Review of 'Coco'

coco.jpg Young Miguel's (Anthony Gonzalez) family have banned music from their home but Miguel is determined to play his guitar just like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt) who he believes is a distant relative. Requiring a guitar to play in a musical contest during the Day of the Dead, Miguel breaks into Ernesto's mausoleum to borrow his famous guitar but this throws him into the colourful Land of the Dead. With the help of Héctor (Gael García Bernal), a down-on-his-luck skeleton who once played with Ernesto, Miguel has to obtain a blessing from a member of his family before he can return to the land of the living so goes off in pursuit of Ernesto. In the Land of the Dead Ernesto is just as popular as he was in the land of the living so getting his blessing may not be so easy…

A delightful, vibrant and colourful animation from Disney that takes on Mexican mythology in a new and refreshing way. The sheer scope and imagination of the filmmakers is absolutely incredible particularly when we travel to the land of the dead which is full of fantastic sights and characters, a place more full of life than the world of the living! “Coco” is a joy to beyond with a story that is not so simple that it bores or so complicated that you lose track of what is going on. A story of a young boy's exploration of his family's past and bringing music back to them. To keep it interesting it is not all fun and excitement with some quite dark (possibly scary for the very young) moments towards the end of the film as well as a surprise. This is not a simple journey, there is a very real moral heart to the film that celebrates life and the life of those that have passed on which is often difficult for non-Mexicans to understand. Though the film is intended for a younger audience the dialogue is often quick and witty keeping the adults entertained, like many of the best animated features.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2021-01-16


Directed by: Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Year: 2017

Length: 105 minutes

Genre: Animation

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307/


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