OK!!! So Coco... (major spoilers)
It took me longer than I thought but I finally watched Coco, and right off the bat, would give it a 9/10... (this is gonna be a long one if anyone cares to check out my irrelevant opinion)
Explaining the 1/10 is quicker so that can go first:
How ridiculously obstinate the grandmother was and then the family just automatically following her lead. I thought, yes ok, I can understand why Mama Imelda didn’t want any association with music (despite having loved it so dearly and loving the man with whom she associated it with so dearly), and wanted her daughter to forget about her father who seemingly abandoned them. I can only assume Miguel’s abuelita (is this the correct term or is it abuela?) was taught to have a sorta second-hand hate of music because of Imelda being so bitter and heartbroken about Hector leaving. But because it was a second-hand hate and the fact that Miguel’s abuelita never even met the man whom her own abuelita - Mama Imelda - despised (but not really) makes her ironfist enforcement and hatred a bit over the top to me. And then even the blind following of their family. Like, music is a very difficult thing to avoid and did none of them enjoy a lil jingle or beat in their life?? I can buy that each of them went into the shoe business because it seems like a small town and it’s very family-centric so the tradition gets passed on, and I can buy them being distrustful of “mariachi” because of this seemingly mariachi stranger that abandoned their great-grandmother but to never question the hatred of music itself?? That was a little far-fetched.
There might be tidbits here and there but that was my main “critique”...
Definitely the best Pixar movie since Inside Out (would agree on the SuperCarlinBrothers on that point - they have a full review here) but it’s also paired with some FANTASTIC animation. I really wanna emphasise how strong the animation is in this movie. I mean, no doubt The Good Dinosaur is probably Pixar’s most visually stunning, and well animated movie to date but that said, the plot and message isn’t as captivating (though I still enjoyed it and when the Dad died I was super shook) but compared to how rich in themes and messages Coco is PLUS the animation is outstanding makes it far and away the better original Pixar movie (which btw is the last before 2020!!!). Finding Dory and Cars 3 CANNOT compare to a Pixar original. Back to the animation, it is so freaking gorgeous like:
and the marigold bridges!
But not just the imagery, the animation boundaries that Pixar is eternally attempting to break were actually mind-blowing. The big one people would be aware of and particularly musicians might catch onto first would be the fact that Miguel’s finger placing while strumming the guitar in front of the tv in his De la Cruz shrine are note for note correct and accurately synced to the music that you hear as he strums. WHICH IS INSANE. And something never done before. And I legitimately got chills watching with this knowledge in mind.
Props to Chris Chua who had to do the animation for this particular scene!!! And just note that apparently every time you see a person playing a guitar, it is the exact same situation! SCB also talks about it here until about 6:41 mins.
Onto the actual plot and let me tell you there is a plot TWIST and a message switch.
Well for those who have seen it, the plot twist is obviously that Ernesto de la Cruz is NOT Miguel’s great-great-grandfather and that it is Hector. I think if you know how these sorta movies go, you would clock in pretty early that this would be the situation - I think I clued in when Hector is talking about not liking musicians and such and Miguel is all “what would you know?” and I just knew then that Hector was gonna be some sort of musician and therefore probably his great-great-grandfather. But what I wasn’t prepared for (and maybe this is because Pixar doesn’t usually have a villain and more so a “big picture” dilemma for the MC to overcome) was the fact that Ernesto de la Cruz was the “bad guy” AND a straight up murderer and murdered Hector when he was trying to get back to his family. That bit broke me a little because this whole time we were led to believe that Hector or Miguel’s “Papa” went out seeking fame and fortune and I just assumed that Hector never found it and died with his regrets but no! He got murdered by the man Miguel has been admiring most of his life! While trying to get back to his family!
The “Remember Me” song got 100x more poignant and sad and heartbreaking with this knowledge. And that, I thought, was some brilliant writing on Pixar’s part. Because now you can see why Hector is so desperate to cross the bridge. This ahole murdering peacock MURDERED HIM, keeping him from his family, stealing all his songs and raking in the rewards while leaving his family to believe he’d abandoned them and thus attempting to ERASE HIM from their memories and thus leave him to be forgotten!!! WHICH PIXAR COULD’VE DONE!! They could’ve done an Ellie and then some in obliterating your heart by killing someone who is already dead. I kinda wanna see what that movie would’ve been like if they had Hector die and thus have Hector and Coco just miss each other “on their way out” and that’s just horrendous to think about but would’ve clocked Coco as a real Pixar heavyweight (not that it isn’t top 6 material already).
Speaking of Coco, when hearing the main character is Miguel, it had me confused but the naming of the movie is actually brilliant. Because Coco is absolutely the most pivotal character in the entire movie and that makes the introducing monologue about Miguel and his relationship with his great-grandmother even more interesting. Because Coco is all that is left of memories of Hector and without her remembering him, he would cease to exist and meet her again in the after life like he’d been wanting for like four generations of Riveras and the reason he died in the first place!
Secondly the change of direction in the message Pixar was sending out. Initially, it was very clearly a movie about shedding the constraints of the naysayers and even if it is your family telling you, you can’t, you should follow your heart and do whatever you can to achieve your dreams. BUT Miguel was gradually going down a path we don’t often see in both Pixar and Disney protagonists. Where ultimately we the audience know they’re doing the right thing and following their heart even if their family disagreed (Moana is a good recent example), Miguel did things like saying he doesn’t wanna be a part of his family, and sneaking into Ernesto’s mausoleum and stealing his guitar simply because he believed he was Ernesto’s grandson, and then when returned immediately back to the land of the living, he ignores all the conditions given to him and steals the guitar again which rightly returns him back to the land of the dead. I mean granted, his family (dead and alive) and particularly his abuelita are over the top in discouraging him from his pursuing music BUT they are constantly reiterating why they are saying what they’re saying and doing what they’re doing, and he just refused to listen out of a stubborn desire to be different from his family. So he’s a character that it takes a longer time to like (imo) because of how dismissive and ignorant he is of why his family wants to keep him from pursuing music.
But then comes Miguel’s redemption and the change in direction the movie’s message takes. Because of how they have set out Miguel’s character and not taking him down that “guilty but noble” path, the “ultimately follow your heart” message can’t be swallowed well (kinda how I feel about The Little Mermaid). Instead they are saying that while following your dreams and your heart are great, if you don’t have people you care about to share in your success and support you in your dreams, then your existence can only ring hollow and the way you are remembered will always be toeing a fine line - as shown with Ernesto de la Cruz and how in the end, he got shunned by both the living and the dead when his actions came to light and his motivations behind those actions. And I think the powerful message of family and taking your past to push you forward to your best self is a really great message to send out.
Overall fantastic, feel good, tear-worthy movie. Hector’s almost-”death” and that final song with Mama Coco killed me gently and I loved this movie. 100/100 would recommend everyone see.
