MUMBAI: Twentieth Century Fox Animation has commenced work on its new 3D animation film titled Rio from Blue Sky Studios, which is slated to release on 8 April, 2011.

The movie will be directed by Carlos Saldanha, whose Ice Age: The Meltdown earned a worldwide box office of more than $650 million. Chris Jenkins and Bruce Anderson will produce.

Twentieth Century Fox Animation president Vanessa Morrison said, "We’re thrilled to embark upon our next project with the immensely talented Carlos Saldanha. He is sure to bring this story and world to life with great vibrancy and imagination."

Rio is a story of a nerdy macaw who leaves the comforts of his cage in small town Minnesota and heads to Rio de Janeiro. He embarks on the adventure of a lifetime, learning to open himself up to all that life has to offer along the way.

The project has long been nurtured by the Brazilian-born Saldanha, who is putting the finishing touches on Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the newest chapter in the Ice Age franchise. The new movie is slated to release on 1 July, 2009.