Vivo (2021)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A music-loving kinkajou embarks on a journey to deliver a special love song to a retiring singer.
The story
In Havana, Cuba, a kinkajou named Vivo and his owner, Andrés Hernández, perform music together. When Andrés receives a letter from his old friend Marta Sandoval announcing her retirement and inviting him to Miami to confess his love through a song, Vivo is initially reluctant to help. However, after Andrés passes away, Vivo vows to deliver the song himself. He stows away with Andrés' niece-in-law Rosa and her daughter Gabi to Key West, Florida. Together, they face various obstacles, including a girl scout troop and a heavy rain storm in the Everglades, as they attempt to reach Marta's show in Miami.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Havana, Cuba, Andrés Hernández and his kinkajou Vivo perform music in the plaza. After Andrés receives a letter from his old friend Marta Sandoval announcing her retirement and inviting him to Miami to confess his love through a song, Andrés dies in his sleep. Vivo, feeling guilty for his initial reluctance to help, stows away in the luggage of Andrés' niece-in-law Rosa and her daughter Gabi as they head to Key West, Florida. Gabi agrees to help Vivo deliver the song. They are delayed by a girl scout troop called the Sand Dollars and eventually get separated in a storm in the Everglades, where the song is lost. During their travels, Vivo helps a roseate spoonbill named Dancarino win the heart of Valentina, and they are rescued from a Burmese python named Lutador. Later, the Sand Dollars are found to have the song, but it is destroyed during an attack by Lutador. Realizing they can recreate the song from memory, Vivo and Gabi travel to Miami. They sneak into the Mambo Cabana where Marta is mourning Andrés. Vivo delivers the song, revitalizing Marta to perform. Finally, Rosa and Gabi reunite with Vivo, and they all attend the concert. Vivo decides to stay in Florida with Gabi and Rosa, and the group puts on their own show in Key West.
- First release year
- 2021
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Kirk DeMicco
- Writers
- Kirk DeMicco · screenplay; Quiara Alegría Hudes · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Lin-Manuel Miranda · Vivo; Ynairaly Simo · Gabi Hernández; Zoe Saldaña · Rosa Hernández; Juan de Marcos González · Andrés Hernández; Brian Tyree Henry · Dancarino; Gloria Estefan · Marta Sandoval
- Genres
- musical comedy; animated; comedy
- Themes
- unrequited love; family bonds; legacy
- Tone and mood
- sweet; colorful; romantic
- Setting
- Havana, Cuba; Key West, Florida; and Miami, Florida during the early 2020s.
- Premise and plot tags
- talking animals; musical adventure; road trip
- Source material / true-story basis
- original idea by Peter Barsocchini
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the animation and music, though some critics found the story to be simple or generic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 86% · review count: 104; Metacritic · score: 66 · scale: 100 · review count: 22
- Production trivia
- Sony Pictures Animation acquired the project in December 2016.; Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote 11 songs for the film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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