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Netflix review: Lin-Manuel Miranda's music lifts kinetic 'Vivo'

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Fred Hawson

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A scene from " src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/08/08/vivo.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from &#x27;Vivo.&#x27; <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Elderly musician Andres Hernandez earned a living playing music with his cute pet kinkajou named Vivo at the park in Havana. One day, a famous singer Marta Sandoval invited Andres to join her onstage in her concert in Miami. Andres had loved Marta when they were partners in music before, but Andres had not been able to confess his feelings of love for her before she left for the US to pursue her singing career. </p><p>When Andres could not make the trip, Vivo decided to bring the song Andres wrote for Marta to her, with the help of Andres&#x27; grand-niece from Key West, Gabi. Gabi was a feisty 10-year old little girl with purple hair who marched to the beat of her own drum, much to the distress of her concerned mother Rosa. When Gabi understood Vivo&#x27;s mission, she brought him and the song to Miami in time so Marta could somehow get perform it.</p><p>This new Sony Animations film played heavily on the musical stylings of Havana, Cuba to its highly fantastical story of undeclared love and unflinching loyalty. You can hear Lin-Manuel Miranda sprightly tenor vocals clearly from the syncopated &quot;Hamilton&quot;-like beats of the opening songs &quot;One of a Kind&quot; featuring the rich baritone singing voice of Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos Gonzalez. Aside from his distinctive rapping, Miranda would also belt out a ballad &quot;One More Song.&quot;</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BOe8L69JpVI?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>Miranda&#x27;s earworm-y song &quot;Keep the Beat&quot; featured the idiosyncratic high-pitched vocals of Ynairaly Simo as Gabi. Her unique singing voice will take some time to get used to as it can be too energetic for comfort, especially in her solo &quot;My Own Drum.&quot; It was so heart-warming to hear the earthy vocals of &#x27;80s pop star Gloria Estefan again singing as Marta. Her highlight is her rendition of &quot;Inside Your Heart,&quot; the love song Andres wrote for Marta. </p><p>While the idea of using a kinkajou as a central character was cute, the film awkwardly used the environmental advocacy of the girl scouts as a main area of conflict. The main story of a child going against the wishes of a parent is already a very common theme in these kids films. </p><p>The &quot;fun&quot; misadventures of Gabi and Vivo en route to Miami -- biking high-speed on an expressway, trying to jump across an opening drawbridge, riding a makeshift raft through the Everglades swamp with all the alligators and snakes -- may be too scary for small kids. </p><p>This review was originally published in the author&#x27;s blog, &quot;<a href="https://said-fred.blogspot.com/2021/08/netflix-review-of-vivo-kinetic-kinkajou.html">Fred Said</a>.&quot;</p>

The new Sony Animations film 'Vivo' played heavily on the musical stylings of Havana, Cuba to its highly fantastical story of undeclared love and unflinching loyalty. 