You wait an age for a Latin-flavored animated film with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, then two come along at once. Sony Pictures Animation’s
Encanto will follow later in the year.
Only the first act of
Vivo is actually set in Latin America: Havana, Cuba, to be precise. But the rest of the story unfolds across a Florida shot through with the presence of the Cuban diaspora, and powered by propulsive pop-fusion tunes from the
Hamilton songwriter which run the gamut from mambo to hip hop.
Havana is home to Andrés (voiced by Buena Vista Social Club veteran Juan de Marcos), an old-time musician who now performs in the local plaza with his kinkajou Vivo (Miranda). Andrés can’t understand his monkey-like pet’s speech, but the pair communicate full well through their music until Andrés suddenly passes away. It falls to Vivo to fulfill his friend’s final wish: to deliver a message to Marta (Gloria Estefan), Andrés’s old bandmate and true love, in Miami. It’s a classic
The Mitchells vs. the Machines feels apt: it adds a layer of meta significance to an already very self-reflexive film.
Mitchells is interested in the role of tech in our world particularly the intrusion of screens into family life and it will now be watched at home, on small screens, vying for viewers’ attention with the smartphones in their pockets.
Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) is a teenage misfit and keen amateur filmmaker: her viral Youtube videos have secured her a place at California College of Film, which she’s about to take up. Her artistic efforts are largely ignored by her father Rick (Danny McBride), whose technophobia has created a rift between them. In a clumsy attempt to make amends, he organizes a surprise family road trip, which goes awry when the world’s machines stage a diabolical uprising.