Coco

Score:  A

Directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina
Starring Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt
Running time: 109 minutes
Rated PG

Long Story Short:  Coco is the latest Pixar film, another visual masterpiece and featuring elements of Hispanic culture and tradition.  Perhaps not as wildly (and weirdly) creative as some of its kin, Coco nevertheless belongs in the company of some of the studio's best, delighting audiences with both sight and sound, and warming hearts with its characters and themes.  Highly recommended for all.


Miguel (Gonzalez) is a small, young boy with big, age-old dreams.  Raised by a family of shoemakers in Mexico, he idolizes the historic father of Mexican pop music, Ernesto de la Cruz (Bratt), and hopes to follow in his footsteps.  Unfortunately for Miguel, his family despises music due to a scandal from long ago, and they insist that he take up the family tradition of shoemaking and forget his dreams.  Frustrated, Miguel is determined to show them - and the world - that he is meant for music by entering a local competition.  First he must find a guitar, though, as his family took his away, causing Miguel to make a desperate and fateful decision.  Bound by a curse, Miguel must embrace his family again - albeit a much different version of it - to free himself, while keeping a tight hold on his love of music.

Coco features a compelling cast of characters brought to life by both Hollywood stars and newcomers.  Anthony Gonzalez lends the young lead, Miguel, an inspired and bright personality, gushing with enthusiasm and an independent spirit.  Miguel is extremely likable, and you find yourself actively rooting not just for him to overcome the various challenges but for his happiness; that may seem a simple thing, but all too often the plot (and any danger involved) in films like this becomes the focus rather than the young protagonist him/herself.  The two main supporting characters are Ernesto, Miguel's hero, and Hector, a scallawag of the Land of the Dead.  Hector provides a nice foil for Miguel as his companion through much of the film, a man who is also focused on a mission for himself but goes about it with cynicism in contrast with Miguel's idealism.  Ernesto is more significant as a symbol than as an active player in the story, but he eventually also plays a direct, key role as well.  There are plenty of other supporting characters, some of whom are a bit cliche but as a whole make up a unique and fascinating family portrait which gives the film a sturdy, warm foundation.  And Pixar has also come up with another instantly lovable dog companion, just for good measure!

Coco is an outstanding film, fitting nicely into the Pixar family with many of its familiar trademarks yet making its own mark through visuals, music and classic themes.  The story structure is a fairly familiar one, following a young lead on a fantastical journey to achieve a dream, in animated and family films generally, not just Pixar.  In less capable hands, this could easily have led to a predictable, unremarkable film that passes the time pleasantly but leaves little lasting impression.  And admittedly, Coco starts fairly slowly, although Miguel (and Gonzalez's performance) still creates a spark.  The slow start also allows room for the musical theme to be introduced, via some catchy, beautiful tunes.  It's not too long before Miguel enters the Land of the Dead, and Pixar's visual team gets its chance to shine, creating an unbelievably complex and colorful world, populated by skeletal denizens that convey their "status" while remaining capable of expressing human emotion.  Having wowed audiences through sensory wizardry, Coco begins to unpack the narrative themes which were quietly, patiently developed in the first half of the film.  Impressively, the themes of family are both specific to the intergenerational aspects of Hispanic culture as well as universally relatable (perhaps not just reaffirming but also enlightening).  A related theme is that of memory, another Pixar favorite. As always, you may want to have tissues on hand for some well-earned (and happy) tears.

***

Coco is yet another triumph for the best film studio of the past twenty years, Pixar.  Perhaps Marvel got its idea from them:  create a brand of films that share an overall feel (technical achievement and effective, genuine themes) at a consistently high level of quality, but give each individual film a unique angle on that worldview.  It is easy to say that Coco's "angle" is the Hispanic flavor Pixar film, but it is so richly and intricately created that that label is far too simplistic.  Yes, there is a distinct cultural feel (mark that as a success), but it is easily and naturally relatable to all.  Go for the characters, go for the culture; go for typically great Pixar animation and hummable tunes; and of course, go for all the feels and timeless lessons to be (re)learned.  Just go see the movie!




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