It only took the better part of a century, but Puerto Ricans have finally broken into the highest echelons of the Hollywood machine, and it’s all thanks to one man. Indeed, immediately after picking up a Golden Globe nom for his work on the soundtrack of Disney’s Moana, Lin-Manuel Miranda has locked in yet another deal for an animated musical – and this time he’s bringing along his In the Heights writing partner, Boricua playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes.
Variety reports that in a deal with Sony Pictures Animation – which brought filmgoers recent hits like Hotel Transylvania and Open Season – Miranda and Hudes will be penning the music and screenplay, respectively, for Vivo. The project follows the adventures of a musically inclined monkey who travels from Havana to Miami in pursuit of his dreams – meaning the project’s Latino edge goes deeper than just the brains behind it. Not much else is known about the film at present, but judging from the synopsis there may be faint echoes of Fernando Trueba’s Academy Award-nominated Chico y Rita.
Signed on to direct is Kirk De Micco, known most recently for his work on The Croods and Space Chimps, while Lisa Stewart of Turbo will hold down production duties. In the meantime, Miranda should be busy enough with an upcoming reboot of Disney’s Mary Poppins, in which he takes a starring role alongside Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep and Colin Firth. And so, a new king is crowned.
Vivo is scheduled for release on December 18, 2020.