Coco

Movie Name: Coco

Year of Release: 2017

Director: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina

Stars: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Renee Victor, Jaime Camil, Alfonso Arau, Herbert Siguenza, Gabriel Iglesias, Lombardo Boyar, Selene Luna

Genre: Animation, Adventure

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9
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Synopsis:

Another year, another Pixar release, this time around one that is not a sequel (thankfully). The film comes from one of their seasoned directors, Lee Unkrich, who also directed "Toy Story 3" and co-directed "Finding Nemo", "Monsters Inc" and "Toy Story 2". This time around he co-directs with Adrian Molina, centering the action around the story of a young boy, by the name of Miguel, whose family has thrived for years in the business of making shoes. Miguel longs to be a singer more than anything, but his family, particularly his grandmother is vehemently against it. As All Saints Day comes around, and the family prepares to pay homage to their loved ones who have passed away, Miguel goes to the burial site of the icon Ernesto de la Cruz, a famous singer from his small town. There Miguel magically gets transported to the land of the ones who have passed away, and where he comes across Hector, who turns out to be someone crucial from his past and inspirational to his future.
"Coco" is another great example of what makes Pixar films such staples in animation and how it successfully achieves all audiences. It's a film that plays on multiple levels, going from the didactic storyline which aims to showcase that everyone should follow their dreams and ambitions, but also on a more profound level, that relationships - romantic and familial - are not always perfect, and that resentment can indeed be a heavy burden to carry through life. And it also has a darker layer, focusing on the traits of the villainous character, who stopped at nothing to achieve what he wanted, and how those actions eventually catch up with him. If the storyline is stunning, tying it all with the legacy of the Mexican culture, the film itself is visually fantastic, both aesthetically and also with beautiful animations and transitions that are both sophisticated and elegant. The voice work is impeccable across the board, making this a great film to be watched and entertained by.