Coco
Image Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Simon Dillon,
29th Jan 2018
Tags:
Life
Review
Adventure
Animation
Comedy
Film
'Coco' is a sterling achievement that almost, almost matches the brilliance of Pixar’s stand-out masterpiece this decade, 'Inside Out'. A colourful and moving fairy tale for all the family, 'Coco' should easily nab the Best Animated Film award at this years Oscars.
The plot concerns young Mexican Miguel, a boy who longs to be a musician, despite the fact that for generations his family have forbidden music in their home. This is because Miguel’s great-great grandfather was a musician who abandoned his family and never returned. Miguel secretly nurses his ambition with a hidden stash of records, his guitar and other musical memorabilia related to deceased singing legend Ernesto de la Cruz. But when a strange magical mix-up on the Day of the Dead leads him into the land of the dead, Miguel finds himself in a race against time to locate Ernesto, or else he’ll face a similar existential crisis to that of Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future'.
Pixar veteran Lee Unkrich and co-director Adrian Molina deliver the expected opulent visuals, especially during the stunning sequences set inside the land of the dead. The screenplay is superb, and even though it occasionally echoes previous Pixar greats (one key moment borrows from the climax of 'Monsters Inc'), it delivers a third act of such overwhelming poignancy that I was left in tears. The vocal cast all do very well too.
'Coco' has such satisfying emotional punch that I wouldn’t be surprised if in years to come this is remembered as one of their greatest films.
Familiar themes of unchecked ambition, the importance of family, generational curses and following one’s heart are recycled in a way that feels fresh and convincing. In one sense none of that is groundbreaking, and yet 'Coco' has such satisfying emotional punch that I wouldn’t be surprised if in years to come this is remembered as one of their greatest films.
