TIFF kids festival to kick off next month with animated tale ‘Rio 2’

TORONTO – The animated adventure “Rio 2” is set to open the TIFF Kids International Film Festival next month.

The event, which runs from April 8 to 21, will close with “The House of Magic,” an animated 3D feature from Belgium about an abandoned cat who takes up residence in a magical mansion.

As at the Toronto International Film Festival, guests will introduce films and do question-and-answer sessions at select screenings.

Such honorees include “Rio 2” director Carlos Saldanha and executive producer Sergio Mendes.

This year’s TIFF Kids Festival features 112 films from 31 countries.

Tickets for TIFF members go on sale March 11 and to the general public on March 19.

Other films scehduled to screen include: “AninA” (Uruguay/Colombia), about a girl who doesn’t like her palindrome name; “Antboy” (Denmark), the tale of a boy who gets superpowers after being bitten by an ant; the Disneynature saga “Bears” (USA); “Kick It!” (Norway), the story of a soccer-loving girl forced off the field by an injury; and “The Famous Five 3 (Fünf Freunde 3)” (Germany), the latest instalment about the kids sleuths made famous by author Enid Blyton.