From the studio that brought you Oscar® winner Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse (2018, Best Animated Feature Film) and the critically acclaimed The Mitchells vs. The Machines — comes Vivo, an animated musical adventure featuring all-new songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda. Vivo, a one-of-a kind kinkajou, spends his days playing music with his beloved owner Andrés. But when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Vivo to deliver a message that Andrés never could: A love letter to his old partner, the famous Marta Sandoval, in the form of a song. Yet in order to get to Marta, who lives a world apart, Vivo will need the help of Gabi – an energetic tween who bounces to the beat of her own offbeat drum – to fulfill his owner’s wishes.

For in-depth thoughts on Vivo, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original streaming release here.

Video Quality

Vivo comes to Blu-Ray with a mesmerizing and vibrant 1080p transfer. The level of care and detail these animators put into every distinct environment shines through here. Black levels are very strong with no hint of compression artifacts or digital anomalies of the sort. Viewers are treated to a dazzling array of colors that are practically leaping off the screen with the wide range of hues permeating every inch of the frame. The textures, from the character designs to the environments, are extremely impressive and give the film a real sense of depth. The fluidity of the character designs is one of the aspects of this film that stands out the most in high definition. Take a look at Vivo and admire all of the individual strands of hair that are unique and flowing in a way that is natural without losing the heightened cuteness of his animated design. You really cannot expect much more from a modern film on Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray shows off with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that gives this musical film a glorious presentation. It is this music that is the lifeblood of the film, and this track pumps every song straight through your body in a really exciting, enveloping way. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear without ever getting lost amongst the competing music or sound effects. This track leans heavily on the front channels for a good portion of the sounds, but activity kicks in to the surrounds and rears during the more kinetic and action-oriented bits along with the musical soundscape. The low end effects from the subwoofer give certain moments that extra kick to ramp up the fun. Atmospheric sound effects are rendered appropriately within the mix so that directionality is never an issue. Sony has preserved a great audio experience for this one.

Special Features

Sing Along Edition: An option to watch the film with lyrics on screen.

“My Own Drum (Remix)” Lyric Video: A three-minute version of the song from the film now with Missy Elliott.

Behind The Animation: A four-minute look at the design of the film, the creation of the world and the characters in it, the different animation styles and more.

Final Thoughts

Vivo did not get a ton of shine when it debuted on Netflix last summer, but it was easily one of the best animated surprises from last year, topping many more popular titles from Disney in terms of pure enjoyment. The story is not completely unique in terms of story beats, but it is told from a perspective which feels fresh. The songs courtesy of Lin-Manuel Miranda are joyous and full of energy in a way that makes you want to jump around in your seat. There are a ton of laughs throughout which are good for both a younger audience and adults. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a magnificent A/V presentation and a few brief supplemental materials. This film is a pure joy and you owe it to yourself to give it a spin. Highly Recommended

Vivo is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.