Coco (2017) Film Review: The Best From The Best!

With "Onward" coming out this week, I was considering reviewing "Shrek" for the whole fantasy setting, but I felt that I should talk about perhaps my favourite film from the studio. It might seem unfair for the new film, since I doubt that it will be on par with the best films from Pixar, but I will be reviewing it without it meeting one's standards. "Coco" centres around a boy named Miguel who loves music and listening to his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. However, his family forbids music, due to his great-great grandfather abandoning his family, including his daughter Coco, in order to pursue a career in music. Miguel soon believes that Ernesto must have been his family relative and decides to steal his guitar in order to play during the Day of the Dead. However, upon stealing the guitar, he finds himself transported into the Land of the Dead, where he must pair up with a down-on his-luck skeleton named Hector as Miguel must get home before he becomes a permanent resident of the afterlife. What makes this story so unique is the Mexican location, which allows for the culture, lore, and allowing an all-Latino cast to participate for the voice acting. The biggest strength of the film though is the thematic and emotional weight. Tonally, this film is more geared towards older audiences than children due to the subtext of the story and the powerful moments of the raw emotional highlights. I could just talk about these moments in great length, but let's just say that the story revolving around the afterlife and death is going to be have beautiful, tearjerker moments. There's still humour in the film, though there are a few moments that don't work for me. I personally find the jokes relating to the family and the Mexican culture most relatable for me, as well as some gags in the Land of the Dead. I however don't like the jokes revolving around Dante, the goofy canine, as it is a bit too juvenile. However, this is basically the only nitpick I have with the film and I understand that the film needed to have something children can get attached to when it comes to comedy.

Miguel is a very likeable child protagonist. You can understand his passion for the forbidden art that is music and he doesn't come across as whiny or annoying at all. He's quite relatable in his plight of wanting to do something that he loves rather than being told by his family on what he should do. He serves nicely as a fish-out-of-water in the afterlife, a comedic character, and a nice role model for kids overall. Hector is just about as enjoyable due to his colourful, funny personality and underdog status. You learn about his predicament and how you want him to achieve his goal, even if he seems to be selfish in the moment. It's also an emotional, bittersweet moment for a character to fail in his goal, though succeed in it in a different way that's very unconventional. Ernesto de la Cruz is a perfect example of how to include a plot-twist villain. Even though the film didn't appear to need one concept-wise, the inclusion of Ernesto being responsible for Miguel's journey and his self-centred nature is captured so well. I believe how a character like him can do evil things compared to someone like Hans from "Frozen", considering the set-up and context of the evidence prior to the reveal. Ernesto's not the best Pixar villain by far, but he is one of the best twist villains in the modern Disney/Pixar era that started from 2012's "Wreck-It Ralph". Miguel's family, both living and dead, are nicely used as caring, though unsupportive in his desire to play and listen to music. They are simply charming and offer some nice moments of comedy. As for the side characters, they are all simply regulated to comedy, whether it's Frida Kahlo or the clerk who explains how Miguel can return home. To be fair, they are funny in their own regards and it helps to make the tone more light-hearted than completely depressing and mellow. The characters are generally well-written and characterized to be both likeable and understandable to become much more real than animation gives credit to.

The animation is of course stunning as Pixar always knocks it out of the park. From the textures of the people, clothing, and bones, to the fluidity of the characters, the animation is once again top notch for the studio. The Land of the Dead is a prime example of the beauty of the animation. Not only are the colours so vibrant and varied compared to the pretty though dusty-esque town, but the imagination and scale of the world is a visual marvel that remains one of the most creative and visually-engaging settings, second only to "Inside Out". What makes this film stand out from the other Pixar films is the heavy use of music and songs without becoming a full-on musical. Instead of musical numbers where the characters sing their feelings that are disconnected from reality, the songs here are established in the world in which the characters enjoy singing these songs. Songs such as "Remember Me", "Un Poco Loco", and "The World Es Mi Familia" are great songs that are nice to listen to, both with and without context of the film. The score is also nice with the mariachi vibe and Spanish rhythm. One last aspect to mention is the use of Spanglish dialogue and lyrics. Even though it can come across as inconsistent at times, I personally find that this is both necessary and well-done in order to appease both Western and Latino audiences.

Regardless if you think it's among the best of the Pixar library or not, it can't be denied that "Coco" is indeed a masterpiece in its own right. Although I personally don't like the juvenile humour at times in an otherwise rather mature story, the film excels in its evolving story, emotional weight, likeable characters, beautiful animation, wonderful songs and music, and the use of Mexican culture, setting, and language in an American production. Many have their favourites from Pixar, whether it is "Inside Out", "Toy Story", or another modern classic. For me, "Coco" is most likely going to remain as my favourite film from the studio, mainly due to the strong use of drama and Latino representation.

Verdict: 10/10. A modern masterpiece that will most likely go down in history for the studio. Looking forward to review "Onward" this week.