Chico & Rita (2010)

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.

Directors:

Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal,

Writers:

Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, Fernando Trueba

Stars:

Limara Meneses, Eman Xor Oña, Mario Guerra

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Limara Meneses	...	Rita (voice)
Eman Xor Oña	...	Chico (voice)
Mario Guerra	...	Ramón (voice)
Jon Adams	...	(voice)
Renny Arozarena	...	(voice)
Blanca Rosa Blanco	...	(voice)
Jackie de la Nuez	...	(voice) (as Jakie de la Nuez)
Rigoberto Ferrera	...	(voice)
Ken Forman	...	(voice)
Ray Gillon	...	(voice)
Steve Harper	...	(voice) (as Michael Harper)
Lenny Mandel	...	Ron (voice)
Jorge Ryan	...	(voice)
Claudia Valdés	...	(voice)
Ashley Albert	...	(voice)

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

piano | piano player | singer | love | cuba | 

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Genres:

Animation | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

GKIDS [us] Official Facebook

Country:

Spain UK

Language:

Spanish English French

Release Date:

19 November 2010 (UK)

Also Known As:

Chico i Rita

Filming Locations:

Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión, San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba

Box Office

Budget:

€9,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$20,654 (USA) (10 February 2012)

Gross:

$247,455 (USA) (16 March 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Isle of Man Film, CinemaNX, Estudio Mariscal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In order to help accurately represent 1940s era Cuba, Javier Mariscal undertook an extensive research trip to Cuba and was able to view government archive photographs from 1949.

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Goofs

The kitchen in which Chico and Rita eat kidney-bean soup is in the United States. However, a European-style electrical outlet can be seen clearly on one of the walls.

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Quotes

Chico: Have you thought about your career? About your future?
Rita: Future, what future? The future never gave me anything! All my hopes are set on the past.

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Connections

References On the Town (1949)

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Soundtracks

"La bella cubana"
Written by José White
Arranged and Performed by Bebo Valdés

User Reviews

Solid

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.