Pixar's Coco Review

     

     Pixar has been recognized as one of the most prestigious animation studios of all time and for good reason. They have been involved with making some of the best animated films in over the past few decades, films that rather than just entertain kids, enlighten and gives them great insight and mature themes that go more in depth from a storytelling and emotional perspective. With their new film Coco, some were predicting that it wasn’t quite going to be that, but now that the film is finally here, that is far from the truth. Coco is another excellent animation achievement created by Pixar and proves that even with some weaker films here and there, they still have the magic touch.

     The story of Coco is about a music obsessed boy named Miguel, who feels like an outcast by his family as they don’t quite see the love and appreciation of music that he has. Eventually events unfold to where he ends up in the Land of the Dead during Dios De La Muertos and discovers the true insight behind his family history and how they perceive music and the relationships they have with it. The story is standard enough with some character and story elements that we’re used to seeing from Pixar before with outsider characters, the main characters are an unlikely duo and of course some incredibly important messages, but like the very best of Pixar’s movies, this movie excels from having a lot of heart. There’s a lot of passion and love dedicated to developing this story where even if someone could see where it’s going, there’s always a slight twist to it which helps gives it an edge. With its focus on family and music, it really takes the time to let some of the moments really sink in, especially the heart felt ones, there’s a couple of moments in particular are guaranteed to be some of the biggest tear jerker moments in Pixar, right alongside the opening to Up and the ending of Toy Story 3. Not only that, but when it comes to the culture of the movie, taking place in Mexico, the film really truly respects the culture. It doesn’t feel like this is an American made movie just cheaply referencing another culture for another audience, it feels incredibly authentic with nothing too out of the ordinary and also really giving insight to the importance of Day of the Dead. Considering this is coming out shortly after the Book of Life, it’s easy to assume that this might come across as an knock-off, but in reality this manages to expand more upon the discussion of Day of the Dead more than Book of Life did, giving real insight into the importance of the holiday without being a full retelling of the legends dealing with the Holiday. It is a film that not only respects its audience but also the culture it’s representing and does it incredibly beautiful.

     A Pixar movie isn’t a true one without some incredibly well realized and written characters, and this cast brings it all. Miguel is one of Pixar’s youngest protagonists but is also one of the most charming. The child actor voicing him does an excellent job all around both during singing scenes and regular dialogue. But the character is so passionate about his music that you can’t help but admire him and his journey to also learn more about his family and why that’s just as important and not more so. In fact, nearly most of the characters have to learn a message which gives the whole theme of family and passion more of an importance because rather than something that should be separate, it shows how well both can work with when the go hand in hand. Probably the best character in the film is Miguel’s friend Hector, a walking skeleton who wants to visit the land of the living. He’s not only a fun character that has a lot of great moments and is animated incredibly well, but his story becomes more so the heart and soul of the film and he’s definitely the most fascinating and sympathetic character to watch for sure. The film also doesn’t quite have an antagonist till near the end, but unlike some of the other Disney films where the antagonist comes in and it might feel like a last minute take or too obvious of a reveal, the execution of this character works for the story and this antagonist ends up becoming one of the most despicable Disney villains in quite some time and adds a lot of tension to the drama of the film. Not to mention the films’ characters do still have a lot of twist and turns to them which gives the film more of an unpredictable nature. Coco really makes sure that the audience takes away its characters in the midst of an incredibly heartfelt story.

     Like most Pixar films as well, the film has to be recognized on a visual level and Coco looks absolutely amazing from an animation perspective. Starting with the design, the film looks more distinct from other Pixar films, there is a bit of standard Pixar flare with its human designs and also in the real world the backgrounds tend to look more realistic, but all of that is executed well. What makes the film more distinct however is the land of the dead which looks outstanding from the whole film being vibrant with so many warm and cool colors, being true to what the culture of Day of the Dead is. With the building being more abstract and also the creatures in the film being some of the most colorful characters visually Pixar has ever made. Not to mention, the skeleton not only look unique in comparison to other Animated Skeletons but they also move very well, giving them a great look both in and out of motion. The film is absolutely beautiful to look at, making it one of Pixar’s best films artistically. But with a movie with a huge emphasis in music, Coco also delivers all across. The film isn’t quite as over abundant with songs in comparison to other Animated musicals however probably more so than other musicals, it feels very authentic. Where Disney movies the songs are incorporate into the film with pretty much no real context to them as why they are singing, Coco does it differently as the film gives a reason for the music to exist and for the songs to still exist naturally within the world of the film. But the music is nothing if the music in this film wasn’t good and luckily it is. Although most of the songs aren’t quite as catchy in the vain of something like Let It Go from Frozen or You’re Welcome from Moana, but they are a joy to listen to and unlike other non-Disney Musicals where they feel the need to just be cover of pop songs, this film has the luxury of giving us more original compositions for a change and they work. The main theme Remember Me might be one of the most heart-felt songs in recent Animation history and plays into this film in the best way. Aesthetically from sound and visuals, Coco delivers as one of the most appealing films to look at and listen to from this entire year.

     2017 may have been an amazing year for film but the one weak area it has been in is in the Animation department. Luckily with LEGO Batman being released at the beginning of the year and Coco being released near the end, it’s safe to say this year in Animation started and ended on a high note. Coco is another Pixar instant classic. It may have some story elements that have been seen before but the film’s characters, theme and emotions make it a truly magical experience. Pixar still has the golden touch making a film about the dead so much full of life.