A visual masterpiece with a huge heart, Disney/Pixar's latest, COCO is a funny, moving adventure into the land of the living & the dead.
Set in Mexico, with colorful visuals from its opening frames that immerse you in Mexican culture and traditions, COCO is transporting.
Young Miguel (newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) has a passion for music, but since his great grandfather left the family to become a musician, all music has banned from their home.
As the annual Day of the Dead celebration nears, many generations in Miguel's house prepare to honor those that have passed.
Miguel inadvertently opens a pathway to the land of the dead and finds himself in an incredible world where all our loved ones that have died live on. Talk about crossing over! The scenes around how they move back and forth between worlds at a spiritual border station are funny and filled with incredible visuals.
COCO brilliantly sets up an urgent quest to return to the living while simultaneously exploring family ties, the legacy of generations, the aging of our elders, all blended with a mystery around Miguel's father that's surprisingly intriguing.
The cast is excellent. Standouts include Gael Garcia Bernal (Y Tu Mama Tambien) as Hector, and Benjamin Bratt as superstar singer Ernesto de la Cruz, whose fame has followed him into the next world.
My (almost 4 year old) grandson LOVED every minute of the film, and at nearly two hours long was never anxious to leave. He loved the comedy and the giant "spirit creatures" that guide our characters into the land of the dead.
I remember watching "Up" and wondering how an animated film can be so emotionally connected and moving, but the final scenes of COCO take that to another level all together.
Stirring up deep emotions about loved ones that have passed and the importance of remembering them, COCO is as moving as any live action film in recent years.
It's not a musical, but music plays an important role. You'll cheer (and Jonah laughed a lot) at the talent show where Miguel proves his chops. And bring your Kleenex for Miguel's moving final act song "Remember Me" to his aging, Alzheimer's afflicted great grandmother.
Far beyond a simple "cartoon", COCO is one of Pixar's best and a fun, visually powerful and moving adventure into family and tradition.
One of my favorite films of the year, it gets an A+.
Thankfully. my grandson didn't notice me losing it like a blubbering grandpa in the film's final scenes, I still have my cool "Bumpa" credentials intact....
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