COCO (2017) - Inspiring and stunning, one of Pixar's finest works yet

Coco is a Pixar fantasy adventure film directed by Lee Unkrich and starring Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renée Victor, and Alanna Ubach. The movie follows 12-year-old Miguel Rivera, an aspiring musician who accidentally stumbles into the land of the dead during Dia de los Muertos, and embarks on a journey to find the legendary musician Ernesto de la Cruz.

I think it was about 15 minutes into the movie that I thought to myself, "Yeah. This movie's going to make me cry." Coco is a suckerpunch of beauty and emotion that really comes out of nowhere, with near-Studio Ghibli levels of visual beauty and a surprisingly emotional story rivaling that of Up's opening sequence, easily making this Pixar's finest work since at least Toy Story 3.

Coco is one of Pixar's three movies featuring an actual human cast (following The Incredibles and Brave) and really surprised me with how unmarketable they are. The characters really aren't ones you could sell as toys, and there isn't anyone who's obviously there to appeal to kids. Rather, the movie is focused not on selling but on delivering a strong story with engaging characters you could relate to, and it pulls it off wonderfully.

Miguel is perhaps one of Disney and Pixar's most relatable lead characters; there's nothing particular important or special about him other than the fact that he's an ordinary kid with an extraordinary dream, something everyone can relate to. We are immediately shown what daily life is like for him (with wonderful opening sequence, I might add) and so when his adventure starts, we are wonderstruck just like he is while simultaneously rooting for him the entire time. He is determined without being arrogant, cheeky and goofy without being idiotic, and delivers a heartfelt performance without it feeling cheesy.

And speaking of wonderstruck, I really do mean WONDERstruck. It's amazing how photorealistic Pixar's 3D animation is nowadays, and everything from the lighting to the animation of individual hairs really gives the movie an atmosphere of hyperrealism, with several scenes in which you could squint and swear it was real life. However, the truly marvelous scenes are the ones in the land of the dead, where it truly reaches Studio Ghibli levels of detail in its background and atmosphere. Visually, it's by far Pixar's latest and greatest, and one of the few examples that truly show the beauty of 3D CGI animation.

Characters and visuals aside though, I think the most important thing this movie accomplishes is its respect for Mexican culture. Despite the critical acclaim and praise that Moana received last year for its incorporation of Polynesian culture, I never really found it to be anything noteworthy. My personal biggest issue with the movie was that it never really did anything to highlight the culture, and rather was a typical story that happened to feature a foreign culture.

Coco fixes this by having a story and themes that are intrinsically tied to Mexican culture. The story is set on and revolves around a Mexican holiday and has themes of familial love that are unique to Hispanic culture, not to mention several details that incorporate Mexican music, food, and historical figures. In essence, Coco fixes all of the problems I had with Moana, and delivers much more memorable and meaningful experience while doing so.

Final Verdict

There really isn't anything else that I can say about Coco except "Go watch it!" It's easily the best animated movie of the year (not that there is much competition), and one of the finest works that Pixar has created. The characters are not highly memorable, but are lovable nonetheless; the story isn't anything new, but the emotions are genuinely heartfelt and touching; the movie doesn't break new ground but does deliver on a very solid movie with wholesome themes that every kid should learn and every adult should be reminded of. And let me tell you, when you find out the reason behind the movie's title, it's genuinely heartbreaking.

It's Spirited Away mixed with Kubo and the Two Strings with a Mexican flair. The music is wonderful, the visuals are jaw-dropping, and I'm sure the "Remember Me" scene will go down as one of the most tear-jerking in Pixar history.

Score: A-