You wait an age for a Latin-flavored animated film with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, then two come along at once. Sony Pictures Animation’s
Encanto will follow later in the year.
Only the first act of
Vivo is actually set in Latin America: Havana, Cuba, to be precise. But the rest of the story unfolds across a Florida shot through with the presence of the Cuban diaspora, and powered by propulsive pop-fusion tunes from the
Hamilton songwriter which run the gamut from mambo to hip hop.
Havana is home to Andrés (voiced by Buena Vista Social Club veteran Juan de Marcos), an old-time musician who now performs in the local plaza with his kinkajou Vivo (Miranda). Andrés can’t understand his monkey-like pet’s speech, but the pair communicate full well through their music until Andrés suddenly passes away. It falls to Vivo to fulfill his friend’s final wish: to deliver a message to Marta (Gloria Estefan), Andrés’s old bandmate and true love, in Miami. It’s a classic