Chico & Rita (2012)
85%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
9 wins & 12 nominations total
Aimed at adults and animated with zest, Chico & Rita is a romantic delight packed with cultural detail and flavor
Chico & Rita is a film that will transport you to another time and place, and not just because it’s animated. This movie is a love letter to jazz, showbiz, and the late ’40s and early ’50s. It’s a rare cartoon for adults that will have you tapping your toes and feeling all the feels. Sure, some critics might say it has flaws, but who cares when you’re swept up in the buttery rich visuals and catchy tunes? If you’re looking for a breath of fresh air in the world of animation, Chico & Rita is the perfect choice.
Production Company(ies)
Final Cut for Real Sun Creature Studio Vivement Lundi
Distributor
GKIDS
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión, San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2010
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 33m
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Language(s):Spanish, English, French
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Country of origin:United States, United Kingdom, Spain
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 10, 2012 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 18, 2012
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
Keyword(s)
Chico & Rita, Drama, Romance, Musical, Spanish, Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal, Tono Errando, Cristina Huete, Santi Errando, Martin Pope, Fernando Trueba, Ignacio Martinez de Pison, GKIDS, Eman Xor Oña, Limara Meneses, Mario Guerra, Jon Adams, Renny Arozarena, Blanca Rosa Blanco, box office, budget, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Joe Williams, John Anderson, Michael O’Sullivan, Betsy Sharkey, Ty Burr, Allen Almachar, Kelly Jane Torrance, Matthew Migliorini, Laura Hiros, Emanuel Levy, Mike Scott, MPAA rating, Cuban pianist, sultry singer, passionate romance, star-crossed, six decades, cultural detail, zest, romantic delight, Oscar nominee, animated, adults, love, fate, night, jazz, showbiz, fame, politics, late ’40s, early ’50s, catchy tunes, missed opportunity, originality, eroticism, Spanish feature, foreign animated film, hand-drawn animation, lost world, great music, artists, racism, revolution, nostalgia, anti-nostalgia, tempestuous love affair, inflames, inspires, computer animation, straight lines, top horror movies, RT Podcasts, MCU movies, renewed, cancelled TV shows, Netflix series, TV premiere dates, worst horror movies, freshest reviews, news
Worldwide gross: $2,347,919
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,191,729
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,300
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 348,062
US/Canada gross: $350,524
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $476,498
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,335
US/Canada opening weekend: $20,654
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $28,077
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,386
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): 9200000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $12,506,356
Production budget ranking: 1,580
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $6,734,673
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$16,049,299
ROI to date (est.): -83%
ROI ranking: 1,916
Limara Meneses – Rita (Voice)
Mario Guerra – Ramon (Voice)
Jon Adams – Voice
Renny Arozarena – Voice
Blanca Rosa Blanco – Voice
Director(s)
Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal, Tono Errando
Writer(s)
Fernando Trueba, Ignacio Martinez de Pison
Producer(s)
Cristina Huete, Santi Errando, Martin Pope
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
9 wins & 12 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (71) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (62) | Rotten (9)
It’s been too long since we’ve seen a film so luscious that it practically whisks you away to another time, another place. The animated film (and Oscar nominee for best animated feature), Chico & Rita does just that.
September 8, 2017
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
When a place and its people are this stylish, we can’t help but be drawn to them.
April 6, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
“Chico & Rita” is that rare thing, a cartoon for adults, with a bittersweet take on love and fate and a romantic’s view of the night.
March 16, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
John Anderson
Newsday
TOP CRITIC
A pure delight, a keenly affecting, visually ravishing tale.
March 16, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
A buttery rich animated tale of love, jazz, showbiz, fame and politics in the late ’40s and early ’50s that is as catchy as its tunes.
March 8, 2012 | Rating: 4/5
Betsy Sharkey
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
When a soundtrack this fluidly elegant is married to trite dialogue, thin characterizations, and chockablock animation, it has to go down as a missed opportunity.
March 1, 2012 | Rating: 2.5/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
It’s refreshing to see an animated film that isn’t striving to appease only children or for a merchandising deal.
August 3, 2020 | Rating: A
Allen Almachar
The MacGuffin
The lost world it conjures is so winning that many viewers will find it easy to forget the film’s flaws.
January 4, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Examiner
Despite being largely at odds with itself, when set against recent animation trends that typically centre around celebrity voice acting and cute animals, Chico and Rita is a breath of fresh air striving for originality.
November 6, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Matthew Migliorini
CineVue
A powerful love story… [Full review in Spanish]
March 17, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Laura Hiros
Rincón de cine
January 16, 2013 | Rating: B+
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
A vivid and musical illustration of the transportive powers of cinema.
April 13, 2012 | Rating: 4/5
Mike Scott
Times-Picayune…
Plot
Cuba, 1948. Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey – in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero – brings heartache and torment. From Havana to New York, Paris, Hollywood and Las Vegas, two passionate individuals battle impossible odds to unite in music and love.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Chico & Rita.
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