“What difference can one song make?” asks the titular Vivo. The answer is: A huge difference. One song can change the world. It can transport us back in time. It can sadden us, lift us up, and inspire us. “Vivo” is about the value and power of music, and it’s coordinated by Lin-Manuel Miranda, a man who has spent a lot of his career trying to promote the power of music, and how creativity in music can help and shape how we think. “Vivo” is a movie that kids deserve to experience for that fact, alone.
Lin-Manuel Miranda plays Vivo kind kinkajou who spends his days playing music to the crowds in a lively square with his beloved owner Andrés (Buena Vista Social Club’s Juan de Marcos). When tragedy strikes shortly after Andrés receives a letter from the famous Marta Sandoval (Latin pop legend Gloria Estefan), inviting her old partner to her farewell concert with the hope of reconnecting, it’s up to Vivo to deliver a message that Andrés never could: In order to get to Marta, who lives a world apart, Vivo will need the help of Gabi (newcomer Ynairaly Simo) — an energetic tween, to fulfill his owner’s wishes.
It’s shocking how little I’ve heard about “Vivo” this year (even with Lin-Manuel Miranda fueling the publicity for it), as it’s one of the most positive and vibrant animated musicals I’ve seen in a long time. It instantly stuck on to me from the moment it opened and I was so engrossed with the unique relationships and the way the script handles grief, and loss. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s influence is unmistakable, as he injects so much of his sensibilities and attitudes towards music through and through. The music isn’t just an element of the movie, but it’s practically its own character.
It’s an entity that manages to connect pretty much everyone in the film, no matter how different they are. It’s how Vivo realizes he likes Gabi, it’s how Marta manages to connect with her old love Andres, and it’s the nearly supernatural device that resolves the entire film’s dilemma. Lin-Manuel Miranda carries the film with a lively and enthusiastic performance playing a likable and often charming hero. The collective cast are also marvelous including Zoe Saldana, Ynairaly Simo, Juan De Marcos, and Gloria Estefan, respectively. Estefan’s performance is especially passionate, as her portrayal of Marta Sandoval is often heartbreaking.
“Vivo” is a wonderful, woefully overlooked animated gem that embraces its Latin roots unabashedly, exposing various shades of Latin music to the young audience, and reveling in how magical it can be, and often is. “Vivo” might just get lost in the shuffle at the end of the year, but it’s a wonderful animated musical, one that’s filled with emotion, heart, and some solid laughs.