Movie · 2010 · Animation, Music, Romance · 1h 33m · NR · Spanish
Curator score: 6.7/10 (21.9K ratings)
Do you know this guy?
Overview
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.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.7/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.66/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Metacritic: 76
TMDB: 7.1/10
Director
Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba
Production
Isle of Man Film, CinemaNX, Estudio Mariscal, Fernando Trueba PC, HanWay Films, Magic Light Pictures
Cast
Mario Guerra, Limara Meneses, Eman Xor Oña, Jon Adams, Renny Arozarena, Blanca Rosa Blanco, Jackie de la Nuez, Rigoberto Ferrera, Ken Forman, Ray Gillon
Curator Review
Verdict
A lush, adult animated romance with exceptional music, period atmosphere, and painterly Havana-to-New York visuals. The story is familiar and sometimes melodramatic, but the craft and emotional sweep make it a standout for viewers who want animation with grown-up longing and jazz-era texture.
Best for
fans of romantic dramas with tragic momentum
viewers who love jazz, bolero, and music-driven storytelling
animation fans looking for adult-oriented, non-comedic work
people drawn to lush period settings and strong visual design
Skip if
you want a tightly plotted story with no melodrama
you dislike romance built on repeated separations and bad decisions
you prefer animation that is stylized over realistic
you need a brisk, modern pace
Overview
Chico & Rita is at its best when it lets music, color, and movement do the storytelling. The animation has a tactile, hand-crafted elegance, and the film’s recreation of mid-century Havana, New York, and the nightlife circuit gives it a vivid sense of place. It feels made for viewers who want animation to carry adult emotion without softening it into family-friendly polish.
Worth noting
The romance is passionate but deliberately messy, and that can be both the film’s strength and its weakness. It leans into fate, regret, and the way ambition can pull people apart, but the plotting can feel familiar and occasionally rushed. Still, the emotional register is sincere, and the soundtrack does a lot of heavy lifting in the best possible way.
Bottom line
What lingers most is the atmosphere: smoky clubs, restless travel, and the ache of missed chances. Even when the story takes predictable turns, the film’s visual confidence and musical identity keep it compelling. It’s a strong recommendation for anyone who values craft, mood, and romantic melancholy over narrative surprise.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Will Steele (4★) · 210 likes
In the same vain that Inception borrows from Paprika, this feels influential upon La La Land to the point of plagiarism. Maybe a coincidence, but this love story between a jazz musician and an aspiring singer/actress which sees their partnership derided by their careers does seem a little too similar. La La Land is dear to my heart but I mourn the world in which I fell in love with Chico and Rita first.
Sergio Muñoz Esquer (5★) · 186 likes
Ay no no no no no, preciosa película. El que no conoce a Dios (Chico & Rita), a cualquier santo le reza (La La Land)
claira curtis (4★) · 96 likes
“I needed to kiss you again.”
Simply enchanting in its music, its animation style, and the love story at its core that brings it all together. Chico & Rita is dripping with charm and affection in a way that feels so delightful to witness.
It’s easy to be blow away by Chico & Rita in its entirety, but what I found myself marveling at the most were the backgrounds of all the scenes. The level of detail included throughout was mind blowing.… more
ClownReedmin (2.5★) · 77 likes
Rita deserved better than Chico. Too bad the movie didn’t think so
pileofcrowns · 77 likes
Things this movie doesn't have that it would have had if it was made in Hollywood:
- A lack of nudity.
- Sex that is implied only, at the end of a big musical number showing the characters falling in love.
- A large orchestral score.
- A quirky animal sidekick that can talk and be marketed as a toy.
- An antagonist with evil features that is a big focus of the movie, scowling and planning evil with his… more Things this movie doesn't have that it would have had if it was made in Hollywood:
- A lack of nudity.
- Sex that is implied only, at the end of a big musical number showing the characters falling in love.
- A large orchestral score.
- A quirky animal sidekick that can talk and be marketed as a toy.
- An antagonist with evil features that is a big focus of the movie, scowling and planning evil with his… more