Vivo Review/ vivo Netflix Parent Review written by the Ent on 8/6/2021. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch the Movie Vivo on Netflix
Movie: Vivo
Rating: PG
Genre: Animated, Children’s
Length: 1 hr. 35 mins
Age suggested: 6 and up
Release Date: August 6th, 2021
Warnings: Death of parental figure, dark, scary creatures, intense and slow scenes
Quick Vivo Summary
Andres and Vivo are quite the pair. Andres plays the guitar and Vivo (who is a kinkajou monkey) dances and sings along. When disaster hits, Vivo must go on a mission of redemption and love. Along the way, Vivo meets Gabi, a spunky and unique girl who dances to the beat of her own drum. Together they go on an adventure of several lifetimes!
Vivo Review
–Why Watch Vivo (Spoiler Free)-
Vivo tells an incredibly powerful story of grief and love. Vivo, played by Lin Manuel Miranda, is such an incredibly likable and fun character. All the characters are unique, fun, and really add to the story. The music, created by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alex Lacamoire, really helps to build the world of the movie from the powerful empowerment ballads to the more somber songs.
We absolutely love that this is a well-made movie that represents both Cuban music. And with main characters that are diverse in multiple ways. The plot is easy to follow while being complex enough to be an interesting journey. The story is a lot more than what it first seems to be. Vivo is a beautiful movie for the whole family.
Continue reading for our Vivo Discussion Questions and Review
-Is Vivo appropriate? (SPOILERS INCLUDED)-
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
Vivo deals with some heavy topics, most of which happen right at the beginning of the movie. We immediately see death and grief. Nothing is overt or explicit, but the tone is very somber. There is also a subplot of a girl whose father has passed away. His death is not seen, but her grief is prevalent at points. Lastly, there is a jungle creature (a giant scary snake) that could be scary for young viewers. Overall, Vivo provides a sweet and powerful story that most viewers should be safe to view.
-Vivo Netflix Parent Review- (SPOILERS INCLUDED)
Vivo is Sony’s first animated musical. And if Pixar can make intense and deep animated children’s movies- why not Sony? There are several positives to this movie, from my perspective. The first is that we all are dealing with differing degrees of loss and grief right now. And it’s a good thing for this to be represented in kid’s entertainment to normalize grief being normal and OK. The second is that the animation, voice acting, and music were absolutely spectacular. The animation switches between a dreamlike state and a more realistic one.
But here’s where the movie lost me a little bit. The story was so heavy and slow at points that the switch between animation is really all that would hold a kid’s attention. And while I can absolutely see kids singing this soundtrack, I can’t see a majority of them asking to stream it multiple times. This is where Vivo will get its Netflix ranking/streaming results from. That being said, I did have to re-watch a large portion of the movie with my pre-schooler while I was reviewing this, and it kept her attention better than I thought it would. And she loved it.
My other critique (again, just with the story) is that I really don’t enjoy it when the whole story rides on kids successfully running away without a parent in a hugely dangerous situation with zero consequences. Because the kids viewing it do pick up on that. ‘Parents can’t possibly understand and running away always works out as a fabulous adventure.’ Maybe I’m just more sensitive to this as a foster parent, but it bothers me and is definitely something I will discuss with this movie. My generation had unrealistic views of romance, but I feel like this generation’s getting unrealistic views of solo adventures.
Vivo has a lot going for it, not the least of which is the voice acting and musical pizazz of Lin-Manuel Miranda. The voice acting was all fabulous in fact. I loved Zoe Saldana as the mom- so believable. Ynairaly Simo was fabulous as the super spunky pre-teen Gabi. And she really held her own, which is impressive considering who voiced Vivo, her mom, and Marta! Marta being voiced beautifully by Gloria Estefan.
So here’s where I personally land on this for a Vivo parent review. The movie was fabulous for adults, with lots of tears and laughs from me personally. I loved the representation in the movie. I think it will go over OK with kids, the soundtrack is going to catch on with a majority of people who watch it and it’s a great first animated musical for Sony.
Vivo Discussion Questions
Vivo Themes to Discuss: Unannounced Love, Purpose, Remembering loved ones, Purpose, Grief, Being yourself, Not being a bully, Adventure, Running Away, Parent and kid relationships
- Which was your favorite song and why?
- What similarities are there between Gabi and Andres?
- What is your favorite love song or story you’ve ever heard?
- How does Gabi’s journey help her cope with her own grief?
- Do you know how your parents and grandparents met? Take the time to discuss these stories.
- Not a question, but take a moment to discuss the importance of always letting family how much they are loved.
Thanks for reading our Vivo Discussion Questions and Review. Before you go, check out these other posts:
-Vivo Junior Novelization and 2022 Calendar
-7 Lessons from SOUL
-5 Lessons from Raya and the Last Dragon + Parent Review
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