Sergio Mendes will attend the Academy Awards on Sunday with mixed feelings.

He's honoured that his song Real In Rio, from the animated movie Rio, is one of the only two nominated this year, but upset with the show producers' decision not to present the tunes during the telecast.

"I am very frustrated, kind of sad that we will not be able to perform such a lively song," the 71-year-old Brazilian legend said in an interview. Mendes shares the nomination with his countryman Carlinhos Brown and American singer-songwriter Siedah Garrett.

Mendes is no stranger in Hollywood or to Oscars night. The Grammy winner, who is based in Los Angeles, boosted his fame in the United States in 1968 by singing Burt Bacharach and Hal David's Oscar-nominated The Look Of Love at the Academy Awards ceremony.

Besides Real in Rio, the other song nominated is Bret McKenzie's Man Or Muppet from The Muppets. It is also not included in the telecast, although Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy will appear as presenters.

In Mendes' opinion, Real In Rio, which mirrors the awakening of the birds in a forest near Rio de Janeiro, would have been perfect for the show.

"(It's) such a lively song," Mendes, a first-time nominee, said. "You've seen the movie, you've heard the song, it's a perfect thing to do live but ... it's really up to the television producers. I was just hoping until, you know, till today, I'm still hoping. But I don't think it's gonna happen. Listen, you can't have everything ... I'll be there anyway."