Coco (2017)
Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt. Written by Adrian Molina and Matthew Aldrich. Directed by Lee Unkrich.
In Pixar’s Coco, Young Miguel is the son of Mexican shoemakers who are themselves part of a four-generation shoemaking family business. The company’s founding matriarch, Miguel’s great-grandmother, turned to shoemaking as a means of survival when her husband left the family to pursue a career in music. She also established a long-running family rule: no music! No music in the house or around the business. Even passersby with music playing out of their car windows are chased away by Miguel’s grandmother, all these years later.
Miguel yearns to be a musician. His determination to prove to his family that this isn’t merely a fantasy leads him accidentally into the land of the dead on Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. He has until daybreak to gain the blessing of a dead relative, or he’ll be stuck there. However, his deceased kin will only send him back on the condition that he give up music, something he cannot do.
The story itself borders on annoying: it’s one of those you-need-Y-to-get-X-but-you-need-Z-to-get-Y-but-you-need-A-and-B-and-C stories where plot elements exist only to get you to the next cool thing in this fascinating world. Happily, the details, which I won’t spoil here, are worth the silly excuses to keep things moving. As the land of the dead unwraps itself, it reveals an uncommonly well-conceived setting that’s interesting to contemplate and beautiful to behold.
Musical numbers are pretty good, and Anthony Gonzalez, a teenaged actor, does a nice job as Miguel. But the artwork and animation make this an outstanding film, and they are so immersive as to make the viewer get right into the semi-annoying story. The animation is so excellent as to be a bit distracting. I’ve seen cartoon characters play stringed instruments my whole life, but never have I seen anything remotely believable. Pixar’s director knows it, too, as he zooms right in on Miguel’s chording hand and his picking hand. It’s a bit of seriously justifiable show-offiness.
The vast cityscapes will get the real attention, though, and they’re more impressive a backdrop than the oceanscapes in Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, with an even more amazing display of computing power. I want to see this one again in 3D.
Parents should be warned that, although the movie handles them deftly and gently, this is a movie with themes of death all the way through. If nothing else, they may want to prepare the “what happens when we die” talk, because even if kids don’t ask, they may begin to form some ideas that don’t fall in line with familial belief.
And everyone but kids should be warned that this is at least a three-Kleenex movie.
Pixar does it again.
9/10 (IMDb rating)
91/100 (Criticker rating)
Coco (2017)
