PG: for thematic elements

Disney, Pixar

1 Hr and 49 Minutes (Plus 20 because of Olaf’s Frozen Adventure which wasn’t attached to my screening)

Dir: Lee Unkrich | Writers: Adrian Molina, Matthew Aldrich

Voice Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renée Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguia, Edward James Olmos, Natalia Cordova-Buckley

INTRO: It’s not a frequent occasion when Pixar releases two films a year. The only year that happened was 2015 where we had the release of both, “Inside Out” and “The Good Dinosaur.” One was an emotional rollercoaster of a movie, and the other was just a meh movie with perfect animation. This year we had “Cars 3” which was several notches above of the meter of meh and now we have “Coco” which I’ve been anticipating ever since its announcement.

Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

THE GOOD

IS THIS EVEN ANIMATION ANYMORE?

With every movie, Pixar always proves that (animation wise) they are the best at what they do. Their animation game is the best in the business and no one can either deny or reach their level. If their movies ever lack in story, the hypnotic vibrancy of the animation will do its work. For example, “The Good Dinosaur” wasn’t all that great in accounts of the story, but its realistic texture of the landscape backgrounds made it such a mesmerizing watch. With “Coco,” every aspect of the animation is realized and has broken the glass ceiling.

Every shot from Miguel’s face, his clothing, and the settings are animated with such detail that is breathtaking. There are moments where the way these characters’ move is so lifelike that even during the sounds of silence and Miguel is just taking a breath, the flesh of the face only looks so real. The carving of the skeleton characters is remarkably detailed as well. Everything about the animation seems so real that it's positively beneficial for the viewer to immerse himself in the world as if you’re there with Miguel.

The world they create of this land of the dead is nothing like you’ve ever seen before. The way how this city function is outstanding. The creativity of these animators and storyboard artists knows no bounds. Each interior of the places Miguel travel to is so mesmerizingly beautiful that you can tell that the animators made sure to not only depend on color because every piece of the world designed with inspiration and love. You can feel that director Lee Unkrich and his crew went on a routine work trip to Mexico to get a sense of how the city of the land of the dead should be constructed. The land of the dead in this is such an extravagant city to look at that besides it resembling Mexico; I saw it resembling New Orleans as well.

AMOR POR LA CULTURA A TRAVÉS DEL HUMOR

Besides the film taking place during one of the most beloved Mexican holidays, a lot of Mexican cultural traditions including personality and characteristics are utilized for the sake of humor which works spectacularly. Every Hispanic child knows about the chancla. That is one of the traumatizing weapons to Hispanics as belts are to black kids, but in the movie, the chancla is one of many running gags that is cleverly used. There is a moment where Coco’s Abuelita beats a mariachi player with her chancla, and when she puts it back on, she does it like a cowboy putting back his gun onto his holster. That scene had to be one of the biggest laughs I got from this.

Besides that, Pixar surprisingly got the right to use the beloved icon Frida Kahlo (played by Natalia Cordova-Buckley who is known for playing Yo-Yo on “Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”) One of my favorite moments in the film as Miguel interacts with Frieda Kahlo. The way how she’s represented is hilarious and makes for a great comedic sequence. They portray her like an Andy Warhol caricature, but at the same time, it's hysterical.

RECYCLED INSPIRATION

This isn’t Pixar’s first story that took place in a non-American territory. Ten years ago, they made Ratatouille which was a cultural love letter to France. Some of the devices and elements of that film’s narrative are nicely influenced from “Ratatouille.” The way how Miguel looks up to Ernesto de La Cruz as his inspiration to follow his dream of becoming a musician is so similar to how Remy looked up to Gusteau as his inspiration to learn how to cook. Just like Remy’s connection with Gusteau, not only that de La Cruz is Miguel’s hero, but he is also the inspiration for his passion and love for being a musician. Granted, Miguel doesn’t have his ghost following him, but for the most part, you feel Miguel’s passion for music as he rebels against his family’s one rule: NO MUSIC. How does a Mexican kid live life without music? Its one of the most vital things about their culture besides family, the food, and their holidays.

WHY AM I CRYING? OH YEAH, THIS IS A PIXAR MOVIE!

As Pixar movies go, the story is different from a lot of the others. Despite the film being the ‘going from point A to point B to get back home to point C,’ type of story it has a meaningful core in its center. The theme of family and music is the prominent aspect of it. It seems playful and straightforward at first especially when Miguel meets Hector who becomes his guide to the world of the afterlife. It is thoroughly lighthearted, but then somewhere an hour in, the Pixar-ness kicks in where the complexity of this family feud come into play as you realize what the message really means.

By the time the film reaches its third act, the film progressively becomes a telenovela with crazy plot twists and turns that you can either see coming or be surprised by. Its plot twists are very traditionally Pixar that by the end not only you will be kicked in by the feels but also bawl no matter how old you are. This movie has the “Kubo and the Two Strings” effect where you question why the film is given its title, but until the very end, you both realize the meaning behind it while crying your ass off after you're blown away by the magnificent story it told.. The way how I felt about "Kubo" is the exactly the same way I felt about this.

What was very lacking in the past three Pixar films were the authentic emotional beats and “Coco” brings it back hard and strong in the same way “Inside Out” did in 2015. Every emotion the film gets out of you is earned. The balance of the themes of music, family, and folklore is perfected magnificently. It kind of feels like “The Good Dinosaur”, “Finding Dory”, and “Cars 3,” were all filler movies that built up to “Coco” which feels like a passion project that everyone in the studio was involved in. Though those three movies are solid fine entertainment kids would love, this is a film that EVERYONE will love. I am telling you when I left my screening everybody had either dried tears rolling down their faces or red eyes where you know they recently just cried. Shoot, the screening’s security rep was in tears once I passed him.

This was everyone’s face once I left that that theater (myself included)

WHY CAN’T WE ALL SHARE THESE MOVIES?

Several years ago, I reviewed “The Book of Life” which was one of my favorite animated films of 2014. Because of that review, director Jorge Gutierrez followed me on Twitter, and my tweet was used for marketing.

So if anything, I feel like I’m qualified enough to be the descriptor of the similarities between that and “Coco.”

The only similarities “Coco” and “The Book of Life” share besides their lead characters crossing over from their real world to the land of the dead is that both films are a joyous celebration of this special Mexican holiday that has never been displayed in cinema before. The art styles are different, the narratives are different, and the settings are uniquely different. This widens the eyes of young viewers who are unbeknownst to holiday Dias de Los Muertos. The way how these movies appropriate other cultures through the film with a sweeping story and hitting home every tradition the holiday is all about is a welcoming change and should be followed by other animation studios.

Why was there a heated argument about “Coco” resembling "The Book of Life" to begin with? If anything instead of choosing one or the other to watch, have a double feature. It's like how one would put on both “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “The Corpse Bride” on as Halloween movies we watch every year.

THE BAD

SAME OL’ TROPES

I love it how current Disney movies have become self-aware to the point that they call out the clichés we’ve come to see in each film. Though “Coco” isn’t one of those films, it lovingly embraces those overused animated movie tropes that have to deal with curses. I understand why Miguel has completed his mission before sunrise, but it has become a bit too tiresome to have these tropes especially from Disney who are the masters of ‘you must do this before this specific time, or the curse will be permanent.” The movie is paced very well where it feels short, but at the same time, it has moments where the speed can go either really slow or really fast. What grounds the swiftness is the music sequences. During the musical sequences, the pacing hits the reset button to take a breather and when its great. You feel the calmness as you bask yourself in certain scenes of somberness.

LAST STATEMENT

Right when I question if animated movies are failing because the lack of quality films released this year due to blatant cash grabs, Pixar's “Coco” comes in as a rejuvenating breath of fresh air. Lee Unkrich second solo feature proves that with great animation, stellar storytelling, and moving moments of emotion, animated movies are still the best forms of filmmaking out there. “Coco” is a movingly powerful masterpiece that is undoubtedly Pixar’s best films to date.

Just go on and win your 2nd Oscar, Lee. I know you will. I’m placing bets right now for you. Initially, I was rooting for “The LEGO Batman Movie”, “Captain Underpants”, and “My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea,” but then this movie astounded me to no end. Its one of my favorite films of this year.

Rating: 5/5 | 97%

Super Scene: "Remember Me (Reunion)"

Coco Review