This came a bit late with a whole ton of shopping, wife, and kids stuff. Speaking of family, this past Thanksgiving we all went to see “Coco” and wow that was a fun and heartfelt movie. It’s another Pixar film about a young Mexican boy who enters the Land of the Dead and must break a curse on his family through music. It’s a colorful and breathtaking story that involves following your dreams and remembering your family. I was quite impressed with the story that focuses so heavily on family. Usually in a Pixar or Disney animated movie, and there is at least one parent out of the picture and no siblings. “Inside Out” (2015) changed that dynamic by giving a young girl two parents in the home. In “Coco”, Miguel is given two parents, two sisters, a brother, aunts, uncles, a grandmother, and a great grandmother. All who care about a young boy who makes a mistake.
One flaw in this film I want address is the weak reveal that involves two characters. Once you meet them you can guess what the reveal is going to be. I figured it out in about 30 seconds, and the I had to watch the movie for another 40 to have officially revealed. I felt that this reveal was in here for the sake of having a reveal. It was lazy and could have done better by not having it and taking out the villain entirely. Or making the villain a non villain, which would have made more sense and more of a story about living with consequences from our actions, not the actions from someone else.
So this movie was a tremendous achievement for animators. They created a world that looks lived in and characters to fill that world. I enjoyed that the concept wasn’t spoon fed to me, which showed me clues that made me think, “why is he doing that?” or “Why is this not affecting that character?” It’s not a distracting question, so it didn’t bother me. I’m glad it was approached that way. And the movie does answer that which is a big payoff. This is a great experience that all families should experience.
“Coco”
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