Can you imagine a life without music? Imagine if your family hated music and won't allow you every time you tried to listen to it. It must have been not very interesting.
Disney Pixar's Coco is a spectacle that pays respects to music and family values in a way that transcends death. A movie that will make you laugh, cry, or want to hug your family.
Plot Overview
Coco follows the story of a young boy, Miguel, from a generation of his family that hated music because his great-grandmother, Imelda's husband, left her and never returned. He lives with the elderly Coco and several of his uncles and aunts, who owns a shoe shop.
Miguel is different from his family as he loves music. He idolizes Ernesto De La Cruz, a famous musician who died long ago. He knows how to play the guitar while trying to imitate his idol. He is also joined by Dante, a weird-looking dog who follows him everywhere.
On the Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, Miguel inadvertently bumps into a picture frame on their ofrenda. He discovers that Imelda is married to someone who looks like Ernesto De La Cruz. Miguel tells his family that he wants to be a musician.
Miguel's grandmother breaks his guitar in frustration. Miguel runs away, sneaks into Ernesto De La Cruz's mausoleum, and plans to take his guitar to use in a local competition. However, after stroking his guitar, Miguel's body becomes invisible, and living people cannot see him. He discovers that he was transported to the place of the dead. He meets his dead relatives and finds out that to return to the real world, he needs to be blessed by his dead ancestors. Imelda offers her blessing, but he wants him to forget about music.
Miguel runs away and decides to go to Ernesto De La Cruz for the blessing. He meets the homeless Hector, who wants to visit her daughter but can't because his photo is not in the ofrenda, and people start to forget him. However, Miguel soon discovers that his companion may be closer to him than he realizes.
Review
Coco is genuinely a very touching movie. It respects family traditions that feel like every moment is a warm hug. It delivers the right amount of humor and drama to create a classic Pixar storyline that squeezes your heart.
This movie has the most beautiful music or soundtrack, and even though the songs might be in a folk-ish genre, I don't mind it. I don't even know what to call it, but it has that samba feel. It makes you want to dance on some notes or sway gracefully to the tune.
I wouldn't even argue if this is tagged as one of the best-animated movies ever. It's a chef's kiss from start to finish.
Overall, Coco has some of the most exquisite character designs. The worldbuilding is astounding with all the views and artistic thought put in to separate the world of the living and the dead. It makes you want to go there, to be honest.
An excellent 5 out of 5 stars.