Vivo gets Short Circuited to Jellystone! - Renegade Animation #32

Tonight, on a monkey brained episode of Renegade Animation, our Captain Kaye and the Animation Guru himself talk Lin-Manuel i Miranda's Vivo on Netflix, as well as check out Disney's second season of the Short Circuit series, and peep HBO Max's Jellystone!

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Hey there, fellow Renegades! THE DIRECTOR is incredibly sleep-deprived this time getting something special set for tomorrow! But my insomnia cursed state will not keep me from bringing you the latest in the world of animation from our doodling duo! We’ve got ANOTHER show where we talk about a Lin-Manuel Miranda project! That’s TWO this year since In the Heights… but this time it’s in the animation turf.

Did our resident animation experts enjoy it? Did Disney show some promising new talent? Did HBO knock it out of the park after spawning The Prince?! You’ll have to listen to find out!

For now, I’ll go ahead and kick it over to the Captain himself!

SHORT CIRCUIT (2020 - Current)

“Disney just released 5 new animated shorts as part of their Short Circuit series on Disney+, and each one is genuinely great! Say what you will about them as the giant corporation they are, but when it comes to giving fresh new talent in animation a platform, this is where I feel they shine the most.” - Captain Kaye

JELLYSTONE (2021 - Current)

“Finally got around to watching Jellystone! on HBO Max, and this show is freaking hilarious! Developed by Chowder creator C.H. Greenblatt, the series puts a radical new spin on all of the classic Hanna-Barbera characters. If you're a fan of Greenblatt's comedic sensibilities, or if you're just looking for a modern update on characters you grew up this, then I highly suggest giving this series a chance!” - Captain Kaye

VIVO (2021)

“Full disclosure, I watched this movie the day after my great-uncle passed away, so for me this may hit differently than for others. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish, it was basically everything I wanted it to be, and then some. Vivo has been a passion project for LMM as far back as 2010, hot off the success of In The Heights on Broadway. At the time, the film was set up at Dreamworks Animation, but was dropped due to restructuring. By 2016, it was acquired by Sony Pictures Animation, and the rest is history. The reason I bring all this up is because, as I was watching this, I could feel that burning passion throughout every frame, every note, and every lyric. Speaking of In The Heights, this film reunites Lin with his co-writer Quiara Alegria Hudes and composer Alex Lacamoire, and they honestly make a great team. We saw already with Moana how well animation fits Miranda's musical stylings like a glove, and Vivo is simply the logical conclusion. I know it might be cliché to compare his career to the late Howard Ashman, but it mean it sincerely when I say that Miranda really is picking up where he left off. As a performer, I can say with confidence that his singing has certainly improved since Hamilton, and in this movie it works because he sells the emotion in each song. The rest of this cast is incredible. Grabbing Juan de Marcos González and Gloria Estefan to voice Andrés and Marta respectively was a stroke of genius, and each of their musical numbers brought me to tears. But the true standout performance was Ynairaly Simo as Gabi Hernandéz, Andrés' grand-niece. She radiates a wild, chaotic energy that's a great foil to Vivo's de facto straight man. Between this movie and The Mitchells vs the Machines, Sony Pictures Animation has basically established permanent residency at the top of my list for 2021! If you're a fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda, or you're simply in the mood for a fun animated musical romp, then I highly suggest checking out Vivo!“ - Captain Kaye

Well, that’ll do it for this episode! I’m heading back to the mines of Adobe Premiere Pro to finish up the big thing for tomorrow. Special thanks to Cameron for editing this episode, and we’ll see you guys VERY soon!