Chico and Rita

Chico & Rita is an animated musical about the arrival of Latin Jazz to America in the 1940's & 50's. 

Well, that's the boring stuff out of the way.  It's also a passionate love story and by this I mean it is the first cartoon I've seen with people in the nude cavorting about.  Chico is a Cuban pianist who likes the ladies but drops them all when he meets Rita, with whose voice and face he falls in love.

Of course, things do not run smoothly.  Dismayed by Chico's romantic antics, Rita up and leaves him for a glamorous career in Hollywood where she is re-labelled "Rita LaBelle" and stars in movies with Marlon Brando.  Chico follows her by getting a job in Dizzy Gillespie's band and it looks like everything might work out for the pair until betrayal, fate and history in the shape of La Revolucion step in.

The animation in the film is terrific and captures the feel of an exciting time in American history & music.  As to the music itself, well I'm not a huge fan of Latin jazz, but still enjoyed this a lot.  I'm not sure whether to recommend it to you or not.  However, I suspect if you read past "animated", "jazz" and "musical" you'll probably get something out of it.