By Nadia Ranaputri
Director: Lee Unkrich
Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Renée Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Edward James Olmos.
The funny thing about Coco is that I have never seen the trailer for it prior to seeing the film until a week before it was released. I did look forward to it, but I never saw more than the poster and the plot. However, it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I saw the trailer in the theatre during Justice League; and I was utterly sold.
Coco tells the story of aspiring musician Miguel, who has to hide his passion for music from his strictly-no-music-allowed family. During the celebration of Dia de Muertos aka the Day of the Dead, Miguel finds himself transported to the land of the dead himself, meeting his fellow ancestors along the way, as well as a spiralling journey with a trickster through the land of the dead.
Coco is like a colorful spiralling slide. It's all kinds of fun and all kinds of colorful. Opening the film on the streets of Santa Cecilia, Coco wastes no time in commencing its visual introduction that in a way, is similar to how Moana opens. We're introduced to a brief introduction to Miguel's ancestors before it leads us to present day with Miguel and his eccentric music-hating family who happen to be one of many generations to continue the legacy of their ancestor's shoemaking business. There's a great little sequence where Miguel's grandmother scolds him and anyone who plays music near them. "We're probably the only family in Mexico that hates music," Miguel explains. We're eventually told that Miguel is nothing like his family. He does not want to continue the family's legacy of shoemaking as he plays his guitar in secret to the tunes of his musician idol, Ernesto de la Cruz.
When you think about it, Coco has quite a simple straightforward plot, but what elevates that plot are the moments and the journey that Miguel goes through. It especially hits the high note when it comes to approaching the subject of Death and what comes after. Death and the afterlife can be a daunting thought, especially when it becomes an important aspect for a film. Coco takes that aspect of death that some would find fearful and turns it into something whimsical. The land of the dead is as colorful as the vast land in Inside Out, but brighter and more festive. It's basically a canvas full of skeletons and spirit guides that roam around streaks of bright neon paint and colorful lights.
Coco is filled with extraordinary morals, some great humor, and all the magic and wonder you'd expect from a Pixar film. What makes this particularly special is the aspect of death itself, and how it correlates with family. Coco is rich in digging into the bonds of a family and how important they are in your journey, whether it is in life or death. Not only is it presented as magical and at times, somewhat comical; it is also movingly poetic, traversing itself in a river of a blissful ballad. When Miguel starts to unravel his ancestry, it becomes a coming-of-age journey of self discovery that's both spiritual and poignant.
Coco captures the essence of the Day of the Dead celebration and why it's important to honor our ancestors, which in their way; means remembering them and cherishing them by offerings of what they loved in life, placing them in one of the film's most important plot device: the ofrenda. The Day of the Dead becomes an accessible feature for not only Mexicans themselves, but also for everyone else. Coco presents this very special day in such a colorful way that it shows us what makes this celebration so uniquely special in Mexican tradition rather than a dark reminder or something that's only reserved for those who celebrate it. It is without a doubt, another whimsically heartfelt Pixar entry that can be just as cherished by the people who celebrate it as it is by others who do not.
Stars: 4.2/5
Trailer
 |
| Image source: Movie Pilot |
Director: Lee Unkrich
Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Renée Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguía, Edward James Olmos.
The funny thing about Coco is that I have never seen the trailer for it prior to seeing the film until a week before it was released. I did look forward to it, but I never saw more than the poster and the plot. However, it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I saw the trailer in the theatre during Justice League; and I was utterly sold.
Coco tells the story of aspiring musician Miguel, who has to hide his passion for music from his strictly-no-music-allowed family. During the celebration of Dia de Muertos aka the Day of the Dead, Miguel finds himself transported to the land of the dead himself, meeting his fellow ancestors along the way, as well as a spiralling journey with a trickster through the land of the dead.
 |
| Image source: Variety |
Coco is like a colorful spiralling slide. It's all kinds of fun and all kinds of colorful. Opening the film on the streets of Santa Cecilia, Coco wastes no time in commencing its visual introduction that in a way, is similar to how Moana opens. We're introduced to a brief introduction to Miguel's ancestors before it leads us to present day with Miguel and his eccentric music-hating family who happen to be one of many generations to continue the legacy of their ancestor's shoemaking business. There's a great little sequence where Miguel's grandmother scolds him and anyone who plays music near them. "We're probably the only family in Mexico that hates music," Miguel explains. We're eventually told that Miguel is nothing like his family. He does not want to continue the family's legacy of shoemaking as he plays his guitar in secret to the tunes of his musician idol, Ernesto de la Cruz.
When you think about it, Coco has quite a simple straightforward plot, but what elevates that plot are the moments and the journey that Miguel goes through. It especially hits the high note when it comes to approaching the subject of Death and what comes after. Death and the afterlife can be a daunting thought, especially when it becomes an important aspect for a film. Coco takes that aspect of death that some would find fearful and turns it into something whimsical. The land of the dead is as colorful as the vast land in Inside Out, but brighter and more festive. It's basically a canvas full of skeletons and spirit guides that roam around streaks of bright neon paint and colorful lights.
 |
| Image source: Deadline |
Coco is filled with extraordinary morals, some great humor, and all the magic and wonder you'd expect from a Pixar film. What makes this particularly special is the aspect of death itself, and how it correlates with family. Coco is rich in digging into the bonds of a family and how important they are in your journey, whether it is in life or death. Not only is it presented as magical and at times, somewhat comical; it is also movingly poetic, traversing itself in a river of a blissful ballad. When Miguel starts to unravel his ancestry, it becomes a coming-of-age journey of self discovery that's both spiritual and poignant.
Coco captures the essence of the Day of the Dead celebration and why it's important to honor our ancestors, which in their way; means remembering them and cherishing them by offerings of what they loved in life, placing them in one of the film's most important plot device: the ofrenda. The Day of the Dead becomes an accessible feature for not only Mexicans themselves, but also for everyone else. Coco presents this very special day in such a colorful way that it shows us what makes this celebration so uniquely special in Mexican tradition rather than a dark reminder or something that's only reserved for those who celebrate it. It is without a doubt, another whimsically heartfelt Pixar entry that can be just as cherished by the people who celebrate it as it is by others who do not.
Stars: 4.2/5
Trailer
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