Family Dynamics in Coco

Rating: 9/10 (23 April 2018)

Coco, an animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures, showcases the life of a young Mexican boy named Miguel. Throughout the story, an emphasis on family arises. Miguel has a tight-knit family where traditions and unity play a big role. Family dynamics are big in the film, and it made me wonder, are traditional Mexican families and their culture portrayed correctly in this film? In Coco, the first thing I noticed about family dynamics was that Miguel's family had multiple generations living under one roof. Miguel's grandmother and great-grandmother lived in the same house as Miguel and his parents. According to Judit Garcia, "2, 3 or more (generations) would live together in one household" (2013). Since I found through multiple sources that multi-generation households are common in Mexico, it proves that Miguel's family was not out of the ordinary and that his extremely large family was actually quite normal. The next aspect of family that became apparent was the family business. The business means a lot to the family, and all the men are expected to work in the family business. The responsibility of working for the family business is huge in Miguel's family and a lot of pressure is set on the men. According to a resource from an online database, "Family unity and responsibility are high priorities ... Family ties represent lifelong commitments" (Mexico: Family, 2018). The family business is a family tie, and according to the database, it represents lifelong commitments. This is correctly portrayed in the movie as almost all members of the family do their part for the family business. While using databases, the most important and recurring topic I came across was family unity. Unity is huge in Mexican families and it's what allows for families to stay connected for long periods of time. According to an International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family, "Family transcends individuals and generations. The family brings together the past, present, and future through kinship ties" (Sanchez-Aragon, 2003). Families in Mexico try to stay connected the best they can, and responsibility is a huge part of that. Miguel's family uses unity and responsibility to fuel their relationship, and I think the same goes for most Mexican families. Overall, I believe that Coco was an authentically correct film that correctly portrayed major aspects of the Mexican culture. On a culture scale, I would give Coco a rating of 9/10 and would completely recommend it as your next movie choice.