Vivo Movie Review: A musical with gorgeous visuals and a hearty dose of fun and drama, with a few clichés

A Sony Pictures Animation film directed by Kirk DeMicco and Brandon Jeffords, Vivo is a 95-minute CG animation film that centres around Vivo (Lin-Manuel Miranda), a musically-talente, energetic kinkajou (a tropical mammal that looks like an adorable monkey-cat hybrid) performing on the streets of Havana, Cuba, with his owner Andrés (Juan de Marcos).The film grabs your attention since the very beginning with its gorgeous bright neons and pastels and the modern Caribbean set up. The opening number shows the duo in Havana’s Plaza Vieja. performing a rap version of Broadway with a good amount of local flavour. Indeed fun and enjoyable! If fact, the song treats us to some of Miranda’s niftiest rhyming couplets and showcases his love of music, language and wordplay. Apart from writing 11 original songs, Miranda has also voiced the titular Vivo. However, after a tragedy, there is a twist in the plot. Andrés receives a letter from his long-lost love, the now-famous singer Marta Sandoval (Gloria Estefan). Andrés and Marta's romantic past is played out in a dreamlike setting but in a charming 2D aesthetic. Now, Vivo must journey to Florida to deliver a love song to Marta in time for her last Miami show. This requires a stopover in Key West — and a partnership with Andrés' grandniece, 10-year-old Gabi (Ynairaly Simo) who lives in Miami with her mother. As they travel through the Everglades together, they have to deal with an unexpected storm , a vicious python voiced by Michael Rooker, as well as a lovelorn spoonbill who'd prefer dying over having a mate-less future. Other characters - three Girl Scouts and Gabi’s frustrated mother — manage to add some humor and drama to the film. Simo as Gabi is certainly charismatic, confident and someone eccentric with a drum obsession. Gabi's "My Own Drum" is an original Miranda composition, like every other song in the film, and a good one. With its cheerful beginning, struggles and heart-melting ending, Vivo has its share of ups and downs that give messages of love, courage, empathy and teamwork. However, the film seems a bit predictable and stretched in some parts. The highlight of the film is Miranda's music. And why not? It makes sense that music is the strong point of a musical. It's all about the rhythm and beat. A great writer and performer, Miranda's song ‘Dance To The Beat Of My Own Drum’ is likely to stick with you for a long time. To sum it, the film is family friendly and mostly worth your time. A nice one to watch on a weekend with your kids!