What Vivo Gets Right About Childhood Grief
Vivo is often talked about as a fun, colorful children’s movie filled with music and adventure. But from a childhood grief perspective, it is also one of the most emotionally insightful family films I have watched.
Not only is it beautifully made, but the way it portrays grief in both children and adults feels deeply human.
Vivo is a kinkajou who loses the only family he has ever known - Andrés. His safe person. His home. His routine. His connection.
At the same time, we meet Gabby - a loud, spirited, emotionally expressive little girl who is also grieving the loss of her dad.
And while the movie is full of humor and chaos, underneath it is a story about what grief actually does to families.
Gabby’s mom is now trying to navigate life as a single mother while carrying her own heartbreak. Throughout the movie, you can almost feel her nervous system living in survival mode. She is overwhelmed, protective, exhausted, and trying to hold everything together while parenting a child whose grief comes out through energy, impulsivity, and emotional intensity.
That is real life for many grieving families.
Children rarely process grief the same way adults do. They often process through movement, imagination, purpose, play, questions, and connection.
And that is what makes the relationship between Vivo and Gabby so special.
The two of them find a mission together:
To deliver a love song to Marta - a woman who never truly knew how much Andrés loved her.
That mission gives both of them something grief often steals:
Purpose.
Children experiencing grief frequently need something physical and meaningful to do. They need safe adults willing to move with them through the grief rather than expecting them to quietly “get over it.”
Sometimes healing looks like:
drawing pictures
collecting rocks or flowers
helping plan a memorial
telling stories
singing songs
creating routines
going on walks
caring for pets
delivering a message of love
Children process through action and connection.
And one of the most beautiful moments in the movie is not actually the grand finale - it is the quieter emotional healing between Gabby and her mom.
They reconnect through mutual vulnerability.
Not perfection.
Not having all the answers.
Not “being strong.”
Just honesty, love, tears, and connection.
That is often where healing begins.
And in the end, Vivo places a flower beside Andrés’ picture and begins accepting that love did not disappear simply because someone died.
He also discovers something incredibly important after loss:
A new safe family can still exist.
That message matters deeply for grieving children.
Grief changes us. It reshapes families. It can make children feel unsafe, overwhelmed, angry, anxious, or disconnected.
But healing often happens through safe relationships, shared purpose, emotional honesty, and love that remains present even after loss.
Vivo captures that beautifully.
-Kelly Jones, MSN-Ed, RN, PHN
Founder of Rooted Hearts Initiative
