When it was announced that Pixar’s 19th feature film would be centered on the celebration of the Mexican holiday, Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), many were suspicious about how it would turn out as the trailers for what the story was about were immediately compared to a similar animated movie that came out 3 years prior called The Book of Life. those who saw the movie titled Coco though found out that not only was the movie in many ways different from Real FX’s Book of Life, but in a lot of respects, it surpassed it with a deeper storyline, gorgeous animation, and characters that are complex and super lovable in only the best ways a company like Pixar can accomplish.
Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming a musician like his hero Ernesto De La Cruz (Benjamin Bratt) but his family hates music thinking it was a curse in their family after Miguel’s great-great-grandfather left with his guitar and never returned. When he discovers Ernesto’s guitar in one of his family’s pictures from the ofrenda he sets out on his own after being scolded by his family and soon finds himself in the land of the dead where he meets his family who is skeletons as one of them named Mama Imelda (Alanna Ubach) tries to send Miguel home with a blessing to never play music again. Feeling desperate Miguel eventually enlists the help of another skeleton named Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) to help him find Ernesto to get his blessing into being a musician but there may be some obstacles that stand in the way of Miguel achieving his desires including finding out why his family banned music from their existence.
I had no doubt in my mind that Pixar would get the Mexican culture and traditions right, the real question was how the story would be different from The Book of Life. the answer is while Book of Life is a fun and over-the-top adventure that so happens to have elements of Day of the Dead traditions. Coco on the other hand takes a much deeper approach by integrating the traditions and ideas of Dia de Los Muertos and making them work in a story that explores deep themes about life death and the importance of family. They take what in hindsight is a very typical “character follow your dreams no matter what others say” story and completely flip it on its head by adding new material to keep things fresh and giving characters deeper emotions and not having them completely siding with one way or the other. It’s also great that this movie is teaching audience members about other people’s cultures and how they honor the dead which makes it inspiring to maybe put their practices into our own lives
The Characters are so much fun and very lovable with many complex and interesting arcs that are deep and interesting. Miguel is a likable protagonist but still has plenty of flaws in himself that make him more than just a misunderstood character. He can get angry and even do some wrong things but the movie is great at still making the audience side with his dilemma. Even his family in the land of the living isn’t evil but also not made perfect either. They still care for Miguel and only want what’s best for him and it’s done in a way where you can understand where they are coming from. When we get to the land of the dead, there are many other interesting and memorable faces we get to meet such as Mama Imelda who has more to her reason for hating music than Miguel realizes. Hector, who Miguel meets is also a fun character, and his snarky but playful attitude is fun to watch. Even Ernesto Da La Cruz gets time on screen to show his sincerity but also his secrets about his success as a musical artist.
I’m just gonna come out and say right now that this is some of the most complex and beautiful animations I’ve seen from Pixar in years, and that’s saying a lot given their lineup. We start out in the town of Santa Cecilia which is an authentic Mexican town that has hints of colorful scenery in Miguel’s hideout and the Rivera family ofrenda. There is even a creative scene, in the beginning, showing the story of the Rivera family that is shown through Papel Picado flags which is very clever. When we get to the land of the dead, the scereny soon becomes immensely colorful with creative uses scenery such as the marigold petal bridge and the stacked buildings that have neon lights all over it. In fact Whenever I think of this movie I think of bright neon colors with hints of oranges and purples. I love how the skeletons each have patterns on their faces which represent painted skulls and how there are actual alebrijes creatures based on the signature colorful Mexican animal statues. Overall the world of the land of the dead is so complex that it’ll take many viewings just to see all the details this movie has to offer.
The music score is interesting because it would technically be Pixar’s first musical but not in the way traditional musicals are usually set up. In a traditional musical, the songs interrupt the movie to have the character or characters sing about his or her feelings. In this movie, the songs are sung more organiically in “real-time” and the songs don’t necessarily relate to how a character is feeling which is very refreshing. The writers of the songs are none other than Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson Lopez who wrote the songs for Frozen and Frozen II and it really shows. All the songs are memorable fun and drenched in Mexican spirit such as Un Poco Loco and the main song Remember Me which won an academy award for best original song. The rest of the score is done by the legendary frequent Pixar collaborator Micheal Giacchino who composed a lovely orchestrated music score with combined traditional mariachi-style music that has plenty of trumpets and guitar sounds galore.
Those who think that this is a rip off of The Book of Life need not worry as Coco provides a story that while similar, is executed to be just as good if not even better than the latter with great characters, wonderful storytelling, complex and beautiful animation and an amazing soundtrack that brings out the best of the Mexican spirit. You don’t have to be from Mexico to understand why this movie is so dang amazing, because it touches on universal ideas even though they are told from Mexican traditions. This is a timeless movie that will live on for generations and is a great introduction to a country that has unique ways of celebrating and honoring the dead in many ways.
(Final Grade: A+)