Anne Hathaway’s Animated Smash and Its Sequel Are Headed to Netflix

Netflix is dusting off a pair of crowd-pleasing animated hits for the holidays. If you have kids, nostalgia, or both, you’re about to get a bright, bird-filled double feature back in rotation.

The quick version

• Rio (2011) and Rio 2 (2014) hit Netflix in the US on December 1, 2025.
• This comes via What’s on Netflix’s early December preview, which also name-checks Mean Girls (2024), Emily in Paris Season 5, and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
• It’s the first time both Rio movies have been on Netflix in years after spending time over on Disney+.

So, what are the Rio movies again?

Both films come from director Carlos Saldanha and the now-closed Blue Sky Studios. The first Rio follows Blu, a domesticated Spix’s macaw voiced by Jesse Eisenberg, who leaves his cushy Minnesota life for Brazil to meet Jewel, voiced by Anne Hathaway. It’s brightly animated, music-forward, and heavy on the vocal-comedy bench.

Rio 2 picks up with Blu and Jewel taking their kids into the Amazon, which opens the door for more characters and bigger musical swings. Alongside Hathaway, Eisenberg, and George Lopez returning, the sequel adds Bruno Mars and Kristin Chenoweth to the mix.

How they performed

Rio was a legit hit: $483.9 million worldwide, a 72% Rotten Tomatoes score, and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for the earworm 'Real in Rio.'

Rio 2 actually made a bit more at the box office with $498.7 million globally. Critics were split (50% on Rotten Tomatoes) and felt the sequel tried to do a little too much at once, but audiences were into it, handing it an A on CinemaScore.

Why this drop matters

Beyond giving Netflix a family-friendly twofer for December, it’s a notable shuffle in the streaming rights carousel. Both movies rank among Blue Sky’s biggest commercial successes, and with the studio shuttered in 2021, these films are the legacy titles that keep circulating. Seeing them swing back to Netflix, especially after their Disney+ stint, is a nice get for the platform’s holiday lineup.

Rio and Rio 2 start streaming December 1, 2025, on Netflix in the US.