A beautiful film about family, love, passion and tradition

Rating: 9/10 (21 November 2017)

To read my full review for Coco go to: www.havekidwillteardrop.com
When I heard this movie was coming out, I was really excited to see it. My son's class had studied the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in school where he learned about the history of this very important day and why it is celebrated. I was curious how Disney/Pixar would come at this because even though they always have the best intentions, some times things don't go as planned. After seeing it last night I feel like they hit it out of the park!
This movie is so so full of love and color and passion. I appreciated how they explained the celebration and why it is important to people of Mexico (and beyond). The message of family, hard work and love is so strong. There is also a message of finding a way to follow your passion and if you want it you have to make it happen (although hopefully your choices will be good ones and not ones that are wrong!).
The attention to detail throughout the film is incredible. When you watch various people in the movie play the guitar it is like watching a real person play. The filmmakers did their best to replicate how the fingers move and the positions they take. Attention to detail went beyond that – there is an introduction to famous Mexican heroes like Frida Kaldo and both worlds were inspired by real places the team traveled to throughout Mexico. Filmmakers collaborated with a team of cultural consultants, whose families all hail from Mexico, to weigh in on everything from character wardrobe and sets décor to the color palette and even dialogue—encouraging a fluid blend of Spanish and English within the script in a way that required no translation. There is a long list of families in my press materials that helped with all of this as well and I felt like the film was done in such a magical yet culturally respectful way. You could really feel like this family could live next door. Or be your family.
While this movie is really heart-warming there is a lot of humor too. The street dog, Dante, who Miguel befriends is hilarious and reminds me a lot of the chicken in Moana. He doesn't seem all that intelligent, will eat nearly everything, but is a loyal friend and travel companion. He might not be family, but he becomes family by the end of the film and proves that he loves as hard as Miguel. There are other fun jokes and Hector is quite a character – beloved and silly all at the same time.
The voice talent in the movie is fantastic. Miguel is voiced by Anthony Gonzalez and he is wonderful. He has been playing mariachi since he was 4 years old and lends his voice to the songs his character sings.
My husband doesn't really love movies that have a lot of music in them, but he felt like this had just the right amount and really loved the story line, even if it was a little bit predictable. Our son really loved it too and says all kids should see this.
The directors Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina bring a really beautiful film to us and I highly recommend seeing this one with your family.
Disclaimer: I was given free admission to this film. All opinions are my own and I was not required to leave a positive review. The movie is really well done!