{"id":138526,"date":"2021-08-10T15:38:58","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T05:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/?p=138526"},"modified":"2021-08-08T19:54:41","modified_gmt":"2021-08-08T09:54:41","slug":"vivo-netflix-movie-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblurb.com.au\/wp\/vivo-netflix-movie-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Vivo (Netflix) – movie review"},"content":{"rendered":"

For quite a while now, Disney\/Pixar has \u201cowned\u201d the animation space. The decline of Dreamworks Animation has left the field basically open to them. But competitors are emerging, including (relatively) smaller player Sony Pictures Animation<\/span>. Their first animated musical, Vivo, is a swing for the fences. Vivo sees the storied Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights<\/a>) team up with director Kirk DeMicco (The Croods) for a heartwarming hero\u2019s quest. And while it might not be a complete home run, it\u2019s probably a stand-up triple (to carry through the baseball analogy).<\/p>\n

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The story opens in Havana, where Andr\u00e9s (voiced by Juan de Marcos Gonz\u00e1lez) and his kinkajou Vivo (Miranda) play music to entertain crowds in the Plaza Vieja. On this particular day however, Andr\u00e9s is given the opportunity of a lifetime. His former musical partner Marta Sandoval (Gloria Estefan) has invited him to her farewell performance in Miami. Andr\u00e9s secretly loved Marta back in the day, but his attempt to profess that love were interrupted by an American promoter who whisked her off to the States. Now Andr\u00e9s finally has the chance to give her the song he wrote expressing his feelings. But fate will intervene. Andr\u00e9s passes away in the night, leaving Vivo alone.<\/p>\n

At the memorial service, Vivo encounters Rosa (Zoe Saldana) and her rebellious daughter Gabi (Ynairaly Simo). Andr\u00e9s was Gabi\u2019s great-uncle, but she doesn\u2019t really seem to be following in his footsteps. They live in Florida, and Gabi isn\u2019t musically talented, though she tries hard – often discordantly. A series of events sees Vivo end up in the family\u2019s home in Key West. When he\u2019s discovered, he\u2019s able to convey enough to Gabi to allow her to grasp the importance of Andr\u00e9s\u2019 song. She decides to get Vivo to Miami so he can deliver it to Marta. But Gabi\u2019s lack of planning sees the pain adrift in the Florida Everglades, where danger lurks around every bend.<\/p>\n

Just like the best Pixar films, Vivo has something for just about everyone. Kids will enjoy the cute animals and the poppets-in-peril storyline. Teens can get into Miranda\u2019s distinctive musical style (and might even learn something about Latin music); while DeMicco and co-screenwriter Quiara Alegr\u00eda Hudes pepper the script with enough jokes to keep adults amused. Of course, tears may be expected, and a heartfelt ending is assured.<\/p>\n