime in a tropical climate. The animation isn't afraid either to be frank and adult: a fight between Rita and Chico's old girlfriend doesn't show them pulling their punches.

One of the movie's highlights is a fantastic dream sequence that salutes the musicals of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Chico and Rita's love story reveals also their troubled love affair with the music that inspires them and the country that fires their ambitions. Success gives them Cadillacs, their names on marquees, and large apartments in skyscrapers, but it also brings danger and pain: Chano dies in the midst of a violent argument about money and drugs, after telling Chico and Ramon that he can't travel to the South of the United States because the racists there are viler than the ones in Cuba. Rita's stardom is hollow as she can't stay in the Las Vegas hotel that she is headlining. Her candor about the prejudice she faces kills her career.

Ultimately Chico suffers rejection from both countries he loves. He is deported from the US after being framed for drug possession; the new Cuba leaves him without a profession after it bans jazz as imperialist. The saddest moment in the movie is when the elderly Chico approaches a piano and reflects that he hasn't touched one in years.

The ruined buildings and blackouts in present day Havana are shown unflinchingly, and I was warmed by how Chico's recognition by an international singer pays tribute to Cubans who have lived for decades in isolation, often under oppression. However, I found Rita's fate unconvincing and overly sentimental. I'm moved by the thought that Chico and Rita were separated by the US taking its leave of Cuba, and cutting all relations with it. But I couldn't believe that Rita would spend 47 years in the same motel waiting for Chico to knock on her door.

Satisfied... just above

[sfchapman · 7/10 · 28 October 2011]

I loved the animation style throughout and the use of digital technology complemented the "traditional" approach. The music was infectious and the first thing I did after the film ended was to buy the soundtrack.

The story was touching, yet I felt it was lacking a little. The love story didn't see to have enough love (though I don't believe I have ever seen a sex scene in a cartoon before!). The relationship never really happened and therefore, I couldn't see why Rita would have waited a lifetime for Chico when all they did was argue and fall out.

Saying this however, I did enjoy the film and would love to see a few more animations made in this way.

Chico & Rita

[bcarlos · 9/10 · 27 March 2011]

Chico & Rita follows Chico, an old and retired Cuban pianist, as he remembers his impossible love with a jazz singer called Rita and his rise and fall as a music performer. Having taken four years to make, Chico & Rita is first and foremost visually mind-blowing. Its animation is as nothing you have seen before and the cinematography, the lights, the angles, the music, just everything related to the technical aspect of this film is absolutely perfect.

But what's best and most refreshing about this film is its old-fashioned love story. In a time where all romantic films try to be as realistic as possible, it seems unthinkable to watch a relationship like this unfold on screen. Following a bolero-like structure, the main characters fall in love as easily as they fall apart, but they never forget each other, having an outdated loyalty that is deserving of such all-time classics as Casablanca or Gone With The Wind, and ending in the brilliant and moving bittersweet final scene.

Jazz music plays a main role in the film and gets to be the third character in what we could call a love triangle between the jazz, Chico and Rita. The two title characters are extremely talented musicians that are sometimes in the position of having to choose between their lover or their musical success and fame. Real jazz performers, such as Charlie Parker or Tito Puente get enjoyable cameos in the film and, practically, all the performances in the film are very delightful and entertaining.

Although the film has some minor elements that prevents it from being a masterpiece, like the appearance near the end of Estrella Morente, they are so insignificant compared to the whole of the film that Chico & Rita is still an exceptional film appealing to an extremely large audience.

Chico & Rita is an animated old-fashioned musical romance with a highly original aesthetic, a both refreshing and outdated love story and sublime original and adapted music.

Rating: 4.5/5.

Not impressed, bored and annoyed actually.

[margineanvladdaniel · 7/10 · 29 August 2021]

This is not worthy of an oscar nomination. Even Rango was better than this. I'm sorry, but this was too clicheic and a finger pointed to the latino relationships and the consequences of being adventurous, and not choosing the right person. The graphic was something simple, different, the music was good, but that was about it..

Simply Wonderful

[corrosion-2 · 9/10 · 22 October 2010]

Chico & Rita is a sublime and highly original animated film. It is a very adult film with some animated adult situations. Set in Cuba just before and the years after the revolution, it tells the story of Chico, a talented jazz pianist and Rita, a beautiful singer. Through the story of this couple's turbulent love affair over these years, where Rita finds fame and fortune in US and Chico goes through some hard times, we also get a brief history of both Cuba and jazz music. The animation is wonderfully evocative and colorful and as for the music; well if you are a fan of jazz or Latin American music you are going to fall in love with this movie. Highly recommended.

This ain't Disney!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 26 September 2012]

I have a few words of warning about "Chico & Rita". That's because although it IS a cartoon, it certainly is NOT a movie for kids. It's not just that the story is the sort that would bore younger audiences to death but the film also has some amazingly explicit nudity, murder, drug use and sex. In other words, don't put the kids or grandma in front of the TV when this film is playing!

As you may or may not know, "Chico & Rita" was nominated for Best Animated Feature for 2012--losing to the much more commercial "Puss 'n Boots". The two films couldn't be any more different--as "Chico & Rita" is anything but commercial. It's a small-time production with a very unique independent feel.

The film is set mostly in 1940s Cuba (but also in the US and Paris) and is the story of two folks, Chico and Rita and their very tumultuous relationship as they work their way up through the music business. Because of many bad choices and misunderstandings, the two go from being in love to being at odds with each other to eventually leading very separate lives. There is a strong sense of regret and loss about the film and it is, in some ways, a bit depressing. Fortunately, things do work out well...eventually.

I noticed that the reviews for this film were all very positive. Well, I guess I am the voice of dissent. While I liked how unique the film was in style and content, I didn't care much for the story or the characters. Frankly, I just didn't like Chico or Rita and I didn't care what happened to them. Plus, with some small changes, the film COULD have been enjoyed by a much larger audience--but I wouldn't want teens watching the film due to some of the content. Overall, a truly unique film but one which, to me, seems a bit over-hyped--perhaps due to it's prestigious nomination.

a beautifully told story that resonates long after the last sweet note has faded.

[viro-indovina · 9/10 · 26 November 2010]

As Brad Bird of Pixar fame has said, animation is not a genre, but an art form. Chico & Rita is an artfully made romantic drama that captures the hearts and imaginations of its audience through its storytelling as much as its animation. By turns reflective and reactive, this is a cosmopolitan saga of two lovers' struggle to find themselves and each other. The key notes of jealousy, passion and ambition set the story in a minor key, while the action moves with the syncopated beats of a mambo. The dialog is sharp and smart. Adults will appreciate the nuances of this excellent script. Love hurts, and the movie's main characters creatively express their bittersweet experiences with the virtuosity and greatness of the stars that they orbit and shine alongside. More of a character than a soundtrack, the music is evenly folded into the movie, as is the tension between the lovers. I wonder if people who go to see Chico & Rita only for the animation might possibly be disappointed, since it is less squash and stretch and more gouache and sketch. But the animation does convey the moods and emotions of the characters whilst taking us on a thrilling ride through dizzying cinematic vistas. The colours and lighting are somewhat stepped, but have an illustrative verisimilitude, that provides a convincing variety of bold panoramas and atmospheric interiors. Still, if you didn't like Waking Life or Belleville Rendezvous merely because of the flickering and the occasional detached 3D elements, then you may find watching this movie similarly distracting. I think that the story is compelling enough and the musical and visual elements such a treat that anyone willing to look beyond the animation is rewarded with the best that cinema can offer.

Animation made with superb technique but a disappointing story

[frankde-jong · 6/10 · 2 January 2021]

The story of "Chico and Rita" is told with a big wink towards the "Buena Vista social club" and I must admit that the end is really moving. However two people who spend 60 years to come to the conclusion that they can't live without each other stretches the probability of the story a bit too much.

The animation however is very well done. Originally mainly used in films for kids, in the first decade of the new century animation was more and more used is films for grown ups. In this respect "Chico and Rita" was preceded by films like "Les triplettes de Belleville" (2003, Sylvian Chomet), "Persepolis" (2007, Marjane Satrapi) and "Waltz with Bashir" (2008, Ari Folman).

From the character of Gollum in "The lord of the rings" (2001 - 2003, Peter Jackson) I knew that at the basis of computer generated images (CGI) there is sometimes real human acting. In the case of Gollum a real actor played this character dressed in a suit full of sensors. Based on the measurements thus generated the computer made the images we see in the film. What I never knew was that "Chico and Rita" was made according to more or less the same procedure. Actors played the part of Chico and Rita, after which artists used these images to make the drawings. Purpose of this procedure was to make facial expressions as true to nature as possible.

The Animated Oscar Nominee You Haven't Heard of... and Should!

[soncoman · 9/10 · 16 February 2012]

Too much has been made of the animated films that DIDN'T get an Oscar nod ("Cars 2" Really? REALLY?) and not enough attention has been paid to the two foreign films that DID earn a nod - "A Cat in Paris" and "Chico & Rita." I reviewed "A Cat in Paris" after screening it at last year's San Francisco International Film Festival, and was pleasantly surprised to see it on the list. Check out my review and you'll see I think it deserves its spot.

Having just screened "Chico & Rita," I can tell you that the Academy did right by this film as well. Not quite computer animation and not quite rotoscoping, the process of animating this film is too damn complicated for me to explain.

Check this out if you want to know ---> http://hobsoft.net/cases/chico

The title characters are Cuban artists. He's a musician/composer, she's a sultry singer. They both are chasing dreams - artistic and human. Their journey begins in Havana and makes stops in New York, Paris, and, ultimately, Las Vegas. It's a journey worth taking.

"Chico & Rita" has a unique look, with vibrant colors that compliment a terrific soundtrack of jazz greats. The voice work is spot-on, and the voice artists have the advantage of having a solid - though, to be honest, a wee bit clichéd - story to tell about adults for adults.

I hesitate to write that, as the first thing that comes to mind when you link "adult" and "animation" is Ralph Bakshi / "Fritz the Cat." This film does have sexual content, but it is not exploitative in any way. It is truly an animated film for the adult mind.

What a nice surprise (and a well deserved one,) if either of the two foreign film entrants in this category were to hear their names called from an Oscar envelope. "Puss in Boots?" Really? REALLY?

www.worstshowontheweb.com

Solid

[Red_Identity · 17 February 2012]

Chico and Rita is a nice little film with some great music, animation that really brings out all of the vivid colors, and atmosphere that takes you into it's setting. It all blends it in so seamlessly. It's main problem? A weak screenplay that is filled with predictable plot points and turns. It never rises to become anything special, despite some great stand-alone scenes. Still, recommended for the great blend of music and what style it has! The voice-over performances are quite effective, and it isn't hard to see the passion put into it. It's also quite refreshing to see an animated film in Spanish, and definitely for one to get an Oscar nomination. But it doesn't hold a candle to Rango, which will deservedly win the Oscar.

Perrito Caliente

[owen-watts · 7/10 · 17 December 2021]

Not the most ground-breaking of plots - but it sure is pretty. The cityscapes in particular are beautiful and the music is well-represented. It's very atmospheric and although the ending feels quite old fashioned the narrative is woven into history with admirable authenticity.

A frustrating romance aside from some good tunes

[blott2319-1 · 3/10 · 4 January 2022]

Chico & Rita is a film about a tumultuous relationship between a Cuban piano player and a singer. My appreciation for this film kind of starts and ends with the music. I like the style of the songs, and they certainly increased my enjoyment of the movie. I appreciate the way the passion for music brought these two people together, and how it played an integral part in the ups-and-downs of their relationship. I do wish that the big song that is so vital to the climax were more of a show-stopper. It didn't stand out to me as being particularly memorable or all that much more impressive than the other songs sprinkled throughout the film. Still, the music was all solid and in a genre I appreciate. I would gladly listen to a soundtrack any day. Sadly, when I say my appreciation begins and ends with the music, that's not much of an exaggeration. I did not enjoy the animation in Chico & Rita. I'm good with 2-D animation, it holds a warm nostalgic quality for me, but I like the art to look better than what I could draw (and believe me, I'm no artist.)

The plot, likewise, was a slog for me. This could get a bit spoiler-filled, so you might want to stop reading here if you haven't seen the film... Chico isn't a charming protagonist, and I found myself wishing Rita could find a better man. Yet her decisions of who to romance (when things didn't work out with Chico) felt quite mercenary which made her tough to sympathize with as well. It's one of those on-again-off-again romances that ends up frustrating me more than enchanting me. As things continue to come between them, I can't help thinking that is a good thing, and they should remain apart. The ending lacked any redemption or catharsis in my opinion, because each time they get together they just hurt one another and go their separate ways, so why would I assume a reunion after decades would be any different. All in all, I simply wasn't invested in the romance which was the central driving force of the plot. Chico & Rita had moments that I was hoping would redeem it for me, but most of the way through I was just enjoying the tunes and trying to tune out the rest.

Beautifully animated, great music, though it has some problems with characters

[ashild-blovvig · 7/10 · 21 June 2017]

This is definitely a movie worth watching. It has one of the more beautiful animations I've seen in an animated movie. Amazingly the animated Cuba is almost an exact replica of the real Cuba in the 1940's, which is some real dedication!

The music is also incredibly soothing to listen to. This is probably one of the best soundtracks I've heard to an animated movie. Cuban jazz, a little blues and some really relaxing slow jazz. It's a joy to listen to.

There's one thing about this movie that pulls it down for me, and that is, unfortunately, the characters. Chico is straight down unlikeable to me, I really do not understand why Rita likes him. Maybe because of their shared love for music, but other than that he doesn't exactly have too many charming sides of him. He flirts with her, she rejects him, he follows her, she rejects him, she sees him play piano at a fancy place, she likes him. Then they get together, she finds out he has another woman, she splits (as well as the other woman), then (because of music?) they get back together like nothing's happened, but then he gets jealous of her wanting to make it big, she wants him, but for some reason, the other woman has found him again and has claimed him again (without knowing why she wants him) and this goes on and on. And Chico says at some point to Rita: "I know I've been a jerk, but I'm here now and I love you!". No apology, no explanation, no effort to make it better, he just expects her to be happy he's there.

In short Chico is kind of a douche, and Rita is very easily turned over.

There are some holes here and there. We don't know why Chico's friend Hermano betrays him (except he might have been jealous, but we don't really know). Why did Rita stay in Vegas? To wait for Chico apparently (Rita doesn't really DO anything in the movie, things happen to her mostly).

In the end, I did enjoy this movie, despite its flaws with character and story. There are some tiny moments I wish they'd animate in here and there. Things progress really fast in this movie, but I can understand that since it's only one and a half hour long and it's animated with lots of details. The ending is not what I would expect, it's a little lazy.

But watch it, it's still worth it

Absolutely wonderful and touching

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 23 March 2012]

As a big animation fan, I loved Chico and Rita, one of the most beautiful and most unique films I have seen recently. I also didn't care much for Estrella Morente, but that wasn't enough to be a massive problem. The film has one of the most unique visual styles I've seen not just in recent memory but perhaps even ever, and it looks gorgeous. Everything from the colours, sceneries and colours are rich in detail and beautiful on the eyes. Chico and Rita is a very musically rich film as well, with Cuban and Jazz music providing so much character to the atmosphere. The two titular characters are likable and engaging, the screenplay is good if nothing completely mind-blowing and the story is very touching. In conclusion, a wonderful film, animated or not. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Chico & Rita

[negatively-positive-girl · 7/10 · 21 December 2017]

Liked the stylistic animation and design. Light hearted story. A bit forgettable, but good vibes.

A Chico Chico Chic ...

[writers_reign · 8/10 · 22 November 2010]

As far as animation goes I can take or leave the entries that have appeared over the last few years but once I read that the soundtrack of Chico and Rita featured the likes of Woody Herman, Dizzy Gillespie, Theolonius Monk and Charly Parker I decided to check it out. It didn't disappoint; in addition to an outstanding soundtrack the animation itself was of an earlier age which complemented the time-frame (late forties, early fifties). There was even a 'well-made' screenplay thrown in for good measure, one that featured a beginning, a middle and an end. Okay, it was hackneyed to say the least - muso meets thrush, muso gets thrush, muso loses thrush - but still managed to hold the attention.

An artistically charming film

[Isaackesley · 7/10 · 2 May 2014]

It is one of the best animated film I have ever seen.Its animation is simple and basic but yet it tells a story beyond words.

Somewhat explicitly detailed for an animation of its kind but non the less it showcases the power that even the simplest of art can deliver a story to charm our hearts.

Chico & Rita is an aspiring film best seen to be admired. Be ready to take a journey and experience a story full of life. I hope and believe you enjoy this movie as it tells a story of what we are all familiar of,a story of love and Hope. Iam really impressed by is originality and sincerity.

Lovely

[zetes · 9/10 · 29 January 2012]

The second foreign nominee for the Academy Awards' Best Animated Feature in 2011, there has actually been buzz about this one since last year's Oscars (it debuted at Telluride in 2010 and also played at Toronto, but is not seeing a commercial release in the U.S. until February of 2012; it already saw a release in most European countries in late 2010 or 2011). That buzz is, thankfully, quite deserved, because this one is just wonderful. A simple story, sure, but a touching one about a young man and woman in Havana who begin a romance in 1948. They are musicians and get together through their art, but unfortunately petty jealousies keep getting in the way of their love. After initial success, Rita is swept off to New York City to become famous without Chico. He follows a few years later and finds his own fame, but the two seem destined to remain separate. The animation, like the story, is quite simple but really beautiful. It kind of reminds me of Waltz with Bashir, although it's not rotoscoped - at least not as extensively as Waltz with Bashir was. Rita, I must say, is the sexiest animated character since Jessica Rabbit - and she's not nearly so shy. It's kind of funny, but on account of this film, the Best Animated Feature category has far more nudity in it than all nine of the Best Picture nominees. Of course, as the characters are Cuban musicians, there's a ton of wonderful music throughout. I found the film deeply touching, and it brought me to tears at the end. This is far and away the best film among the four I've seen in its Oscar category this year (and I somehow doubt that Puss in Boots will eventually blow it out of the water!). Highly recommended.

love, politics, but mostly music - great music!

[dromasca · 7/10 · 30 June 2012]

Hard to put 'Chico & Rita' is an a category and this is a testimony of the fact that animated movies, even those that are created in the 'classical' 2-D format like this one transcend nowadays genres and express more and more different emotions and messages. Walt Disney (the guy who authored Fantasia) would have been delighted. 'Chico & Rita' is a musical (with wonderful Cuban and jazz music), a melodrama, and a political film. All packaged in a beautiful and colorful wrapping which makes it a pleasure to watch and listen to.

I should say that the animation is not the best side of the film, and probably stills look better than the movie itself. In the epoch when so many animation tools are available at the cost of a laptop accessible to any college student this may have been an intentional decision. On the contrary, a lot of effort was deployed into reconstituting the time and the places of the action - the Havana of the 1940s and 50s and in present times, the New York and the Las Vegas (and for a few sequences the Paris) of the clubs where some of the best music ever was created by such giants as Charlie 'Bird' Parker or Duke Ellington.

The film is also a pseudo-biography, but here we need to be careful. The torrid love story between the pianist Chico and the singer Rita, which starts in the Cuba of the last decade before the Communist take-over and continues tracking them while they try to make their way in the US of the 50s may be loosely based on the characters of two real time musicians (Bebo Valdes who actually wrote the original music in the film and Rita Montaner who was the star of the Tropicana club in Havana and then had a short but spectacular career in the US). However the real life paths of the two were different than the ones described in the film, Bebo Valdes lived after 1960 out of Cuba, while Rita Montaner died in 1958.

To some extent the 'Chico & Rita' reminded me the wonderful Israeli animated film 'Waltz with Bashir' by Ari Folman. As there, at some point in time I lost the difference between film with actors and animation and I completely immersed in the story (and the music in this case). 'Chico & Rita' also tries to tell a story that is human, but also has a strong political message. Beyond the world-wide success in the last 10-15 years of the Cuban musicians lies a more complex and sometimes tragical story of the sparkling culture of music, entrainment, night life that was put on freeze or sent in exile for many decades by the Communist regime in Cuba. It was rediscovered starting with the 90s when Cuba slowly started to re-open to the world, but how many destinies of musicians were cut short or annihilated in these years. The true story of those years is yet to be told, written and brought to screens. It is important is that the music survived and is now back for anyone to enjoy, including those who will see this movie.

Really likable, little, animated film.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 15 February 2012]

This is a movie done not by any big animation studios but it's a British and Spanish animated co-production instead. This means that the movie already has an unique style of its own, that works out as something fresh and quite charming.

What I foremost liked about this movie that it got buildup and approached like an actual movie. The camera handling, the way the animated characters 'act', really, this movie might just as well had been a life action movie and things would had been exactly the same.

Except for its look of course. The movie has a real pleasant and bright look over it. Its for most part set on Cuba and you really feel its special atmosphere, while watching this movie. Besides, the animation might not look photo-realistic, the backgrounds are still often really great looking and so is the way all of the characters move and show expressions. It really is a truly great movie from an animation perspective.

But also story-wise this is a great, sweet little movie. It's a romantic one, that involves a love story between 2 musicians, the one a singer the other a piano player. You can tell they fit well together and also should be together but due to many different circumstances they often loose track of each other and end up living their own lives and have their own musical careers, while still running into each other, every now and then.

It all is being supported by some fine jazz music and if you are a jazz lover, this movie is already an absolute must-see for you! And no, I myself am not even a jazz lover but I could still really appreciate the music in this movie and what it did for its story and overall atmosphere.

It's also most definitely a movie for adults only. And not just because the movie features some nudity and a pretty graphic sex scene in it but also simply because of its story and the way its getting told. Like I said, it's just being like a life action movie with its approach, so don't simply let the fact that its animated scare you off. This just simply is a great movie, that deserves to be seen by more.

This in short is a surprisingly good animated movie, with a sweet little story in at and a great overall style and atmosphere to it!

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Stylish and high on music energy.

[Animany94 · 7/10 · 14 October 2019]

Chico & Rita was good in the technical departments and nothing you've seen before. The rather flat character designs moving in a 3D environment was different from many films made these days.

Essentially a slice of life of a musician who reminisces upon his career in which he met his love and followed her everywhere be it on purpose or by coincidence. He meets famous jazz musicians who aren't always good company, but keeps in touch with an old friend of his as an anchor in the harsh life of musicians.

While I didn't fully connect with the characters, I enjoyed the music and the cameos from the historical musicians and the flashback angle the film followed to make Chico a little more sympathetic than that jerk he more than once came off as. And the music and animation style made it unique in both look and feel.

Slow moving

[cherold · 4/10 · 21 June 2017]

I took a look at this because of so many glowing reviews, but to me it seems like little more than a standard melodrama that has been animated.

The animation itself doesn't thrill me. Character design is fine but not especially interesting, and the most notable visual aspect of the movie is its wide shots of Havana and New York.

The architecture is, in fact, more likable than the cast. Chico is just a jerk, and the movie failed to convince me I should care about him or his on-and-off romance with Rita.

This is also one of those animated movies that doesn't really do anything with the animation part. You could make this as a live action movie without losing much.

For me, this movie was just plain boring.

caliente

[abcvision · 7/10 · 3 October 2013]

Chico and Rita is an animated movie that goes to the old school world of Cuba, it is a look back on the musician Chico is reflecting on the one that got away, Rita. On the DVD, I reviewed the making of this movie and found it more interesting than the movie itself. Apparently they used real actors and blended their movements with the background color into a masterful combination. A real testament to the ability to create a movie. Great music, insight, and love story, take a journey into old Cuba. The story is believable and really portrays that Latin spice. I think that it would make an excellent regular movie and is the timeless story of lost love.

lovely - story&music&animation all work together

[chuck-526 · 9/10 · 25 March 2012]

My local art house showed this, with subtitles (much better than an "English language dub" rumored to appear later), shortly after the Academy Awards. The music -both all the new compositions and some old charts- is wonderful. The story is simple and straightforward, without irony or intricate plot twists or a breathless pace: boy meets girl in the golden age of jazz, and their troubles go on for decades - sometimes art tugs romance, sometimes romance tugs art, and sometimes romance and art tug in opposite directions.

What caught my attention the most was the evocative and interesting animation. Initially it all appears to be "retro" traditional 2D hand drawn cel animation. Characters are composed of areas of uniform colors (a second darker color for the shadowed parts of each block), while background areas have variegated colors (for example wood grain). Backgrounds are extremely detailed and very specific, sort of like a kid's crayon drawing.

I especially noted the incredibly detailed street-scapes with all their readable (not just greeked) signs. Turns out the directors found a trove of archive photos of every street corner in Havana - the city government had assembled it in 1949 to help with street repairs.

Some of the CGI special effects I've come to expect to be merged with hand drawn are included: curling cigar smoke and falling snowflakes. As well there are several other CGI techniques that aren't as familiar to me: gauzy curtains with an embroidered pattern wafting in the breeze; shafts of light with an identifiable source and a direction illuminating not only themselves but also bits of the dark places where they fall; dynamic shadows that change as characters move; lighted signs whose parts change from "on" to "off" and back to "on" at different times.

But on closer examination it doesn't feel like it's really just plain old traditional 2D hand drawn cel animation after all. One big giveaway is that nearly every scene has the complexity I'd expect only at the film's peak: for example movements of dancers _and_ of the band and their instruments _and_ other patrons _and_ people outside _and_ the traffic. Typically there's simultaneous movement in so many different planes I gave up trying to identify layers. The scene where an automobile disassembled itself into thirty or so pieces that fly off in all directions in slow motion would be a tour-de-force for traditional 2D cel animation, but here it's just part of the flow. Nor am I used to seeing an animated audience applauding where every single hand is distinguishable and seems to move separately. In one scene an auto drives around the corner we're looking at - static street-scape, moving auto, just standard 2D cel stuff, right? But wait! The tire is drawn a bit lopsided, and it retains that bulge as it rotates ...it's not redrawn! So could you have a tire on its own cel separate from the car and move it so it appeared to rotate? Theoretically maybe, but not likely. And, once in a while the camera takes flight and the whole scene rotates continuously and smoothly as the point of view moves. Other things must be going on here.

Information on YouTube and elsewhere on the web doesn't go into a whole lot of detail about animation technique, typically not mentioning much more than that the apparent animation style is what was common in the period evoked by the film. Software ("ToonBoom Harmony") shared the animation pipeline so about 200 animators in 11 studios in six different countries (Brazil, Spain, Isle of Man, Latvia, Hungary and Philippines) could collaborate easily. (That software also enabled the collaboration on "The Secret of Kells" a couple years ago.) Additional software ("HoBSoft", now very closely integrated with ToonBoom Harmony) provided very easy pipeline task management; in software terms it can be thought of as an additional layer on top of ToonBoom Harmony. "Final Cut Pro" and "TVPaint" software were also deeply involved in the production.

As they describe it: "The entire movie is filmed with live action actors. -The sets include dummy objects and tracker marks for camera tracking. - The live action shots are edited in Final Cut Pro and becomes the live action version of the animatic. - Approximately 2 frames of every second of live action is traced in TV-Paint and becomes the drawn version of the animatic. - The traced frames are printed on paper, pegged and sent through a classical 2D hand drawn production pipeline with rough animation, key animation, clean up, ink & paint and compositing. - The live action shots are used to create backgrounds in either 2D, 2-1/2D or 3D where 2-1/2D refers to 2D elements positioned in a 3D universe. - All 2D animation and coloring is done in ToonBoom Harmony". Most often a 2D process was used; yet 3D was necessary in several places.

My interpretation of their words is the process was somewhere in between i) giving photos to animators for "reference" and ii) brute force motion capture. Also, it sounds as if (I'm not certain) the live action film was _automatically_ rotoscoped by the computer and became the "first rough draft" (the "animatic").

Although neither outlines nor still characters visibly keep moving, the characters have a little bit of the "dizzy" feel of something done with Bob Sabiston's "Rotoshop" that practically defined avant-garde animation a decade ago (backgrounds are rock solid though). In closeups the facial features keep morphing a bit, as though an in-betweener had drunk too much coffee. And once in a while a character's face freezes completely, almost as if an in-betweener had just plain forgotten to produce a few cels. (I hoped to find out a bit more, but the "freeze frame" button on my DVD remote doesn't do anything when I point it at the theater screen:-)