Miguel, an aspiring 12-year-old musician, is on a quest with a dog named Hector in Pixar’s “Coco”.
Photo Courtesy of Disney’s Pixar
“Coco” is the latest Pixar film that is guaranteed to win the Oscar for “Best Animated Film” of 2017.
The film focuses on the Mexican celebration called Dia de los Muertos or The Day of the Dead, a holiday where people pray and celebrate the memories of their loved ones. The film follows a young boy named Miguel who comes from a family that makes shoes. Miguel is inspired to become a musician but his family hates music and forbids him to pursue his dream. One day, Miguel enters the Land of the Dead to find his great grandfather and receive his blessing to follow his musical aspirations.
Pixar is easily one of the top companies in the movie industry as they consistently produce animated classics that resonate with adults and children. Because of this, I was excited to see how this film was going to turn out. Leaving the theater, I was completely blown away.
“Coco” was a beautiful animation film that had an incredible amount of heart and laughs throughout its runtime. Near the end of the film, it brought a lot of tears from the audience within the theater I attended and admittedly, I almost cried. Not only was the film entertaining, but it was one of this year’s best thought-provoking films.
The animation in this film was nothing short of phenomenal. In particular, the scenes in which Miguel visited the Land of the Dead were spectacular. The visuals alone made the film worth seeing on the big screen. Additionally, it was masterfully directed by Lee Unkrich. Unkrich also directed “Toy Story 3,” and so far, he has made two brilliant Pixar films. Not only did he make the film look great, but he managed to blend humor and drama perfectly together. There were mature themes within the film, but there was not an imbalance between scenes being too funny, offensive, depressing or dramatic. The film contained a little bit of everything.
Miguel plays with a magical guitar in “Coco.”
Photo courtesy of Fandango
Furthermore, the voices behind the characters were terrific. The star-studded cast includes actors Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt and Alanna Ubach. Not only did they deliver fantastic performances, but the characters themselves were magnificent. Every character was hilarious, likable or interesting. I was constantly engaged with the characters and wanted to know what they were going to do next.
The pacing throughout the film was also great. There was not a single moment where I was bored. There were also some unexpected twists and turns that happened in the film particularly in the third act where I found it to be very unpredictable.
“Coco” had some amazing music as well, including catchy songs like “Remember Me.” .I hope it gets nominated for “Best Song” at the Academy Awards.
Overall, “Coco” was an absolutely amazing film from Pixar that I highly recommend and would encourage audiences to bring tissues with them.
