Big Boss Background information Feature films Rio 2 Shorts Novelization Video games Voice Miguel Ferrer Character information Species Human Gender Male Alias Occupation Feather/Hair/ Skin color Medium skin Black hair Eyes Brown Friends Emperor Tamarin The Loggers Enemies Linda Tulio Spix's Macaw Family Blu Jewel Tiago Carla Bia Roberto Felipe Nico Pedro Rafael Eduardo Spix's Macaw Tribe Red Macaw Tribe Nigel Snake (killer) Fate Deceased - Eaten by an Anaconda Likes Cherry-flavored Lollipops Illegal Deforestation Dislikes Snakes, Conservation Quote "Perhaps the better question is: what are they doing here? Nature freaks. Two million square miles, and they're playing in my backyard? Hmm. I don't think so. As you know, my friends, this logging operation is a little um… illegal. If those two nuts find those birds, we're out of business. And that's why you have got to put an end to their little bird-watching expedition. Find them, and get rid of them! The rest of you! Go cut some trees. Who cares about a bunch of birds!"

[Source]

Big Boss is the tertiary antagonist of the 2014 computer animated film, Rio 2. He is voiced by the late Miguel Ferrer. He is the leader of a group of illegal loggers who were deforesting the Amazon, where the Spix's Macaw Tribe and the Scarlet Macaw Tribe live.

Information

When Linda and Tulio find out that there are more of the rare Spix's macaws living in the Amazon, they bring attention to the spot of the jungle where the loggers are working illegally, unbeknownst to them. To make sure he and his workers are not found by the authorities, Big Boss declares Linda and Tulio his enemies and that he will deal with them personally before they can prove the macaws live there, bringing the media where his workers are working at.

Bio

Big Boss is first seen watching the news on television and learning that Tulio and Linda are looking for the wild Spix's Macaws around the area his loggers are working at. Angered by the realization, he throws the remote control at the screen, breaking it and calling the couple "tree-huggers". He sends a voice mail to someone, requesting for his boat. He then throws the lollipop he was sucking on into the tank of piranhas in his office and leaves. The piranhas aggressively eat the red lollipop, leaving only a white plastic stick after a flurry of bubbles.

Shortly after the Spix's Macaw Family and their friends arrive at the Amazon Rainforest, Big Boss is seen arriving near the area by boat. The trees in a particular place are all cut down. When he enters the tent of his workers, he sees the Logging Foreman playing chess with his Emperor Tamarin pet. The monkey wins, leading Big Boss to comment he had always thought the foreman was not smarter than a monkey.

He then shows the loggers a newspaper with a picture of Tulio and Linda. He explains that they are a threat to their illegal work. Caressing their variety of chainsaws suggestively and grabbing an ax, he tells them not to let the couple "play in his backyard". He tells the Logging Foreman to put an end to their "bird-watching expedition", and the others to keep cutting down trees. He throws the ax at the map hanging on the wall and leaves. All of his workers are left terrified.

Later, Linda and Tulio end up encountering the loggers. Tulio is held captive by them while Linda manages to runs back to their camp, only to find Big Boss there. He has been led there by his Emperor Tamarin, who had found their camp earlier. Big Boss and his minions tie Linda and Tulio to a tree. He mocks them by wondering aloud if the jungle they worked so hard to protect will return the favor. He then calls them "tree-huggers" once more and leaves. The tree they are tied to is marked with an "X", meaning it will be cut down, and Linda and Tulio along with it.

At the end of the movie, the loggers get scared by the assembled Spix's Macaw Tribe, but Big Boss tells them they're only "pigeons", and demands them to keep cutting down trees. During the battle, the Red Macaw Tribe also participate as unexpected allies for the Spix's Macaw Tribe. The loggers are then attacked by the flock and eventually flee, causing Big Boss to tie dynamite to trees. When he lights the fuse, Blu arrives and grabs the explosives, taking them away as he rapidly gains altitude. Big Boss tries to stop him, but is knocked down by Nigel, who goes after Blu himself.

As he recovers from being knocked down, Big Boss reaches for his hat, which is resting on an anaconda's head. He offers a lollipop to the leering snake, clearly terrified.

Later, the anaconda spits out a lollipop, with a full belly vaguely the size of a human, and Big Boss' hat resting over it, revealing that Big Boss was eaten by the snake. The Emperor Tamarin appears from under the hat, grabs the lollipop and nibbles on it excitedly before scrambling off.

Appearance

Big Boss has a mustache and wears a white suit and hat, with leather boots. He is balding, with a comb over. He also has medium skin and black hair.

Design Concept

"The logger boss was described to me as someone who had worked his way up to the top via bullying and coercion. I tried to give his visual design a very quiet but intimidating presence."

―Jason Sadler, Character Designer^[1]

Personality

Big Boss is ruthless, intelligent, cruel, selfish, and greedy. Big Boss knows what he wants and he knows how to get people to do it. He does not tolerate anyone getting in his way and has no regard for the destruction of nature. When his illegal trade is put at risk by Linda and Tulio, he tries to get rid of them. He treats his workers poorly, frightens them, and takes matters into his own hands when he needs to.

He also seems to have an addiction to lollipops, being seen consuming lots of them through the movie. He is also very arrogant and short-tempered; he is rather abusive towards the other loggers, and has no respect for the animals in the Amazon, calling the Spix's Macaws "pigeons" when they arrive at the logging site. Before he came to the loggers, he threw his remote at the TV with news about the macaws, calling them "tree huggers". However, he is nice and friendly towards his pet Emperor Tamarin, sharing lollipops with him.

Trivia

• He is the fourth human to be an antagonist in the series. The first three human antagonists introduced are Marcel, Tipa, and Armando.
• He is the first and only antagonist to be classified as "deceased" in the Rio franchise.
• He and Marcel share some similarities:
  • They are both cruel and selfish to their henchmen.
  • They each have a pet that has the same personality as their owners.
  • Both of them each suffered a defeat.
    • Marcel was arrested and put in jail along with his henchmen in Rio's credit screen.
    • Big Boss was eaten by an anaconda and is most likely digested.
  • They hosted illegal businesses for money.
    • Marcel was smuggling birds.
    • Big Boss was destroying the Amazon Rainforest without legal permission from the local authorities.
      • Legal deforestation is done under permitted authorization by local authorities (such as the Brazilian government) at a sustainable forest.
  • Big Boss and Marcel also only show genuine respect or kindness to their pets; Nigel for Marcel and the Emperor Tamarin for the Big Boss.
• Big Boss seems to be addicted to lollipops as he is seen consuming a lot of them.
• He has a picture of himself standing over a large cut-down tree, framed in his office.
• His office has a variety of animal resources in it (horns, a stuffed capybara, a tank full of piranhas and a bull skull in the bottom of the tank, a bull trophy which might be for livestock farming, and a stuffed snake.)
• Interestingly, animal by-products are very prejudicial to the environment, which reinforces his personality of being anti-ecological. The trophy might very well be for the practice of livestock farming since that is the primary reason for deforestation of the Amazon. However, it could be that Big Boss is deforesting the Amazon only to make money off of it; this is why Big Boss is the true main antagonist.
• In Rio 2: The Junior Novel, Big Boss is not eaten by an anaconda; instead, he is scooped up by a tree harvester (driven by Tiago).

• Though Big Boss works with loggers, they are sometimes afraid of him, but they still follow his orders.
• It is unknown if the Emperor Tamarin is still a companion to Big Boss, even though he is most likely deceased.

Quotes

• "Ugh! Tree huggers."
• "Get my boat ready. I need to deal with this personally."
• "I always suspected you were dumber than a monkey, and now I know."
• "Perhaps a better question is, what are they doing."
• "Two million square miles and they’re playing in my backyard? I don't think so."
• "As you can see, this logging operation is a little… illegal."
• "If those two nuts find their birds we're out of business."
• "Find them! And get rid of them!"
• "The rest of you go cut some trees."
• "Who cares about a bunch of birds?"
• "Nature freaks."
• "I hope you don't mind, I made myself at home. Lollipop?"
• "It's a shame, really. You came all this way to protect the jungle. Let's see if it will return the favor, tree-huggers."
• "Beautiful"
• "Where do you think you're going?"
• "It's just a bunch of pigeons!"
• "Get back to work!"
• "I have to do everything myself!"
• "Hey! Get away from that!"
• "Lollipop?"

Gallery

Big Boss arriving at the logging site

"I always knew you are dumber than a monkey, and now I know."- Big Boss to one of the loggers

Big Boss with his loggers

"…a little illegal."

Big Boss wielding an ax

"Find them, and get rid of them."

"I hope you don't mind."

"Lollipop?"

Big Boss holding a lollipop with the Emperor Tamarin, holding one each

"It's just a bunch of pigeons!"

"I have do everything myself!"

Big Boss offers the boa a lollipop

Big Boss swallowed by a boa

Big Boss in the credits

References