According to Deadline, Netflix has landed the global rights (with the exception of China) to Sony Pictures Animation's Vivo, an animated musical starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also wrote the music.
Vivo will follow a "one-of-kind kinkajou (Miranda), who spends his days playing music to the crowds in a lively Havana square with his beloved owner Andrés (Juan de Marcos González). 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 (Gloria Estefan), inviting her old partner to her farewell concert in Miami 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 (Ynairaly Simo) – an energetic tween who bounces to the beat of her own offbeat drum." The film was directed by Kirk DeMicco (The Croods), who also co-wrote the script with Quiara Alegría Hudes. In a statement, Lin-Manuel Miranda said:
Bringing Vivo to life has been an incredible artistic journey. I couldn’t ask for better creative partners than Kirk, Quiara, Alex and the entire team at Sony Animation. I’m so excited Vivo will have a home at Netflix, where kids of all ages will be able to enjoy the film’s songs and adventures again and again.
Kirk DeMicco added: "Inspired by the words and music of Lin-Manuel, Quiara, and Alex, hundreds of artists at Sony Pictures Animation worked through uncharted and difficult times, bringing passion and beauty to every frame of the film. And as a musical, Vivo is a love letter to Latin music and this movie couldn’t exist without the heartfelt work of our vocal talent, including Gloria Estefan, Juan de Marcos, Zoe Saldana, Brian Tyree Henry, Ynairaly Simo and many others. I speak for everyone who helped make Vivo when I say we couldn’t be happier that our film can soon be enjoyed safely by millions of families on Netflix." Vivo also stars Zoe Saldana, Michael Rooker, Brian Tyree Henry, Nicole Byer, Leslie David Baker, and more. The film was once slated to hit theaters on June 4th, but it's not known just when Netflix will release it now that it's in their hands. While announcing the news on Twitter, Netflix said, "It's true: VIVO is coming to Netflix! Ever seen a kinkajou sing? Tomorrow you will," which seems to indicate that we'll get our first trailer tomorrow. Stay tuned!