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in: Characters, Characters in Rio, Characters in Rio 2,
Gunderson Family
Friends of Blu
Human Characters
Extensive Article
Characters who can't fly
Linda Gunderson (formerly)
Linda Monteiro (current)
Feature films Rio
Video games Rio: The Video Game (Nintendo DS)
Voice Sofia Scarpa Saldanha (child)
Leslie Mann (adult)
Species Human
Alias Lady (r. by Fernando)
American Lady (r. by Fernando)
Tree-hugger (r. by Big Boss)
Sweetheart (r. by Tulio Monteiro)
Occupation Ornithologist
Bookstore Owner (formerly)
Feather/Hair/ Skin color Fair skin
Friends Blu (animal companion)
Tulio (husband)
Fernando (adoptive son)
Enemies Big Boss (deceased)
The Smugglers
Fate Living
Quote "Cheese and sprinkles!"
Linda Gunderson is Blu's former owner and best friend. She formerly lived and worked in her own bookstore Blue Macaw Books in Moose Lake, Minnesota, and now lives and works in the Livraria Blu book store in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and later works at the Blu Bird Sanctuary, where she's happily married to her sweetheart, Tulio. She is a supporting protagonist in Rio and Rio 2. The adult Linda is voiced by Leslie Mann, while Carlos Saldanha's daughter, Sofia Scarpa Saldanha, voices the younger Linda.
1 Bio
1.1 Rio
1.2 Rio 2
1.3 Rio: Snakes Alive!
4.1 Blu
4.2 Tulio
4.3 Fernando
4.4 Eduardo
7.1 Quotes from Rio
7.2 Quotes from Rio 2
7.3 Quotes from Rio: The Video Game (Nintendo DS)
Linda is first seen as a little girl, at age of eight discovering the crate containing Blu (a Spix's Macaw chick), which had fallen out of a pet store truck and onto the side of the road. She takes the cold, frightened chick in her hands, and promises to take care of him. Over the next fifteen years, Linda keeps Blu as a pet, throwing her and Blu in birthday parties together, taking him with her to spelling bees (and winning one at 14), and even brought him to her high school prom.
Pictures of young Linda and Blu
As Linda gets older, she opens a bookstore, called Blue Macaw Books, which is the first place that is named on Blu's honor. She also tells her mom over the phone that she can't visit her because no one can take care of Blu. She then hands over hot chocolate to Blu (which is a factual error, in real life, chocolate is toxic to birds).
One day, an Ornithologist from Brazil named Tulio Monteiro enters the store and tells Linda that Blu is the last male of his kind and that she must take him to Rio de Janeiro so he can mate with the last female and "save the species".
Linda is reluctant at first but later agrees. She and Blu take a plane to Rio, where Tulio takes them to his aviary, where the female macaw (Jewel) is.
Linda with Blu
Linda and Tulio watch Blu and Jewel through cameras and think that its "going well", so they give them some privacy and go to a restaurant, where they find themselves becoming attracted to one another.
However, the dinner is interrupted by a phone call to Tulio explaining that Blu and Jewel were stolen. Distraught, Linda blames Tulio for the birdnapping and spends all night handing out "lost" posters.
In the morning, a boy named Fernando tells them that he knows where Blu and Jewel are. He leads them to the smugglers' hideout, where they learn they are going to use the Carnival as a cover to get the captured birds to the airport.
Linda and Tulio go to Carnival, where they disguise themselves as dancers to get in. Linda accidentally gets onto a float - mistaken as one of the performers by a Carnival organizer - and was told by Tulio to "shake her tushie", but then spots Blu as he goes into the smugglers' float. As the parade continued, Linda tried her best to get down from the float, and she and Tulio eventually broke free from the crowd and other performers.
Stealing one of the vacant floats, Linda and Tulio follow the smugglers to the airport but arrive too late to stop their plane from taking off.
Linda and Tulio in disguise at Carnival
Giving up hope, Linda sits on the float with Tulio and Fernando, her head bowed in sorrow as the sun rises. A while later, Fernando sees Blu flying (to Linda's amazement), and carrying the injured Jewel in his talons. She looks on as Tulio tends to Jewel's injury. Later, Linda and Tulio open the Blu Bird Sanctuary where Linda lets Blu go into the jungle with Jewel, sharing a final "fist bump" with him. As he flies off, Linda declares "That's my big, brave boy".
During the final song, "Real in Rio", Linda was seen hang-gliding over the jungle with Tulio, flying alongside Blu, Jewel, and their three chicks, Bia, Carla, and Tiago.
Over the credits, Linda, Tulio, and Fernando] are shown to have come together as a family of sorts, even opening a Brazilian version of Linda's bookstore, Livraria Blu.
Linda and Tulio are ecstatic to find a Spix's Macaw feather in the Amazon after being ambushed by a mysterious bird
Now happily married to Tulio, Linda and her husband venture into the Amazon for an expedition, and to re-release a Marbled Wood Quail into the wild. Linda paddles the boat, exhausted, as Tulio is filming the surroundings and not paddling. Linda tries to coax the shy Wood Quail out of her cage, which eventually works (aided by Tulio's attempts at bird talk, which seem to frighten the quail), and the quail reunites with its fellows. The quail then begins hopping and chirping, which Linda thinks is a warning. Tulio dismisses this, but it is later proved true as Linda spots rapids up ahead. The boat makes a wild journey down the rapids and then over a waterfall.
After surviving the fall, Tulio searches for Linda, and the two reunite with a hug. They are distracted by a squawk, and a fast-flying blue bird suddenly dives past them, destroying the camera and losing one of its feathers. Tulio identifies it as a Spix's macaw's feather, to his and Linda's joy. Later, Linda and Tulio are on the news, which is seen by Blu, Jewel, and their kids, Bia, Carla, and Tiago. Jewel decides to take the family to the Amazon, to help Linda and Tulio find the Spix's macaws.
Blu and the family arrive in the Amazon, unknowingly close to Linda and Tulio. Linda is attempting to pin down the position of the Spix's macaws, believing them to be close to the Brazil nut trees and the waterfalls. Blu is suddenly grabbed by a bird, and his squawks capture Linda and Tulio's attention, who frantically head in the direction of the sound. Linda worries that it sounded like Blu, but Tulio doubts this, believing Blu to be in Rio. Linda wakes up later that night, thinking that somebody is outside, but sees that it is a tamarin.
Blu mentions Linda to Eduardo, who is angry when he finds out that Blu was once a pet. Blu protests that Linda raised him and is part of his family, but Eduardo stays angry. Blu manages to find Linda and Tulio's coordinates on his GPS, stating to Jewel that they are really close. Jewel is hesitant at the thought of the tribe being discovered and says that they are better off alone.
The Loggers tie Linda and Tulio to a tree.
Linda and Tulio discover loggers cutting down some trees. Tulio tries to stop her, but Linda confronts them angrily. Tulio drags Linda away, but the two then realize that it is a trap (the loggers had been planning to kidnap them in order to stop their logging activity from being disturbed). Linda flees when Tulio tells her to, running into the jungle as she is pursued by the loggers. Linda manages to escape but is eventually caught and tied to a tree with Tulio.
Blu goes to Linda and Tulio's campsite to say goodbye but then realizes that something is wrong. He sees that the site has been attacked, and becomes frantic. Roberto confronts Blu, but a bulldozer runs over the campsite. Blu sends Roberto to warn the tribe, then goes to find Linda and Tulio. Later, still tied to the tree, Linda and Tulio maneuver into a position where they can hold hands. Tulio apologizes for getting Linda into their situation, but Linda responds by telling him there's no place she'd rather be than with him. Linda then sees Blu. She makes bird sounds to catch his attention, and Blu frees them from the tree. Linda and Tulio try to stop the loggers from cutting down some trees, blocking the way. Linda and Tulio are then delighted and shocked to see hundreds of Spix's macaws in the trees behind them.
During the ensuing melee, a logger in a tree harvester attempts to run over Eduardo, but Linda crashes into it with a bulldozer, knocking it over after a brief struggle. Linda does a victory samba dance afterward, joyfully and seemed to master samba dancing. Afterward, Linda and Tulio go back on the news with Blu, announcing that the Spix's macaw tribe's residence has become a sanctuary, safe from loggers and other dangers. They also found Nigel and Gabi deep in the Amazon and put them in a cage to take them to Rio to observe them after seeing Gabi showering Nigel with love against his will mistaking it for "bonding".
Between the first and second films, Blu visits Linda at the sanctuary where she has given him waffles. Then Linda has heard of her sanctuary being sold. Later on, Blu leads Linda and Tulio to a cave with an undiscovered bat species. Which makes Linda want to study them, which grants the Blu Bird Sanctuary not being sold.
Linda is a slender woman with short red hair. She wears circular-shaped glasses, a light blue shirt, tan pants, white socks, and black shoes. She used to have pigtails when she was a little girl. She is 25 years old in the first film and 29 years old in the second film.
Linda is initially very bookish and quiet, and very devoted and protective of Blu. When she discovers Blu has been kidnapped, she angrily turns on Tulio, blaming him for everything. She seems to be quite trusting; When Fernando tells her that he knows where Blu is, she instantly believes him. During the search, Linda shows herself capable of performing daring feats, such as driving a motorcycle (claiming it is "just like driving a snowmobile") and hijacking a Carnival float, later attempting to ram the smugglers' plane with it.
When she first met Tulio, Linda seemed nervous when he said he would be with her during the trip to Rio. When they had dinner together, she was flattered by his complimenting her eyes. When they donned blue macaw costumes in order to sneak into Carnival, they became even more attracted to each other. During the film's final scene, Linda and Tulio seem to have become an actual couple, suggested by their holding hands. By the time of the second film, they are happily married.
Blu is Linda's best friend. They have been together in Minnesota for 15 years. Linda had her own bookstore as she grew up. When Tulio walks in, he said that Blu was the last male of his kind and had to go to Rio de Janeiro. Linda refused but then decided to bring him in. Linda would never leave Blu out of her sight. But she went to dinner and found out that Blu had been stolen.
When Blu was gone she did everything to find him. He was taken by smugglers on a plane. When Blu came back, she was impressed that Blu could fly, but sad when Jewel was injured.
In Rio 2, Linda and Blu were still close. Blu helped Linda and Tulio find the tribe in the Amazon.
At first, Linda was not really happy when Tulio came in and asked to get Blu together with Jewel. But later on she came to Rio, Tulio hired Sylvio to guard the birds, but Nigel and Fernando broke in. Linda blamed this loss on Tulio. As the film goes on they work together with Fernando to find Blu, once Linda and Blu have a reunion, she decided to stay in Rio.
In Rio 2, Linda and Tulio have gotten and married, working together to find the tribe. It is suggested that she has to remind him several times of being his wife after he once called her his assistant.
Fernando and Linda do not get off to a good start. He tells the truth to Linda, that he took Blu since he just needed the money offered by the smugglers. In the end, however, they become friends and Linda adopts him as her son.
In Rio 2, they had no interactions. However he was still taking care of Blu, Jewel, and their kids, proven when he says "good morning Jewel!" before they head off to the Amazon.
Not much interaction is seen in the 2nd movie, but she saved him from a logging vehicle and most likely even gave him a fanny pack.
Linda initially blames Tulio for Blu's birdnapping and yells at him in bird language. For some reason, while she was screaming in bird language, she believed she swore and added: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to curse".
During Carnival, when she was on top of the float, she says "Cheese and sprinkles". Blu said the same thing in an earlier scene.
In the Russian version of Rio, during the carnival, Linda speaks "Елки-палки"(Spruces-sticks) instead "Cheese and sprinkles". It's a translation error, wherein earlier scenes Blu speaks the correct version of translation for this quote "Сыр и конфетти".
In Moose Lake, she was the owner of a bookstore called "Blue Macaw Books". At the end of Rio, she opened a new bookstore called "Livraria Blu". Linda is also a caretaker at the Blu Bird Sanctuary.
In the intro and ending, Blu and Linda were seen doing a fist bump.
During the intro credits, there were photos of Linda and Blu with the titles "Spelling Bee Champion" and "Prom Memories".
She has her own bedroom in her bookstore. In fact, her home is on the second floor, while the store itself is on the first.
When it comes to Spix's Macaws, she is attracted to their brains, but not by their fancy feathers, as she describes it.
In the intro of the movie, Linda is wearing glasses as a child and due to seeing Blu. It is shown she suffers from Myopia, also known as nearsightedness.
She and Blu lived together for 15 years.
In the ending credits, there was a photo of Linda, Tulio, and Fernando riding a three-seat tandem bicycle.
Early in Rio Linda gives Blu hot chocolate and cookies this is one of Blue Sky's factual errors because Hot Chocolate is harmful to multiple species of birds.
She and Tulio look very similar to Sam Sparks and Flint Lockwood, the main characters of the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Linda has a mother, but her name and appearance is not known, as Linda talked to her by phone in her bookstore at the beginning of the movie.
Linda gave Blu sunscreen and rubbed it on his beak, so he wouldn't get "beakburn". The word is based on "sunburn."
Linda has wide eyes, like an owl Tulio mentioned, which was his favorite bird.
In Rio, the restaurant where she and Tulio ate dinner is called "Churrascaria Diti", which means "Diti Steakhouse" in Portuguese.
In Rio she only refers to Tulio by his first name three times, the first two during Carnival, and the second during her reaction to Blu flying.
In Rio 2, she joins Tulio in protecting wildlife. They are the ones who discover evidence of other Blue Macaws in the Amazon.
In Rio 2, she changed her last name to "Monteiro" after marrying Tulio.
In Rio 2, the first photo to show on the news broadcast was a picture of her and Tulio in lab coats suggesting she is now likely a professional Ornithologist.
In Rio: The Video Game (DS Version), she has a total of 8 quotes.
In Rio 2, it's possible she gave Eduardo his own fanny pack because he wears it during the Amazon Untamed performance.
The only Video Game she has appeared in was the game released exclusively for the Nintendo DS.
It is unknown as to how Tulio knew about Blu, but there have been 2 instances in the franchise where a solution to this was shown, both involve Linda taking participation in sharing media on the internet, In the DS Game, Linda posts videos of Blu online, while in Looking for Blu she posts photos on social media.
Looking for Blu is the only piece of Media in the franchise where Linda is the central protagonist.
Speaking bird language
Seen driving a motorcycle
Seen driving a Carnival float
Seen driving a bulldozer in Rio 2
Claims to be able to drive a snowmobile
Hang Gliding (as seen in the ending credits of Rio)
Bicycling along with Tulio and Fernando (as shown in the ending credits of Rio)
Samba Dancing (as seen in the ending of Rio 2 as a victory dance)
Quotes from Rio
"It's Okay, It's Okay"
"shhhhh… I'll take care of you."
"Mmph... Stupid... clock.... *hits alarm clock repeatedly*"
"Good morning, Blu."
"ew"
"Tyler 'Blu' Gunderson!"
"Do you know that these vitamins are good for you?"
"Ooh, what's this?"
"Gotcha!"
"Whoo"
"Yes, mom, I'd love to visit, but who would take care of Blu?"
"*sigh* Mom, they don't have kennels for parrots."
"Here's your hot chocolate, Blu."
"Just how you like it."
"Because I don't trust leaving Blu with just anyone..."
"No, I don't have a birdsitter."
"What even..." *fades out*
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, are you looking for some books?"
"Doctor of Ornithology...?"
"Wow!, your actually communicating"
"So, Dr. Monteiro"
"Oh, yeah, sure, when can she come over?"
*Laughs*, Rio?, Brazil?
"Oh no, no, no, no, I never let Blu out of my sight; he needs me!"
"Um... Look, I know you're doing your job, but... I can't..."
"Well, Blu is very particular and.. we have our little routine here and... we're not that big on travel."
"Heck, he doesn't even fly."
"Uh, what are you doing...?"
"wait wait no no"
"BLU!"
"It was very nice of you to stop in, squawk around and throw my bird..."
"But now it's time for you to go."
"Have a safe flight."
"Blu?"
"I promised I'd always look out for you, didn't I?"
"And have I ever broken a promise...? Hmm?"
"I'm scared, too. But I wouldn't make you to do this if it wasn't the right thing to do."
"What do you say, Blu?"
"That's my big brave boy, and we'll be back home, before we even know it."
"Your turn, Blu!"
"You don't wanna get beak-burn!"
"Whoa! What's going on here?"
"Carnival?"
"Oh, my! I-Is she a performer?"
"Woah not me"
"They really like you...! *Ooh!* A lot...!"
"Oh, wow."
"Ah... Oh, I'm good."
"Smugglers...?"
"So, where's Jewel?"
"Maybe I should..."
"Oh my"
"Wow, that was fast."
"I'm not so sure I should leave Blu here alone..."
"*laughs*...I though I was the bird nut until I met you"
"Well obviously, I'm a blue macaw kind of gal."
"Actually, it's the brains I'm more attracted to... I'm not so impressed by fancy feathers."
"Oh, chicken hearts, oh Gosh"
"*crying* Oh, Blu, we should have never left Moose Lake...!"
"This is all my fault...!"
"*sniff* You're right... It's not my fault."
"It's your fault!"
"With your little bird-talk, and that whole "save the species"..."
"Well, you know what?!"
"Squawk squawkity squawk squawk!"
"*gasp* I'm sorry. I didn't mean to curse."
"We're doomed."
"Excuse me, sir, have you seen my bird?"
"Have you seen my bird?"
"Hmm... Have you seen my bird..."
"He's so beautiful... Blue feathers..."
"Blu? Blu?"
"You've found Blu? Are you sure?"
"*gasp* It's his!"
"Okay, where is he?"
"I have to trust him, I don't have a choice."
"Look Out"
"Well How do you know?"
"YOU!?"
"But, Fernando, I trusted you!"
"You can drive a motorcycle right?"
"Oh"
"Whoo! It's just like driving a snowmobile! *laughs*"
"Excuse um... coming through, watch your feet... whoops sorry"
"Tulio?"
"I look ridiculous, don't I?"
"sorry"
"Wait, wait! No, no, no, I am looking for a blue bird... Bir-birdo?"
"Birdo! Yes!"
"Oh, okay..."
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"Tulio! Hey! Let me out!"
"Uh... This is not good... This is not good... This is..."
"Cheese and sprinkles..."
"Okay, you can bring me down now! I think we're done here!"
"Whaaat?"
"In English!"
"No! We don't shake our tushies in Minnesota!"
"Tulio, Tulio, I saw Blu!"
"Hold on Blu, I'm coming for you"
" I saw Blu! He's riding on a bulldog!"
"Sorry, Excuse me, Out of the way,"
"Sorry Wait Wait"
"Wait Come Back *panting*"
"get in"
"We'll see about that!"
"Blu, Blu, Blu, Oh Blu, *sobbing*"
"It's Blu! Look, Tulio, it's Blu! And he's flying...! My Blu is flying! He's flying."
*sniffles*, "That's my big brave boy."
Quotes from Rio 2
"Effortless for you..."
"*gasp* How pretty..."
"No, spit it out, spit it out!"
"You can go now! Just like this!"
"What is she saying, Tulio?"
"No, I think she's trying to warn us..."
"Tulio, look!"
"Paddle! Now!"
"Make up your mind, Tulio!"
"Cheese and sprinkles!"
"*gasp* Oh no...!"
"Paddle, paddle!"
"Faster, faster, faster!"
"TULIO!!!"
"Tulio!"
"Ugh, yuck! Ugh, uck!"
"Oh, thank heavens you're okay!"
"Tulio, is that a..."
"Hi, Blu!"
"The macaws should be nesting near the Brazil nut trees, so I think we should head out and go..."
"Tulio! Are you even listening to me?"
"I swear that sounded like Blu."
"Do You see the Nest?"
"Tu..Tulio are you Okay"
"Tulio, they're cutting down the forest!"
"to Talk to him, You Talk to birds and I talk to Humans"
"Hey, mister! Hello?!"
"You take it easy with that chainsaw."
"There are rare birds living around here!"
"You can't cut down these trees!"
"Okay Okay"
"Sorry, Excuse me, Out of the way," (repeated line from Rio)
"As bad as this is, there is no place I'd rather be than here with you."
"Even if it is tied to a tree."
*squawks*
"What are you doing here? This is dangerous!"
"I told you I heard him."
"Pick on someone your own size!"
"We Still got it Blu"
"And together we will make sure this place stay safe, Right Blu."
Quotes from Rio: The Video Game (Nintendo DS)
"Oh, umm, hi! Can I help you?"
"What? My bird? ...How did you find out about Blu?"
"Oh, that video. ...The winters here are very, very long..."
"Rio!? Brazil! ?"
"BLU!!!"
"Tulio, I saw Blu heading for the airport! We have to get him back!"
"Look! It's Blu! And he's flying! My Blu is flying!"
Main article: Linda Gunderson/Gallery
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