Movie Review: "Vivo"

Overall Thoughts: Sweet, colorful, memorable musical nearly rivals Disney's best from the past decade.

In the animated musical arena, Disney has pretty much been king for decades. And, in the 2010's, they tightened their grip thanks to major hits such as Tangled, Frozen and its sequel, and Moana. And thanks to the success of the latter, Lin Manuel Miranda became one of the most in-demand names in Hollywood. And, thank goodness, another animation studio (Sony Animation) secured his talents for Vivo. With 11 original songs and an appealing Latin-Cuban vibe, it seemed like the perfect recipe for success.

And for the most part, Vivo lives up to its' potential as a true original musical. It all starts with the soundtrack, which is absolutely terrific. Perhaps even more so than Hamilton and In the Heights, Miranda's soundtrack here feels more balanced between soaring traditional numbers with his signature rap, hip-hop feel. A few songs stand out as very memorable. "Keep the Beat" and "One More Song" are instant winners, while "One of a Kind" works as a terrific opener and closer that feels also close in kin to The Greatest Showman. The ending song, "Keep the Song Inside Your Heart" is wonderful, while "My Own Drum" is the kind of ear-worm kids will be singing for days. Alex Laicamore's music score is wonderful too.

In addition to that, the plot mostly backs up the soundtrack with a solid and heartfelt script that's among the more original stories I've seen in recent memory. Quiara Alegria Hudes (In the Heights) and director Kirk DeMicco do a fantastic job setting up the emotional stakes, as the movie goes from its intro to its rising action fairly quickly. The middle loses a little bit of ground, but remains mostly entertaining. Then the film regains its footing with an ending act that is well-written, and emotionally-effective.

As the titular character, Miranda makes a successful feature voice acting debut (he previously played a recurring character in the Ducktales reboot). His titular character is adorable, memorable, and showcases some solid emotion here and there as well. He also nails some solid one-liner comedy as well. As Gabi, Ynairaly Simo starts off a little bit on the eccentric side, but becomes more lovable and memorable along the way. Juan de San Marcos and Gloria Estefan are terrific as well, bringing bits of emotional depth to Andres and Marta. In smaller roles, Amber Riley, Brian Tyree Henry and Zoe Saldana are solid too.

The animation is colorful and bright (including a creative spin on the Columbia logo). Some hand-drawn animated moments work as unique touches. The backgrounds are picturesque while not becoming too photo-realistic. The camerawork (with Oscar-winner Roger Deakins serving as a consultant) is swooping and cinematic, with a nostalgic CinemaScope approach to the proceedings.

On the downside, the middle act does feature a few too many supporting characters and diversions. Michael Rooker is pretty much wasted in his role as a villainous snake who hates noise. A group of obsessive girl scouts seem to overstay their welcome, even though they take a turn for the better as the film goes on. And a few other minor characters obviously intended for comic relief don't quite hit their intended target. However, by the time the film gets to its riveting final act, these missteps can be nearly forgiven.

That being said, Vivo is another major win for Sony Pictures Animation and Miranda. While the middle act might lag a bit at times, the overall final film delivers a refreshingly original story, terrific soundtrack, great characters, appealing animation and a superb ending. It's the type of movie that I wish could have released in theaters. But, regardless of how its' seen, Vivo is a terrific movie for all ages, and definitely one of the best non-Disney animated movies of the past decade.

Grade: A-

Is this movie family friendly? Vivo is rated PG for "some mild action and thematic elements". Themes of death and loss are touched on, but not fully explored. It may be a little upsetting for some younger children, however, as will a lightly scary-looking giant snake. Slapstick violence and dangerous stunts (Gabi lodging herself between rising areas of a drawbridge, for example), and a couple of minor toilet jokes. I would recommend this movie for ages 5 or 6 and up.