Story
Andrés (voice of Juan de Marcos González) is a retired band leader. With his loyal animal companion, Vivo (voice of Lin-Manuel Miranda), a small golden kinkajou, he performs on the streets of Havana, Cuba. One day Andrés receives an invitation from his long-lost sweetheart and former musical partner, Marta Sandoval (voice of Gloria Estefan), to join her for her very last performance in Miami. Andrés dreams of going to Miami and finally telling Marta how much he loves her, but Vivo doesn’t want to leave Cuba.
On the morning of their departure, Vivo wakes to find that Andrés has died quietly in his sleep. In Andrés’s hand is a beautiful song he has composed for Marta. Vivo decides he must make it to Miami and fulfil Andrés’s wish to share the song with Marta before her last performance.
Andrés’s niece Rosa (voice of Zoe Saldana) and her quirky daughter Gabi (voice of Ynairaly Simo) come to Havana for their uncle’s funeral. Vivo hitches a ride in their suitcase back to America so that he can get to Miami on time. Of course, things don’t quite go to plan. Gabi, with much delight, discovers the stowaway kinkajou and insists on helping him get to Miami.
Together, the unlikely duo embarks on an adventure through Florida, including the wilderness of the Everglades national park and the glitzy boulevards of Miami. Here they hope to make it in time for Marta’s last performance.
Themes
Music; Latin music and culture; neurodiversity; endangered animals; adventure; death and death of a parent
Violence
Vivo has some mild slapstick violence. For example, Vivo throws things from a backpack at some girls riding scooters as he and Gabi try to outrun them on a bike.
Sexual references
Vivo has some romantic references. For example:
- Andrés loves Marta. There are flashbacks to their youth when they danced together.
- Two spoonbill birds fall in love and sing romantic songs to each other.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There’s no use of substances in Vivo.
Nudity and sexual activity
There’s no nudity and sexual activity in Vivo.
Product placement
There’s no product placement in Vivo.
Coarse language
There is some coarse language in Vivo, including ‘butt’.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Vivo is a fun and heart-warming musical adventure with an engaging plot and some very catchy songs. The animation is vibrant, there is great diversity in the characters, and Vivo the kinkajou is very cute. With some big-name Latin music artists involved, this movie is a great way for young children to experience the joy and complexity of Cuban music.
Vivo is best suited for families with children aged 6 years and over. We recommend parental guidance for children aged 6-8 years.
The main message from this movie is that sometimes other people’s dreams are worth fighting for, even if it means we have to make a sacrifice. Another theme that runs throughout is the amazing power of music to create bridges between people.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include:
- being brave enough to step outside your comfort zone
- being comfortable in your own skin and not worrying about conforming
- sacrificing your own desires for the good of others
- learning to grieve and say goodbye.
This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of risk-taking. For example, Gabi is a risk-taker and often doesn’t think much about the consequences of her actions. You could talk with your children about how Gabi could reach her goals without getting into so much trouble and danger.