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Rafael
Background information
Feature films Rio
Rio 2
Shorts
Novelization Rio: Snakes Alive!
Video games Multiplayer Game
Angry Birds Rio
Voice George Lopez
Character information
Species Toco Toucan
Gender Male
Alias The King of Carnival (r. by Nico and Pedro)
Rafi (r. by Nico, Blu, Luiz, and Eva)
Big-nose (r. by Mauro)
Mr. Big-nose (r. by Pedro)
Pudgy papaya (by Eva)
Occupation
Feather/Hair/ Skin color Black body
White chest
Orange beak
Black beak tip
Eyes Brown
Friends Eva (mate)
Toucan Kids (sons and daughters)
Luiz
Blu
Jewel
Nico
Pedro
Carla
Bia
Tiago
Eduardo
Kipo
The Angry Birds (Angry Birds Rio)
Enemies Nigel
Mauro
Marmosets
Smugglers
Big Boss (deceased)
Loggers
Gabi
Charlie (formerly)
Fate Living
Likes His friends
Fun
Blu
Eva
Dancing
His children
Carnival
Samba
Eva's singing
Dislikes Blu's recklessness
Upsetting Eva
Danger
Loneliness
His children causing trouble
Eva's strictness
Being kidnapped
Quote "Happy wife, happy life!"


Rafael is one of the three tritagonists of Rio, the other two being Nico and Pedro. In Rio 2, he retains his role as a tritagonist. CarlaBia, and Tiago are also tritagonists, totaling six tritagonists in the film.

He is an exceptionally romantic bird living with his wife named Eva, and his 21 children. He was the life of the party in his day, once known as "The King of Carnival". However, despite his love for Carnival, he prioritizes his family. As seen when he follows Blu home instead of to Carnival.

Biography

Rio

Rafael is first seen calling off his children from attacking Blu and Jewel, causing the excited kids to jump all over him instead. When Jewel asks, "Precious, aren't they?" Rafael answers, "Kids? Seventeen of them, and one on the way". He then catches two of them shaking their unhatched egg sibling, and commands them to stop. He then asks Blu and Jewel if they're headed for Carnival, calling them "lovebirds". After protesting the name and some awkward declarations of what they are, Blu is interrupted by one of the chicks pulling out some of his tail feathers, after which Rafael tells Blu he and his wife, Eva, are having the said chick tested. When the two blue macaws ask for his help in removing the chain from around their legs, he offers to take them to see Luiz. When, for the second time, one of his children gets in his eye, he asks them if they want him to call their mother, Eva. Fearfully, they tell him no and dart away. Eva comes and startles Rafael before hearing of his intentions. Although Eva is against the idea of Rafael taking Blu and Jewel to Luiz, thinking he is sneaking off to Carnival, Rafael manages to sweet-talk her into letting him go, recalling how they first met whilst singing their song "The Girl from Ipanema", and complimenting her awful singing voice.

After learning that Blu can't fly, Rafael attempts an impromptu lesson, telling him that flying is about "feeling the rhythm of your heart". After Blu fails to do so, Rafael leads him and Jewel into town, where they meet for the second time Nico and Pedro. However, Nico and Pedro tell them that they just missed the trolley that will take them to Luiz. Then Nico, Pedro, and Rafael take them to a bird's Samba Club while they wait for the next trolley to Luiz.

At the club, Blu starts dancing. Rafael nudges him into dancing with Jewel, looking on proudly while they perform a beautiful duet. When the marmosets attack, Rafael attempts to settle things peacefully, but when that fails, a war is declared by Pedro. He joins in the fight, and successfully defeats several of the monkeys.

On the trolley to Luiz's garage, Rafael plays matchmaker again, giving Blu romantic advice (which Blu misinterprets) while Nico sings mood-setting music. When Rafael tells him to tell Jewel how he feels, Blu understands, but unfortunately ends up making a mistake and chokes (literally, due to him accidentally inhaling a cherry blossom's petal while he is trying to explain) and fails due to his awkwardness.

The group meets with Luiz, a bulldog, and he tries to break the chain by using the Groove Cutter. Everything goes wrong, but in the end, they were free from the chain thanks to Luiz's drool lubricating Blu and Jewel's legs sufficiently to slip out of it's shackles. Rafael, Nico, and Pedro flew with Jewel inside then outside of Luiz's garage, leaving Blu depressed. Blu and Jewel then have an argument, culminating into Blu saying that he hates samba, making Nico cry and Pedro saying that he went too far with his comments. As a result, both Blu and Jewel leave angrily, parting away. While Nico and Pedro follow Jewel, Rafael goes after Blu, telling him that he is returning to his family instead of celebrating Carnival, which is a decision that he made with his heart, and not with his mind. When Nico and Pedro return, they reveal that Nigel has captured Jewel, and, led by Blu, hastily mount a rescue. When Rafael, Nico, and Pedro find Jewel, they are captured along with Blu. After being loaded into the smugglers' plane, Blu manages to escape his cage, freeing the others, who all fly out of the plane to freedom.

In the final scene, Rafael is seen back in his tree home, singing and snuggling with his wife and children.

Rio 2

Rafael is first seen at the New Year's celebrations, dancing with Eva. This surprises Blu and Jewel, as he was supposed to be babysitting their kids. Rafael then tells them he got Luiz to do it.

Rafael loves life, loves Rio and lives for Carnival. Now that he, Nico and Pedro are on the hunt for new musical artists, he is impatient to get the audition process started. They’ve pretty much exhausted the talent base in Rio, but they think the Amazon and its thousands and thousands of creatures will have all types of talent and amazing performances.

When Nico, Pedro, and Luiz have their doubts about Blu being up to the rigors of an expedition to the Amazon, the ever-positive Rafael encourages Blu, as Blu grows concerned that he's "not bird enough" for Jewel, Rafael shares his simple philosophy: "Happy wife, happy life", inspiring Blu to try to embrace the wild and "bird up".

Always up for an adventure, especially when it involves getting a break from his family, Rafael is quick to join the trip to the Amazon once he realizes his buddy will probably need his help.

Sometimes later, Rafael, along with Nico and Pedro, judges Eva's audition. Although it was terrible, Rafael applauds her. Blu then arrives, informing them of his family's trip to the Amazon. Although Nico, Pedro, and Luiz warn him of the dangers, Rafael tells Blu they are "highly exaggerated", and that he should go if it's important to Jewel. He, Nico and Pedro later join them on their trip, after Rafael promises Eva a spot in the Carnival show in exchange for allowing him to go.

Once they get to the Amazon, they are brought to the home of the Spix's Macaw tribe, where Rafael tries to calm a scared Blu, who is brandishing a spork. During the reunion between Jewel and Eduardo, Rafael encourages Blu to make himself known to Jewel's father. Rafael later tries to console Nico and Pedro, who had been informed by Eduardo that they couldn't take any members of the Spix's Macaw Tribe back with them to Rio for Carnival, telling them they still have Eva (which does not comfort Pedro or Nico in any way whatsoever). The next morning, Carla takes charge, organizing auditions from the other jungle animals. Rafael comments "[that] kid's been working", owing to the sheer number of waiting auditioners. The auditions are rather self-challenging, often frightening, shocking, or strange. A few are good, but sometimes still have their drawbacks. When a disguised Nigel tumbles onstage, Rafael thinks he looks "familiar", but Nigel quickly introduces himself (in his disguise) as "Bob the Bird". Nigel then performs "I Will Survive", impressing them.

When Blu expresses his fears about Jewel to them, Rafael reminds him of his earlier advice.

During the battle against the loggers, Rafael, along with Nico, Pedro, and Carla, drops turtles on the logger's heads. He is also seen applauding at Nigel and Gabi's "death" scene. When Nigel's identity is revealed at his "death" speech, Rafael remarks to Nico and Pedro that he knew he looked familiar.

During their "Amazon Untamed" performance, he cheers Eva on as she sings, and is surprised when a bunch of little birds ties her up in leaves.

Rio: Snakes Alive!

In the novel, Rafael makes an appearance alongside Nico and Pedro when Blu and Jewel decide to leave the kids in their care while they travel to the Pedra da Gávea. He tries to teach the kids to dance, but they quickly lose interest. When the kids trick them into playing hide-and-seek then sneak off afterwards, Rafael is at first calm and confident. When Nico and Pedro fail to find the kids, he attempts to help find them for the entire time span of the nove, but is unsuccessful. In the end, he is seen calling out to the nowhere-to-be-seen kids, telling them to reveal their hiding spot so that he may use it to hide from his eighteen kids when they come looking for him.

Appearance

Rafael is a Toco Toucan who is slightly plump, with black feathers, and a white underside, neck, and cheeks. He has blue eyelids, and orange facial markings around his eyes. He has brown eyes and blue feet. His beak is yellow, with a red stripe on top, and black markings on the tip.

Personality

Rafael is a suave and free-spirited sort of bird. He prioritizes his family before himself, despite initially appearing to be tired of his eighteen children and terrified of his mate, loving them dearly. He always follows his heart and not his mind, and excels at providing good advice. Rafael is loyal and devoted to his family and friends. He seems to be a peacemaker, attempting to try and make everybody get along, make things run smoothly, and always tries to avoid unnecessary conflict. Rafael is fond of Carnival and celebrations, and is enthusiastic and encouraging of others if they are hesitant or nervous about something. He is also wise and intelligent, and always looks on the bright side of life. Despite his love of samba and Carnival, he always prioritizes his family before anything else.

Relationships

Blu

Rafael is friendly towards Blu (as if he was his own son, which can be presumed when he says "That's my boy!"), offering to teach him how to fly, and assists him when he tries to seduce Jewel. However, it ended unsuccessfully; Blu told Jewel "I have beautiful eyes" instead of telling her "You have beautiful eyes", misinterpreting Rafael's suggestion. Rafael often offers Blu words of wisdom and advice.

In Rio 2, Rafael suggests that Blu agrees to take the family to the Amazon if it would make Jewel happy, sharing his philosophy of "Happy wife, happy life". He even decided to join them, telling Blu he "has his back".

Jewel

Rafael is just as friendly towards Jewel as he is to Blu, though he sometimes teases her by often referring to her and Blu as "lovebirds".

Nico and Pedro

Nico and Pedro are old friends/amigos of Rafael from his younger days. Rafael refers to them as "family" and enlists their help in "setting the mood" for Blu and Jewel during their trolley ride. He also sends them after Jewel after her and Blu's argument.

In Rio 2, the three hold auditions for Carnival, in both Rio and the Amazon.

Nigel

Rafael has no on-screen interactions with Nigel in Rio, although he was overpowered and captured by him off-screen.

In Rio 2, he is the only one to realize that the disguised Nigel looks familiar, unlike Nico and Pedro. When Nigel is unmasked, Rafael remarks, "I told you I knew him from somewhere!".

Eva

Though Rafael loves Eva deeply, he is slightly scared of her, likely because she is very demanding, but she knows when to trust him. They met in Carnival when the song "The Girl From Ipanema" was playing. Rafael is a great fan of her singing, despite others' thoughts (causing Jewel to sarcastically say "I guess love is deaf too").

In Rio 2, he applauds her Carnival audition, despite it being terrible (she sang off-pitch). At the end of the movie, he asks her to sing once more. He enjoys listening to her but is surprised to see a small group of birds wraps her in leaves at Nico and Pedro's requests, preventing her from performing (the action to which Nico and Pedro planned, and fist-bumped after it being successful).

Luiz

Luiz is another old friend of Rafael's, whom he easily convinced to cut the chain off Blu and Jewel's legs, even after Jewel insulted him because of his drooling problem.

Bia, Carla, and Tiago

Rafael cares for all of Blu and Jewel's kids, offering to babysit them (although he later got Luiz to do it instead). Of all of them, he, Nico and Pedro are closest to Carla, most likely due to their favoritism of music. Carla helps them judge the auditions, and the four are seen fighting together during the battle with the loggers, dropping turtles into the fight.

Rafael is also seen babysitting the kids in the Rio: Snakes Alive! novel. He claims that babysitting the three will be a vacation compared to his eighteen kids at home. However, he fails to entertain them and begins searching for them along, assisted by Nico and Pedro when the kids escape under the cover of playing hide-and-seek. At the end of the novel, he is seen shouting as he searches for the kids, telling them to show him their hiding spot.

Toucan Kids

Rafael has 21 kids, and even though they are hard to take care of, Rafael loves all of them. Like Rafael, they are scared of their mother. Whenever he needs them to behave Rafael says "Do you want me to call your mother?!", and they would yell "No!!". Rafael says it works every time.

Skills

  • Dancing
  • Singing
  • Flying
  • Teaching
  • Advising
  • Smooth talking
  • Sweet talking
  • Wisdom

Trivia

  • He is one of the three tritagonists in Rio.
  • Like his children, he is afraid or scared of Eva.
  • He is known as "The King of Carnival", as mentioned by Nico.
  • Rafael is voiced by George Lopez, a film actor who also voices characters in Beverly Hills Chihuahua 1, 2, & 3Marmaduke, and stars in his own TV show & Reno 911.
  • It is likely that Rafael is named after one of the director's children, Rafael Saldanha, while one of his children is named after Carlos Saldanha himself. Or he may possibly have been named after one of the film's storyboard artists, Rafael Zentil.
  • During the final song of Rio, Rafael and Eva are seen with three of their kids. These kids must be newborn because they look exactly like their other kids from earlier in the movie. This means that Rafael and Eva had three more kids after their eighteen other kids grew up. Also, in The Art of Rio: Featuring a Carnival of Art From Rio and Rio 2, they have been confirmed to have twenty-one kids in total.
  • One promotional image for Rafael depicted him wearing goggles, though he never actually wore any in the films.
  • His commenting of hiding from his eighteen kids during the Rio: Snakes Alive! novel gives a suggestion to the novel's time frame between the movies.
  • In a Western Union commercial, Rafael stated that he has a sister with five chicks.
  • The version of the song that Rafael sings to Eva while sweet-talking her into letting him go with Blu and Jewel to find Luiz in Rio, "The Girl From Ipanema", is actually originally performed by Frank Sinatra. This song was presumably translated from the original Portuguese version, which was performed by Antônio Carlos Jobim.

Quotes

Rio

  • "What's going on down there?"
  • "Go, go, go. Off with you."
  • "Okay, okay guys guys, I told you a thousand times."
  • "Manuela, Sofia, come on, now. Listen to me. Ow! Oh, yeah, right in the eye."
  • "Kids? 17 of them, and one on the way."
  • "Hey! He's not a maraca! Stop shakin' him!"
  • "They're giving me gray feathers. Oh, this papa needs a break."
  • "So, you two lovebirds headed for Carnival?"
  • "We have no idea. We're having him tested."
  • "Hmm. Lucky for you, you know Rafael, and Rafael knows everyone."
  • "Ow! Oh, yeah, right in the eye!"
  • "Oh! Again with the eye. Okay, want me to call your mother?"
  • "*Chuckles* Works every time. They're scared to death of her."
  • "Eva, my love. *Chuckles* I must take this young couple to see Luiz."
  • "Oh, Carnival. That magical time when I met the most beautiful bird in the world."
  • "I still remember the song that was playing when I first laid eyes on you."
  • "Tall and Tan, and Young and Lovely, The girl from Ipanema goes walking"
  • "Come on baby, SING IT!"
  • "Like a river of the sweetest honey."
  • "You are an angel."
  • "I'll miss you my juicy little mango."
  • "I can't believe she actually let me go."
  • "Not far. Thirty minutes as the crow flies."
  • "But... but he's a bird!"
  • "My friends, I wanna help, but to walk the whole way... It can't be done!"
  • "But hey, we might as well give it a shot. Let's go, quickly."
  • "No, no, d-don't look back. They sense fear."
  • "Come on, you're not gonna back out now."
  • "Not in front of the lady..."
  • "All right, that's the spirit."
  • "Actually, that was pretty much my entire plan."
  • "Don't worry, Blu, it's in your DNA."
  • "And if our featherless friends can do it, how hard can it be?"
  • "Fun, right?"
  • "Okay. I need you two to get closer."
  • "Closer. Closer. Nice."
  • "Now put your wings around each other."
  • "Come on, amigo! It's not like she's going to bite!"
  • "Will you?"
  • "Now, you flap your right wing, you flap your left wing, and together, you fly!"
  • "Flying is not what you think up here [mind], it's what you feel in here [heart]."
  • "And when you feel the rhythm of your heart, it's like samba!"
  • "You fly!"
  • "See? It's easy."
  • "All right, Blu! You're flying! Sort of. Not really."
  • "But do you feel it?"
  • "Ay, caramba."
  • "Tch. You did not feel it in here."
  • "Let's catch a ride to Luiz."
  • Hurry, you two! Vamos, vamos!"
  • "Come on, lovebirds!"
  • "You made it!"
  • "Relax, If I know Luiz, we're right where we wanna be."
  • "Nico! Pedro! What up, family?"
  • "Hey guys, we're looking for Luiz, have you seen him?"
  • "I like you. Nothing you say makes any sense!"
  • "Hey, she likes you."
  • "No, but I've been watching."
  • "Just be yourself."
  • "Go on."
  • "Come on, can't we all just get along?"
  • "You guys were like fire and ice!"
  • "You see? Nothing you say makes any sense!"
  • "Okay, so he needs a little help."
  • "Come on let's give him some, set the mood."
  • "There he goes... That's my boy!"
  • "Yep, that's my boy."
  • "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what kind of mood is that?"
  • "Psst, Blu, down here, just tell her 'You have beautiful eyes'!"
  • "No, HER EYES, HER EYES!"
  • "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Luiz's garage."
  • "Hey, Luiz, stop scaring my friends."
  • "No Luiz! We really need you!"
  • "Don't worry, he's a professional!"
  • "You know what, this is good."
  • "Just clear the air, be completely honest with each other."
  • "Oh, young love, always so melodramatic."
  • "All right, boys, go after her."
  • " No, no, no, wait, wait, wait, come back!"
  • "You belong together!"
  • "You are Juliet to his Romeo!"
  • "Sure, they both die in the end, but... you get my point!"
  • "Blu, come back here, come on!"
  • "I'm not going to Carnival. No, I'm going home."
  • "I do. But I love my family much more."
  • "And that's a choice I made with this (Points to Blu's heart)... not with this. (Points to Blu's head)"
  • "Alright guys, I'll fly ahead and look for Jewel."
  • "Hello, ladies!"
  • "Blu, we found her!"
  • "Sorry, Eva, I'm not gonna be home for dinner."

Rio 2

  • "Whoa, whoa, buddy! Put... the spork... down."
  • "Brava! Brava! Brava!"
  • "We love you, baby!"
  • "You guys are late."
  • "That was amazing!"
  • "Don't worry, Blu."
  • "All those stories are always highly exaggerated!"
  • "Of course!"
  • "If this is important to Jewel, just do it."
  • "Happy wife, happy life!"
  • "Remember that."
  • "Wait up family! I'm coming too!"
  • "Don't worry buddy, we got your back."
  • "Yeah, sure."
  • "I promised her a spot in the carnival show."
  • "I know I am."
  • "Let's go, birds!"
  • "That was amazing, Eva, darling, you hit every note, huh guys?"
  • "Don't worry, I'll talk to them - we'll find the perfect spot for you!"
  • "Yeah... we'll be right here."
  • "Nothing?"
  • "Hold your mangoes! We still have Eva."
  • "You're no Eva, but you're awesome."
  • "I told you I knew him from somewhere!"
  • "Yeah, sing it baby!"
  • "You look familiar, don't I know you from somewhere?"
  • "Woah. Kid's been working."

Rio: Snakes Alive!

  • "Are you kidding me? With eighteen at home, watching three kids will be a vacation!"
  • "We helped your daddy fly, now we're gonna teach you to dance!"
  • "Okay, okay! You amateurs just don't know how kids' minds work!"
  • "Yecch, I didn't even know worms had mouths!"
  • "And show me your hiding spot! I want to use it next time my eighteen kids come looking for me!"

Rio 2: The Junior Novel

  • "Let's take five."

Rio: Match 3 Party

  • "I see you're excited for the party! Don't worry - so am I."
  • "I was just thinkin' about you, buddy."
  • "I hear your heart beats to the rhythm of samba!"
  • "Stand back! Rafael is gonna give you some dance lessons."
  • "You should meet my wife! She has a lovely voice."
  • "Ever babysat for birds before? Asking for a friend."
  • "Kick back, relax, and rest. For tonight, we party!"
  • "I like you. Nothing you do makes any sense!"
  • "Hey, now. That tickles!"
  • "Always dance while you work, I say."
  • "You're so impulsive! Like me, in my youth."
  • "Hey. Hey!... I didn't say stop."

Gallery

Main article: Rafael/Gallery
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