A colorful ode to the Mexican culture and to the family values, but that's kinda it

Rating: 7/10 (25 February 2018)

If you agree with the 'family comes first" motto, but are tired of it being linked solely to the muscular bald guys and fast cars, then Coco will become a pleasant refreshment for you. A lush and lovingly made animation film based on the Dia de los Muertos theme from the Mexican culture, it is a touching experience and a joy to watch.
However, after all the praise Coco received from all around, the actual viewing experience has left me slightly disappointed. Maybe because I did watch The Book of Life, another animation inspired by the Dia de los Muertos lore and featuring the similar "family wishes vs personal destination" conflict, a film some consider Coco to be a rip-off of. Or maybe it's because, despite all its pretty visuals, cute characters and singing solid enough, Coco clearly doesn't invest too much into having more than a single layer of meaning.
You see, here we have a painted prettily and with lots of fizzy buoyant quirks, but still a rather simplistic take on the eternal topic of love's duality and generations' conflict. A kid who loves music, but hatred for it is a family trait for several generations, so he embarks on an unexpected journey through the world of the dead to find a way to unite again what has once been separated and to mend what was once broken. And to sing a few songs and to battle some personal fears while he's at it. There are some nice and emotional scenes along the way, and some lessons learned for some characters, but it's still more or less a linear journey from A to B where good is mostly good (although not without a typical feminine touch of a raging maelstrom of emotionality), and bad is, well, at least clearly selfish from the get-go, and then it's plain outright evil.
What is missing in my opinion is the multi-facet delivery, or at least a deeper morals of the story. Sure, "love your relatives and do what you believe in" is cool, but ain't it what every single animated film is eventually about? And you could reach the ending inevitable for such genre with some more convoluted and morally difficult effort than just being a boisterous music prodigy with tons of luck to his aid.
It's not a good idea to criticize art for not meeting your expectations. After all, nobody does it just for you, so why what you think must matter at all? Still, if you are not too fond of stories being rather straightforward, then Coco might feel somewhat shallow. And if you're not a kid who loves everything shiny and moving, then the second half of the film might feel kinda random, slapstick'y and, at times, on seriously heavy drugs (the color-changing monkey burping blue flames or multiple Frida Kahlos crawling out of a giant papaya to drink an even more giant cactus' tears being some examples). For you, I might recommend watching The Book of Life instead, which, albeit arguably less glossy and vibrant visually, has a story much more complex and not stamping "good" and "evil" labels on things, thus showing the duality of people and of the life itself.
For everyone else, go ahead and watch this film. For its loving care for the Mexican traditions, sharing not just the language but also the passion for something outside the typical Western outlook. And clearly for the multiple Frida Kahlos crawling out of a giant papaya - that was hilarious beyond all sane measure!