Director Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
Genre Animation | Adventure | Comedy
Cast Benjamin Bratt, Gael García Bernal, Renee Victor, Anthony Gonzales
Rating PG
Release Date November 22nd, 2017
“Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to work out the mystery.”
The latest from Disney/Pixar, Coco is an animated comedy about love and the importance of family. It is also about a young boy who is determined to follow his dream. Coco is directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3, who also co-wrote the script, and Adrian Molina, his directorial debut. Coco is Pixar's very first animated musical, and is also Pixar's very first animated feature where the lead is a person of color. The cast of voice actors includes Anthony Gonzalez, Benjamin Bratt, Gael García Bernal, and Renee Victor.
Visually striking, hilarious, and genuinely uplifting, Coco strongly reinforces the value of family and preserving the memory of loved ones no longer with us. Even though this is a Disney-Pixar film, it is absolutely an experience meant for the entire family. The film’s premise is based on The Day of the Dead, the Mexican holiday which translates to Día de Muertos in Spanish, and celebrates the lives of loved ones that have passed on. It takes place over multiple days and focuses on the gathering of family and friends to pray for and remember those who have passed, and to support their spiritual journey. I wouldn't consider myself to be a fanatic when it comes to animated films, but I do enjoy them and I tend to see as many as I can to break up the usual heavy dose of dramas, comedies, and thrillers. One of my favorite animated films in the last few years is Inside Out, mainly because I appreciated how deep the film was while still managing to be hilarious and entertaining throughout.
Coco is the only animated film as of late that I would put up next to Inside Out as it continues the trend of a powerful message and high entertainment value. Not only did Coco help to instill in me the true meaning of family, it also taught me about a fantastic and beautiful Mexican holiday and left me curious as to why we don't have something similar in the states. Perhaps we could develop our own variation of this popular holiday? As someone who has dealt with the loss of loved ones, I understand the importance of remembrance which at the end of the day is truly therapeutic, and the benefit is as much for those of us still on this earth as it is for those no longer with us. Coco is hilarious and will have you laughing out loud pretty much the entire time aside from those moments where the tears take you by surprise. I also really enjoyed the amazing visuals which were top notch. Coco is one of the most colorful and visually stimulating animated films I have ever experienced.
Coco has a stellar cast of voice actors who all come together to deliver one heck of a performance. Young actor Anthony Gonzalez is spectacular as main character Miguel. His performance ensures the character is truly brought to life. Veteran actor Gael García Bernal is fantastic as Héctor and develops genuine chemistry with Gonzalez. The chemistry they share contributes to the majority of the laugh out loud moments of the film. I also really enjoyed Benjamin Bratt as Ernesto de la Cruz and I felt like he was able to portray a somewhat complex character with ease. Alanna Ubach is the boss of the house in her role as Mamá Imelda and you do NOT want to get on her bad side. Overall, the voice acting was stellar from top to bottom without a single flaw I can think of.
Aside from the 22-minute Frozen short which will no longer be shown after 12/7, Coco is easily one of the best animated films to hit the big-screen in the last few years. For me, Coco is more than just a movie, it’s a reminder to cherish the memories of those no longer with us, and it also manages to balance humor and a sense of drama effortlessly. As I mentioned before, this is easily my favorite animated film since Inside Out and I will definitely be adding it to my collection when the Blu-ray hits shelves. Highly recommended.
