COCO REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Coco represents Pixar Animated Studios at its best: when it's producing original, entertaining features that have an emotional impact. Their previous films, last year's Cars 3 and 2016's Finding Dory, were sequels and, while the latter proved to be just as good as its predecessor, Finding Nemo, neither of them shows Pixar at its best. Fortunately, their latest feature, Coco, is a huge improvement. Director Lee Unkrich directed the third Toy Story film which was thoroughly entertaining and featured an emotional ending. The same can be said for his follow-up which is full of adventure, however, most viewers will probably be in tears towards the end of the film.

Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

One of the main problems with so-called 'family films' is that most of them tend to be aimed at younger children, leading their parents and/or older viewers to become bored. However, Pixar has always succeeded at creating features that are enjoyable for the whole family. That's why they're so successful over two decades after the release of their first film, Toy Story. The themes featured within Coco include aging and death, not themes you would normally associate with films that are mainly aimed at young children, however, Pixar makes it work. Coco is lively and features vibrant colours, despite the majority of the film taking place in the Land of the Dead. For most of his life, Miguel has looked up to his idol, the famous singer, Ernesto de la Cruz, and, after he accidentally ends up in the Land of the Dead, he goes on a journey to find him in order to get his blessing and play music. Along the way, he learns a lot of life lessons and how important it is to remember your family members. This is where most of the emotional impact comes from as I'm sure a lot of people will be able to relate to Miguel, whose great-grandmother, Coco (Ana Ofelia Murguía) suffers from memory loss and can't remember her father, due to him being torn out of the family photo. Throughout the film, we are lead to believe that Coco's father disappeared to focus on his career as a musician and that her father is, in fact, Ernesto, after Miguel recognises his guitar in the torn family photo. However, all isn't what it seems, and the story takes an unexpected twist. I should've seen it coming as it's pretty obvious, however, this twist made the film unpredictable at times.

Because of its heavier themes, younger children may not understand the main plot, however, they'll be thoroughly entertained as it features a lot of humour. In some ways, it's a great way of explaining life and death to children and will help them through the grieving process after they lose a family member. This is why Pixar's 2015 animated feature, Inside Out, was successful as it told an entertaining story about emotions so that young children could understand why they felt sad at times. This is probably why Coco is proving to be successful with critics and, most recently, at the Golden Globes where it won the award for Best Animated Feature. I wouldn't surprised to see it pick up the same award at the Oscars. 

Most animated features tend to include famous and popular actors in order to gain more interest and receive more money at the box office. The only actor I recognised was Benjamin Bratt who voices Ernesto. Bratt has previously done voice work in animated films such as Despicable Me 2 and Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs. As the main protagonist, Anthony Gonzalez captures Miguel's passion for music and makes him a likable protagonist. He is thoroughly convincing and it's impressive work from a child actor.

Music plays a big part in Coco, and the film features some lively, catchy songs, the most memorable being 'Remember Me' which is Ernesto's most popular song. The song is used in a variety of contexts throughout the film. It is used first in a mariachi arrangement, as a plea from a celebrity performer to his fans to keep him in their minds even as he tours in other places. It then appears as a lullaby from a father to a child when he has to travel far as a traveling artist. It is then used as a nostalgic song to connect a character to an earlier time in their life and to reunite a boy with his great-grandmother. It then appears in a pop version played during the end credits, sung by singers Miguel and Natalia Lafourcade. The piece is the "tie that binds multiple generations in the shared love of music". 'Remember Me' has been critically acclaimed and has been nominated for a variety of awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. It also won a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song.
Coco's story was written by Unkrich, Adrian Molina (who also co-directed), Matthew Aldrich and Jason Katz. Together, the four of them have created a powerful story about following your dreams but never forgetting your family. In the beginning, Miguel wants more than anything to be a musician, even if it means leaving his family. However, he soon learns how important his family is after he journeys into the Land of the Dead. The narrative focuses on Miguel’s desire to find his great-great-grandfather, Hector's love for his daughter, and the shared bond that develops between the two. Unkrich handles the emotional aspects of the film, including the ending, with delicacy and just enough manipulation that even the toughest of viewers will shed a tear.
The stunning visuals of Coco are matched by a thoughtful and powerful narrative that takes a family-friendly approach to questions of culture, family, life and death in a way that is still deeply affecting. This is definitely Pixar's best work since their 2015 feature, Inside Out, and also one of the best animated films we've had recently.
8/10