Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation unveiled the trailer for Vivo, an animated musical which premieres globally on 6 August. The Hamilton superstar is bringing musical shenanigans to the streaming platform as a kinkajou.
Lin-Manuel Miranda voices the titular character Vivo, who spends his days playing music with his beloved owner Andres. The film is directed by Kurt DeMicco, co-directed by Brandon Jeffords, and written by Miranda’s writing partner Quiara Alegria Hudes. Vivo co-stars Zoe Saldana, Michael Rooker, Brian Tyree Henry, Nicole Byer, among many others.
Production designer Carlos Zaragoza was particularly inspired by vintage Cuban travel posters, as well as the animation of German American expressionist Oskar Fischinger. He also benefited from a research trip to Havana with DeMicco and other filmmakers to soak up the local architecture, music, dancing, and colour.
Here’s the official synopsis: The film follows a one-of-a-kind kinkajou named Vivo, who spends his days playing music to the crowds in a lively Havana square with his beloved owner Andrés. Though they may not speak the same language, Vivo and Andrés are the perfect duo through their common love of music. But when tragedy strikes shortly after Andrés receives a letter from the famous Marta Sandoval, inviting her old partner to her farewell concert in Miami, Florida with the hope of reconnecting, it’s up to Vivo to deliver a message that Andrés never could: a love letter to Marta, written long ago, in the form of a song. Yet in order to get to the distant shores of Miami, Vivo will need to accept the help of Gabi – an energetic tween who bounces to the beat of her own offbeat drum.
The trailer gives us a preview of the songs, and they sound pretty catchy. The animation is quite colourful and it reveals Vivo going on an adventure to search for Andres’s lost love, Marta (Gloria Estefan). But Vivo isn’t alone, he has Gabi (Ynairaly Simo), a young girl who offers to help.
Oscar winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (Blade Runner 2049) serves as a visual consultant for the film, while Tony and Grammy winner Alex Lacamoire (The Greatest Showman) was another key player behind the scenes, serving as its composer and executive music producer. Vivo is produced by Lisa Stewart, Michelle Wong, and Oscar winner Rich Moore (Zootopia), with Miranda, Golden Globe winner Laurence Mark (Dreamgirls), and Louis Koo Tin Lok (The Mitchells vs. The Machines) serving as exec producers.
The film features all-new original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, a score by Alex Lacamoire, and a screenplay by Quiara Alegría Hudes and director Kirk DeMicco (The Croods).
Vivo will be streamed exclusively on Netflix from 6 August 2021.