Vivo (2021, PG)

*Premise spoilers.*

I put off seeing this movie for a while. Even though Lin-Manuel Miranda knocked it out of the park in 2021 with both Encanto and tick, tick…BOOM!, I wasn’t sure about this one. It kind of had the look of being more of a kids’ movie than a family movie, and when I sat down to watch it, I approached it with just a little hesitancy. But while Vivo doesn’t reach the heights of Miranda’s other two films from last year, it’s still a fun, charming movie with a terrific score.

Vivo is a kinkajou who loves playing music down in the plaza with his human, Andrés. When Andrés receives an invitation to play with an unrequited flame he hasn’t seen in decades, Vivo is nervous about the prospect of leaving Havana for Miami. But when tragedy strikes and Andrés is unable to reunite with his beloved Marta, it’s up to Vivo to travel to Miami, bringing the song Andrés wrote for her. Along the way, he acquires some very unlikely help in the form of Gabby, an eccentric Cuban American girl who gives “extra” a whole new meaning.

This is a strong movie, okay? It’s got a lot of slapsticky comedy, some sly jokes for the grownups, some type of female scout troop hell bent on saving the planet from humanity, and a wild adventure through the Everglades. The baseline animation is cute but ramps up to gorgeous in pivotal scenes, and the story has more than a few touching moments.

Chalk up another fine score from Miranda. As of this writing, I haven’t checked out the cast recording yet, so I’ve only heard the music once, but I really like a lot of the songs in this film. I especially like the beautiful “One More Song,” the energetic “My Own Drum,” and the uplifting “Keep the Beat.” Miranda has always had a talent for blending genres, and here, the different locales means he gets to play with traditional Cuban rhythms and Miami dance-music vibes, sometimes layering them over one another.

While Miranda’s other big efforts last year happened offscreen, here, he takes the starring role as Vivo himself. In some ways, Vivo is a classic excitable-Miranda-motormouth with a slightly higher-pitched voice, but he stands out as distinct too. I like that Vivo is jittery and methodical, that he’s freaked out by this adventure and constantly panicking but still manages to keep going. Young Ynairaly Simo is a hoot as Gabby, brimming with kookiness and verve, and she and Miranda pair really well together. The film also features Gloria Estefan as Marta, Zoe Saldana doing a nice, nuanced turn as Gabby’s mom, Michael Rooker (Yondu!) as a villainous snake, and Brian Tyree Henry and Nicole Byer as a hilarious pair of spoonbills.

Warnings

Scary moments for kids, plenty of “don’t try this at home,” and thematic elements.