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Vivo: Lin-Manuel Miranda voices a singing kinkajou in trailer for Netflix's animated musical

By Josh Weiss
VIVO Still

Lin-Manuel Miranda once again shows his incredibly prolificness with the official trailer for Vivo. Hitting Netflix next Friday, the animated musical stars the Hamilton creator as the voice of the titular character — a talking kinkajou (sometimes known as the rainforest "honey bear") living in Cuba.

Vivo spends his days in the town square, entertaining the masses with his beloved owner, Andrés (Juan de Marcos). When Andrés is invited to the farewell tour of his old partner, the famous Marta Sandoval (Gloria Estefan), he instructs Vivo to deliver a message he never could: a confession of love in the form of a song. To fulfill his mission, the talented honey bear teams up with Gabi (newcomer Ynairaly Simo), an enthusiastic tween who dances to the beat of her own offbeat drum.

Watch the trailer below:

DreamWorks Animation veteran Kirk DeMicco (The Croods) directed the movie, which he co-directed with Brandon Jeffords (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2). DeMicco co-wrote the screenplay alongside Quiara Alegría Hudes (she wrote the book for In the Heights). Naturally, Miranda was on deck to provide some original songs.

“I was able to write in many different styles and really explore the rich vocabulary of Cuban music,” he says in the production notes. “I had so much fun working again with my frequent collaborator, Alex Lacamoire, on this project. To dive into the songs of musical giants such as Celia Cruz and the Buena Vista Social Club was such a formidable experience. Alex grew up in Miami and his parents are from Cuba, so he helped us get that real authentic flavor and sound throughout the whole movie."

“There is such richness in Cuban music," adds Lacamoire. "The people of Cuba have this fire and passion in their songs and rhythms, and you want to honor that on the big screen. There is pride in seeing yourself and your family represented in the arts."

Zoe Saldaña (Rosa), Brian Tyree Henry (Dancarino), Michael Rooker (Lutador), Nicole Byer (Valentina), Katie Lowes (Becky), Olivia Trujillo (Eva), and Lidya Jewett (Sarah) also lend their voices to the project.

Vivo lands on Netflix Friday, Aug. 6.