CoCo Critique

Rating: 9/10 (23 April 2018)

Miguel, a 12 year old boy, dreams of becoming a musician. His family on the other hand, despises any kind of music, because of past events and has banished music from their home. Miguel ventures into the Land of the Dead to find his musical idol, Ernesto de la Cruz, while unveiling family secrets along the way.
Dia de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated by most Latin-American countries and some parts of the United States. Each year family members honor the spirits of their deceased loved ones. In the recent Disney/Pixar movie Coco, this cultural holiday is the main event of the movie. Throughout the film, Coco focuses on the importance of family on this day. While displaying this theme on the screen, it is also important in the real world. According to CultureGrams', they confirm that "...an altar in their homes dedicated to the deceased that includes flowers, rosaries and photos of the dead; candles are lit on these altars to guid the soul on the path to heaven" ("Life Cycle" 1). In Coco, you see all of these items or ideas shown. During Día de los Muertos for Miguel's family, they do exactly this- create an altar in honor of the person or people there are remembering, set up flowers, photos and their favorite meal or dish. Even when Miguel was trapped in the Land of the Dead, he learned that in order for anyone there during the Day of the Dead needed to be remembered. Specifically by having a photo of yourself somewhere with your loved ones in the real world. This is closely related to "candles are lit on these altars to guide the soul on the path to heaven". At the beginning of the movie, when Miguel and his family are celebrating Día de los Muertos we notice that the surroundings of the holiday- the altars, flowers, pictures and food could be set up anywhere. Google Arts & Culture agrees that "offerings vary from one region to another. The festival can be celebrated at home, at the cemetery, on the ground, around a table, as a family or as a community" (Day of the Dead Festival 3). When watching Coco, you notice that Miguel's family recognized his dead family members whether or not it was in the cemetery, in his home, or in his family's courtyard. We even see the community gathering to remember Ernesto de la Cruz, as the star he was.
In the Mexican and Latino cultures, the variety of ways to celebrate this holiday is exhibited in Coco extremely well. All throughout this movie we see how the events occuring, relate to real life families and communities. Not only is the holiday, Día de los Muertos shown, but also the respect for elders, love of music, reflection of our loved ones and the power of friendship. Coco is the right choice when wanting to see a comical, cultural, heart-jerking and knowledgeable film.