The Real Macaw 1998

Deep in the Amazon rainforest of 1850, Mac, a young blue-and-gold macaw, grows up under the care of his mother. He loves to explore, and one day he ventures into a hidden temple sparkling with treasure. Meanwhile, a crew of ruthless pirates stalk the jungle, forcing locals to reveal the temple’s entrance. After raiding the chamber and looting its riches, the pirate captain captures Mac and takes him aboard as a pet. That very night, the captain dotes on the bird with a jeweled ring, but Mac seizes his chance and escapes. A frantic chase ensues, torches spill, the ship catches fire, and sinks beneath the waves as Mac slips through an open window to freedom. He drifts to the South Pacific and lands on Coral Island, while the pirate, with a treasure chest in tow, buries the haul and marks an X on a tree to indicate the spot.

A century passes, and in 1998 the same Mac, now 149 years old, has learned to speak with startling clarity by copying the voices of others, though he keeps this talent a secret. He shares a roof in an Australian neighborhood with a kind elderly man who tends to injured birds, the only person who knows his astonishing secret. The old man’s grandson, Sam Girdis, often stops by for visits. The family’s daily life, especially Sam’s fraught relationship with his father, Rick Girdis, is stitched with tensions: Rick scolds Sam for quitting when the going gets tough, and the two frequently clash. One night, while releasing a lorikeet back to the wild, Grandpa takes a tumble from a tree and breaks his arm. At the hospital, the family’s worries rise as Rick confesses a pile of debts that forced him to sell Grandpa’s house. Sam is shaken by the news, and Mac quietly contemplates his strange secret in the background.

Mac’s secret is hard to keep, and soon he proves his linguistic gift by imitating the family’s phone, kettle, and even the dog Romper, much to Rick’s growing frustration. Before long, Rick decides to sell Mac to settle the debts, sending Sam into a panic as he races to a local pet shop to rescue the bird. The escape is nerve-wracking: a bus ride becomes a makeshift chase as Sam rails against his father for selling Grandpa’s house and for depriving him of a sense of belonging. Back at Grandpa’s house, the two learn of a possible way to save the family’s future: the old ring could be worth enough money to bail them out, if they can unlock its mystery and locate Coral Island’s buried treasure.

In the museum, the ring’s value tempts Dr. Hagen, the unscrupulous curator. He offers Sam a tidy sum—$3,000—if he brings the ring the next day, but his real motive is far more sinister: he intends to steal artifacts and profit from them. Sam and Mac realize Hagen’s true colors, and Mac gently chides Sam for revealing the treasure’s existence. The plan then shifts toward a more daring course: they’ll locate Coral Island, fly there, and uncover the pirate’s long-lost hoard. Grandpa soon understands that Sam and Mac are venturing toward danger, but he supports their pursuit, hoping to show Rick what truly matters—family over wealth.

The journey begins with a bold airport escape as Sam disguises Mac as a puppet to avoid the cargo hold, and the two head toward Coral Island—with Hagen aboard the same flight, intent on following them to the treasure. On Coral Island, they finally reach the hillside that the pirate once used to mark the treasure’s location, only to discover that a modern resort now occupies the site. The pair must negotiate a world of tourists and rules, including the resort’s strict “no pets” policy. Hagen, meanwhile, presses forward relentlessly, while Sam, exasperated by Mac’s constant chatter, tries to stay focused on the mission.

They attempt to check into the resort by disguising themselves, even performing a comic act onstage as a ventriloquist with Mac as the dummy, which earns them a complimentary suite after a close call with security. That night, Sam confesses to Mac the real fear: Hagen may have followed them, and the dream of a simple return home seems increasingly distant. Hagen has also bribed locals to help him dig for the treasure, raising the stakes for Sam and Mac as they grow closer in their shared quest.

At breakfast the next day, the resort’s owner alerts security to their presence, and the sprawling dig site to outpace Hagen’s schemes becomes a frantic race. Grandpa and the rest of the family rush to Coral Island as soon as they can, hoping to help, while Sam and Mac press on beneath the resort’s lush grounds. An alarm bell finally rings: the “X” behind them marks the tree’s spot, and Hagen begins to close in. Sam escapes through an elevator and, with Mac’s help, climbs into the maintenance corridors and, again, into the resort’s kitchen. A loud, chaotic chase plays out, and the pair’s quick-thinking vent act buys them precious seconds.

The two eventually reach the buried tree—but the treasure proves stubbornly elusive. Mac’s determination and Sam’s stubborn hope keep them digging, even as the floor sags and Hagen closes in. A tense confrontation erupts, and the pair race toward the resort’s stage, where Sam again improvises, this time while Mac disrupts a security guard by exposing his toupee, momentarily turning the odds in their favor. The guard blocks exits, but Mac rigs a feigned fire alarm from the stage to clear a path as Sam and Mac dive into a sewer tunnel and swim toward safety.

At last the pair reach the treasure’s site, but Hagen is not far behind, turning a desperate chase into a pulse-pounding showdown. They climb a ladder to the restaurant’s stage once more, reunite, and rebound from a second, hair-raising encounter with the guard. As police close in and the island’s authorities arrive, Hagen slides away, but the truth about his greed is exposed. In the end, Hagen is arrested, and the family finalizes their reckoning: Grandpa’s home remains intact as Rick confronts his own missteps and apologizes, while Sam’s rescue plan with Mac leads to a heartfelt reconciliation between father and son.

The treasure is recovered, but Grandpa declines it, insisting that it belongs to the people who kept the temple and its story alive. Sam chooses to return the treasure to the temple, earning the locals’ applause and gratitude, and to honor the ancient guardians of Coral Island. Mac, who has always cherished his jungle home, leaves the island to return to his rainforest family and mother, promising to tell them about his long, remarkable journey. The film closes with Mac recounting the adventure to his mother before flying off to rejoin the Girdis clan, a tale of friendship, courage, and the true riches found in family.