Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
‘Coco’ another Pixar quality family film
Coco
(Disney/Pixar)
By Lucas Allen
For the past 22 years, Pixar has been consistent with quality successful animated films, whether they’re originals or sequels. After last summer’s “Cars 3,” we now have a new original story just in time for the holidays that will please the entire family. “Coco” takes on the themes of family, life and death while managing to sustain an entertaining 90 minutes.
A young boy named Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of playing music like his idol, 1940s singing sensation Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). But his shoemaking family had banned music because of his great great-grandmother Imelda (Alanna Ubach), whose husband abandoned her to perform music for the world. Not to be deterred, he runs away with his long-tongued stray dog Dante to find a guitar of his own to perform for Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos festival. Desperate, he sneaks to Ernesto’s tomb to steal the late singer’s prized guitar.
That action brings him to the Land of the Dead, where residents who once lived can visit their living relatives for one night every year. Stuck in ghostly limbo, Miguel runs into his old relatives who want him to return to the living and forget about the music. Refusing to give up his dream, he tries to find Ernesto for a blessing as a way of getting back home. Along the way, he meets a troublemaker named Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), who claims to have a connection with the legendary singer.
The plot is much more complex than what is summarized in this review. At first it teaches the lesson of never giving up on your dreams, but then it becomes a lesson in the importance of family. It may seem like a mish-mash, but it works thanks to a combination of laughs and tears provided by the film’s lovable characters. Plus, the stunning animation is just the delicious icing on this pretty good cake.
The only thing the script suffers from is the amount of clichés and some predictability the writers put into to try to tell a good story. It’s not too bad for any average viewer that’s used to it, but any cynical viewer will no doubt be annoyed by it. There’s also a late-additional villain appearance that some may feel came out of nowhere though it does take a logical approach to the film’s climax. But if you can get past those little problems, the movie will be a delightful experience.
The diverse voice cast adds a layer of authenticity to the story. Newcomer Gonzalez does a great job being a believable child character that younger viewers will identify with. Bernal is hilarious as one of the residents of the Land of the Dead, who serves a greater purpose in the plot than anyone can expect. Bratt has both a charming personality and a surprisingly good singing voice as Ernesto.
Ultimately, “Coco” is about the importance of family and why you should never forget where your family has come from. It’s that lesson alone that makes it the perfect family movie to watch this holiday season and many more holidays to come. If you have families coming this Christmas, don’t forget to add this movie to your festivities.
Speaking of Christmas, the movie comes with a very special short film before the feature presentation from the world of “Frozen,” “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure.” It’s basically about the lovable Olaf (Josh Gad) searching for a new holiday tradition for both Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell). It’s a good short, but it feels too long at about 25 minutes which would’ve fit more on TV with commercials. Nothing wrong with it, but this is before a Pixar movie when you want to see an actual Pixar short like usual.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG (for thematic elements)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.25 Stars (Out of Four)
