With every new Pixar movie, there
are at least three things that are guaranteed about it. First, the animation is going to be
masterful, highly detailed, and gorgeous.
Second, at some point, it’ll pull your heartstrings and make your eyes
well up with tears. And, third, (save for
maybe a Cars installment) it’s going
to be a classic, or if not, at the very least, it’s going to be one of the year’s
best animated films.
These three are true about Coco. It’s a fantastic animated film – probably the
best one I’ve seen this year. It does an impeccable implementation of the Pixar formula, but at the same time, it’s also
one of Pixar’s most original films – as well as one of its darkest and most
mature. It’s somewhat similarly themed
with 2014’s Book of Life, but no way
is it a copycat. It’s an entirely different
film. It’s simply another case of Antz and A Bug’s Life – two good, distinctive films that just happen to share
some common things about their respective premises.
Coco tells the story of a boy named Miguel Rivera (Anthony
Gonzales) who dreams of becoming a renowned musician like his idol, the late
Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), who also happens to hail from the same
town Miguel lives in. However, he’s
hindered by his shoe-making family’s perplexing tradition – the utter ban on
music. Thus, he carefully hides his
passion from the rest of his family, and the only audience of his musical
talents is a stray Xoloitzcuintli named Dante.
One day, Miguel discovers an important clue that makes him conclude that
Ernesto de la Cruz must be his great-great-grandfather, making his
determination to showcase his talents to the world despite the disapproval of
his family grow stronger. And this mysteriously leads him to the majestic Land
of the Dead. With the help of one of its
residents, the trickster Héctor (Gael García Bernal), Miguel sets off to search
for de la Cruz in order to gain his blessing, and return to the Land of the Living
before sunrise, or else, his stay is going to be a permanent one.
Again, magnificent animation goes
without saying with Pixar movies. But
let me mention it nonetheless. The Land
of the Dead, specifically, is sheer, glorious eye candy. It’s full of vibrant colors and is totally
breathtaking.
Meanwhile, the script is as superb
as its visuals. There’s humor, of
course, but the writing’s greatest strength lies in the storytelling, not in
the gags. The narrative is very
well-constructed and well-told. It’s thoughtful
and poignant, and during the third act, it really gets emotionally heavy. Moreover, it does a great job in delivering impactful
surprises through fantastic twists and turns.
Ironically, though, it’s because of the thought that it’s definitely subverting
expectations that led me to predict its biggest plot twist. Nonetheless, the fact that I predicted it
doesn’t discount the great quality of its execution. I was just perceptive and lucky, I guess.
Coco’s storyline is very relatable because it primarily deals with
family. It explores the upsides and
downsides of family culture and dynamics.
Yes, family is valuable, but sometimes, family may create obstructions
in our lives, especially when it’s contrary to their established worldview. And this is at its most painful when this
comes up when we want to pursue our heart’s desire – our dreams, our passions. Then, we have to make the difficult task of
choosing between our family or our dreams.
This is the dilemma that Coco
presents. But this can be transposed
into other similar scenarios as well, where we have to sacrifice one thing in
order to pursue another – love or career, security or freedom, etc. The struggle is to find a balance between the
two, or if that’s not possible, to make the hard choice of going for what we
think is more important to us, and hoping we won’t regret the decision we make. In addition to this, it
also offers the reflection that we must be wary that our chase for glory may become
dangerous, coming to a point where we will even willingly cross the line just
so we can get what we want.
Lastly, music is an important
part of this movie, not only ambiance-wise but also narrative-wise. To be honest, in my opinion, compared to most
Walt Disney animated films, its soundtrack is far from being as memorable, and
there’s no splendid musical number with huge replay value. Nonetheless, music is the linchpin for many
of the film’s most powerful scenes. And “Remember
Me” definitely deserves an Oscar nomination.
To sum it up, Coco is another Pixar classic. Through stunning visuals and the essential presence
of music, it delivers a charming, absorbing, and affecting fantasy tale inspired
by Mexican folklore that tackles multifaceted themes centered on family, dreams,
life, death, and memories, and the complexities that come along with them.
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