VIVO is pure enchantment! An animated musical adventure that is magical, joyous, and fun! And dare I say it now, but this is THE Best Animated Feature of the Year!
The heartwarming tale of Vivo, a one-of-kind kinkajou (aka rainforest “honey bear”) who fills his days playing music in a bustling and charming Havana square with his best friend/owner/human parent Andres, will have your heart smiling from beginning to end, as well as shedding a few happy and sad tears along the way. Thanks to the musical talents of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film is filled with songs that will have you tapping your toes, dancing in your seats, and singing along to catchy refrains, all capturing the energy and adventure of VIVO!
Written by Kirk DeMicco and Quiara Alegria Hudes, and directed by DeMicco with co-director Brandon Jeffords, visually and emotionally we are immersed in VIVO, especially when tragedy strikes for Vivo and Andres after Andres receives a letter from his long lost love, the famous singer Marta Sandoval. Marta wants Andres to join her in Miami for her farewell performance. But sadly, it doesn’t appear that this is meant to be and it falls to Vivo to deliver a message to Marta from Andres; a message in the form of a love song written decades ago by Andres for Marta. But just how far will a little kinkajou get in the big wide unknown world? Looks like pretty darn far once he meets Gabi, a high octane energy tween who has a love of music, a love of adventure, and much like Vivo, marches to the beat of her own drum.
VIVO is a musical in the truest sense of the word with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs and their lyrics doing exactly what songs were designed to do back in Hollywood’s musical heyday at MGM – substitute for dialogue and capture emotion. MGM’s Arthur Freed would be dancing in the aisles with this film. (The irony is that this is Sony’s first animated musical and home to Sony is the old MGM studio lot in Culver City, California.) The songs are fabulous as Miranda melds different tempos and musical styles and then incorporates instrumentation that captures that tropical Cuban vibe – even with Gabi’s more “boombastic” musical stylings. But then composer Alex Lacamoire delivers a score that is a perfect mesh with Manuel’s songs, providing a wonderful connective thread that ebbs and flows like the waters between Cuba and Miami. Listening to Miranda both sing and voice our little hero Vivo, he is so distinctive that you see his face and movements and gestures in your head. But then add Gloria Estefan to the mix voicing and singing for Marta. The “Para Marta” love song is exquisite and to hear Estefan sing it gave me goosebumps…and a few tears. VIVO is a perfect example of the power of music in animation.
But talk about the animation and visual design! WOW! Acclaimed cinematographic master Roger Deakins is onboard as a cinematographic consultant on VIVO and it shows. This entire film is lit and shot like a live-action musical film and structured like a Hollywood film presentation in the Golden Age. When was the last time you saw superimpositions and dissolves in an animated film? The visuals are glorious. And how about aerials and zoom-outs? You don’t typically see that in animation. I was enthralled by the visuals. Mouth agape. Eyes wide open. Then we’ve got a mix of animation styles going from photorealism to some chalk and pen/ink drawings plus the wonderful 2D old-school animation used for memories and dreams. So perfectly done.
When we talk about VIVO there is such a wealth of visual metaphor and so much of that comes with color. Great thought went into specific imagery and color choices. Just look at the Florida Everglades. Star-crossed Spoonbills bring in soft orange-tinged pinks of the clouds you find in a Maxfield Parrish painting like “Electra Become Morning” or “Daybreak.” The Caribbean water vibe is beautiful with the true jewel tones of the aquas and sea foam greens of the water which are then contrasted with the vibrant rich greens of the dense Everglades foliage (and a hungry python named Lutador) as well the bright greens and yellows of turtles. The pink and seafoam color contrasts are exquisite. Interesting is that Marta is glistening in green, which is tied to Vivo’s green scarf and a ribbon on his hat, but these greens are somewhere in the middle of the color spectrum; not Florida and not Cuba, but a tonal meeting in the middle and with Marta bedazzling in a jacquard silk gown with the sparkling satin finish that could rival anything by Orry-Kelly. Green also ties in some of Gabi’s peers, gung-ho Girl Scout-like cookie sellers who go from being adversaries to superstars in the Everglades. VIVO is all about life and the use of green speaks to “go” and metaphorically to the vibrancy of life.
Purple is also standout as it ties together the idea of family. Gabi wears purple and has very purple purple purple hair and eyeshadow, while Vivo’s facial area is lavender, and lavender also finds its way to Gabi’s mom Rosa as eyeshadow (dare we think that Gabi was in mom’s makeup drawer?) This tacitly and metaphorically brings Vivo, Gabi, and Rosa together as a family unit.
While Miami is glossier and deep with blues and neon, Havana has a deeper richer palette with earthy tones like rust and warm brown woods and patterned carpet in Andres’ home. Even the buildings in the town and around the square are earthier speaking to the deep connection of the people and their roots.
I was gobsmacked by one animated shot of the Havana coast and the road that curves around the water. That is actually Cuba; not an imaginary scene, but Havana. Sergio Navaretta has that same shot in his film “The Cuban” so it really popped to see it animated in VIVO. The attention to detail on every level is exquisite.
This story is filled with heart from beginning to end. In dialogue, in song lyrics, in visuals, in emotions. The story is charming and grabs you the first moment we see the Columbia lady logo statue become backlit and silhouetted playing a flute as the curtains are pulled back and we are introduced to Vivo and Andres with song while telling the story of their relationship. And the story and emotion just build from there. A very interesting aspect of the film is how Vivo is anthropomorphized and talking so we know what words he’s saying or singing and so do Andres and Gabi and the other non-human creatures in the film BUT we also get the little honey bear sounds reminding us he’s really just an adorable honey bear and not actually talking. It’s a tact that could have worked or failed, but it works beautifully and just endears Vivo to you even more. And could the animation of Vivo’s eyes and expressions be any more adorable?
Action sequences are fun, even a tad scary during the storm in the Everglades, but very well executed and animated, with some rapier editing by Erika Dapkewicz to keep us on the edge of our seats with eyes wide open and fingers crossed as time is running out for Vivo to fulfill his mission.
Emotions are not only believable but palpable and resonate on many levels. But this truly comes down to the friendship and love between Vivo and Andres, and then Vivo and Gabi, all of which is built on the voice talents. As Vivo, Lin-Manuel Miranda is beyond reproach. He is perfection, bringing wide-eyed wonder, yet lots of wisdom to the vocal inflections of this little kinkajou. Juan de Marcos González delights as Andres providing not only a paternal tone when talking to Vivo but dreamlike wistfulness of Andres’ younger days. A big big welcome for newcomer Ynairaly Simo who makes Gabi the most energetic, effervescent, and ebullient character we’ve seen on screen in a long time. No shortage of energy or enthusiasm in Gabi and even in what could be some scary moments is reassuring and encouraging. Can’t wait to see what this young lady does in the future! Like Miranda, Gloria Estefan is perfection as Marta Sandoval; be it in voice or in song, we hear a life lived in her voice, but with longing. Beautifully done. Zoe Saldana gives Gabi’s mother Rosa those well-known kinds of maternal shakedowns all the necessary gravitas and love. A fun surprise in VIVO is Michael Rooker who provides a menacing and entertaining take on the hungry python Lutador. Between Rooker’s voicing and the glossy larger-than-life animation of Lutador, Kaa in “The Jungle Book” may be getting a run for the money as the most dangerous serpent around.
Technical excellence. Story excellence. Musical perfection. Life, love, friendship, family. I hear Oscar calling. Viva VIVO!
Directed by Kirk DeMicco
Written by Kirk DeMicco and Quiara Alegria Hudes
Voice Cast: Lin-Manuel Miranda (Vivo), Zoe Saldaña (Rosa), Juan de Marcos (Andrés), Brian Tyree Henry (Dancarino), Michael Rooker (Lutador), Nicole Byer (Valentina), introducing Ynairaly Simo (Gabi), and Gloria Estefan (Marta)
by debbie elias, 07/22/2021
VIVO is on Netflix on August 6, 2021
