‘Vivo’ Review- A Lighthearted Family Film

This film streamed in 2019.

Vivo is Sony Pictures’ first-ever musical animated film, which had its release on Netflix. It is directed by Kirk DeMicco, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Quiara Alegría Hudes.

Havana, Cuba resident Andrés Hernández (Juan de Marcos González) and his kinkajou Vivo (Lin-Manuel Miranda) are beloved street musicians who bring joy to their neighbors. One day, he gets a letter from Marta (Gloria Estefan), his lost love whom he never told how he felt. She is retiring from her illustrious music career and wants to sing one last duet with him at a concert in Miami. Vivo is against the idea, but sees the light in Andrés’ eyes. The next day, Vivo finds Andrés has passed away.

Devastated, Vivo finds a letter and a song Andrés wrote for Marta. Deciding to go to Florida, he stows away in the luggage of Andrés’ niece Rosa (Zoe Saldana) and her daughter Gabi (Ynairaly Simo). When Gabi finds Vivo, she decides to help him get to Miami to deliver the song and letter. They run into overzealous little Girl Scouts, a rude bus driver (Leslie David Baker), and a swamp ruled by the giant snake Lutador (Michael Rooker). As they run out of time, they have to reach the concert before it is too late.

I found the animation pretty good. It is similar to previous Sony Pictures Animation films with nothing spectacular, but it was done in an excellent manner and made the movie exciting. The same goes for the music. Alex Lacamoire did a good job and added a lot. I think adults can enjoy the songs, and I think kids will have fun with them.

The voice acting is pretty good as well. The cast was an ensemble and had so much talent behind it. That elevated the film a little bit and also made the songs worth it as well.

As for the plot, it was good and light-hearted. It was kind of a typical “kid and pet go on a quest,” but had enough interesting characters to keep the kids happy. I will say, the time in the swamp did drag on a bit. They introduced a few characters that were useless to the rest of the story. I think if they had trimmed it down just a bit, it would not have felt so elongated.

Bottom line, Vivo is a decent kids film that the whole family can enjoy. It is fun and dynamic with some pretty good songs to keep you entertained.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Scary images, Cartoonish violence

FAVORITE QUOTE: That girl is a whole lot of something.

Check out the trailer below:

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, anime, or novel you would like me to review.