Film Review - "Coco"

Coco
Directed by Lee Unkrich
Starring Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Benral, and Benjamin Bratt

We've come to a time where a Pixar film being universally acclaimed is much more rare than it used to be. Not that we haven't a had a good Pixar film in awhile, but they've been scattered in-between the likes of The Good Dinosaur, Monsters University, and Cars 3. The consistent quality of the studio's output has decreased, which means when a wonderful film like Coco comes out, we can truly appreciate it and the master storytellers behind it. I love this film.

Coco tells the story of Miguel (Gonzalez), a young boy in a Mexican village with aspirations of being a great musician like his idol, Ernesto De La Cruz (Bratt). The one problem is that music is forbidden in his family, a policy enforced by his Abuelita (Renee Victor). Long ago, Miguel's great-great grandfather left his family to pursue a career of music, and the resentment towards that has trickled down the family tree.

So Miguel practices his music in secret, and one night deduces that the late Ernesto De La Cruz was in fact his great-great grandfather. After a falling out with his family on Dias De Los Muertos ("Day of The Dead"), Miguel runs away and finds himself stranded in the Land of The Dead. To return the Land of The Living, Miguel must receive a blessing from one of his ancestors…who also refuse to let Miguel follow his musical aspirations. Miguel runs off to find De La Cruz, hopefully receive his blessing and return home. Helping him along the way is Miguel (Garcia Benral), a down-on-his-luck resident who is in danger of "fading" away from the Land of The Dead, because no one living honors his memory.

This is a beautiful film inside and out. It tells a wonderful story of family, sacrifice, and memory. It gives a wonderful, positive representation on Dias De Los Muertos and all Mexican culture, from the music to the art designs. The animation is gorgeous. Some shots are almost jaw-dropping. Pixar definitely upped their game here. Oh and hey Pixar fans. You're going to cry. Again. Fair warning.
Coco is amazingly well written. You might think you see it all laid out here but trust me you don't. It is quite possibly one of Pixar's best scripts since Wall-E or Up. 

Other than Benjamin Bratt, there are almost no big celebrity names among the voice cast. Young Anthony Gonalez is the heart and soul of the film as young Miguel, and his performance is charming, quirky, and moving. It's always a gamble to have a child lead, with issues of kid actors and such, but Gonzalez nails it. Hector is possibly one of my favorite new Pixar characters, and Gael Garcia Bernal plays him with a fine balance of passion and levity. Benjamin Bratt plays the famous singer Ernesto De La Cruz perfectly. Other stand-outs among this colorful cast are Renee Victor as Miguel's Abuelita, and Alanna Ubach as Mama Imelda, his late great-great grandmother.

I touched on the music already a little bit, but I wanted to say you're going to have these wonderful songs stuck in your head for awhile. The film's main song "Remember Me" is lovely, every rendition of it (You'll see) and stands to be a strong contender for the Best Original Song Oscar. The music perfectly captures the essence of the culture, and gives Coco that extra boost of seamlessly transporting its audience into the story.

Coco is another Pixar triumph, and easily the best animated film of the year (Not saying much considering we had a pretty rough year…The Emoji Movie…). But it's a strong, moving film regardless, that proves Pixar is still capable of captivating audiences and making them fall in love with their stories over and over again. I suspect we'll be singing Coco's praises for a long, long time.

Oh and I didn't mind Olaf's Frozen Adventure so I really don't get all the hate.