Twentieth Century Fox Animation has give a green light to Blue Sky Studios' next 3-D digital animated movie, Rio, which centers on a nerdy macaw who leaves the comforts of his cage in small-town Minnesota and heads to Rio de Janeiro, Variety reported.

Carlos Saldanha (Ice Age: The Meltdown) will direct. The Brazilian-born helmer, who has been nurturing Rio for years, is putting the finishing touches on Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the third installment in the blockbuster Ice Age franchise, which opens on July 1.

Chris Jenkins (Surf's Up) and Bruce Anderson (Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!) will produce the movie, which will be released by 20th Century Fox on April 8, 2011.