Wishing you happy tears..

Rating: 8/10 (8 January 2018)

There are few movies which you miss out watching in theatres, maybe you are too busy with other things in life or maybe you thought it may not be worth it. I'm sure, for many of us, who although are ardent fans of Disney-Pixar collaborations (Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Up, Inside Out, etc), may have missed out on Coco which released in Nov '17. And it shows in their global collections (< $600m).
But as I watched the movie unfold it's colourful music and magic on my TV screen, I immediately started to regret, missing watching it on the theatre. A delectable comedy drama based in Mexico (creators indulging in meticulous research on the cultural aspects, depicting them with warmth); the story follows Miguel, a cute round eyed 12 year old who has immense love for music.
For this review, I mean to state some of issues upfront. The plot start on a familiar note - the boy wants to follow a path, which his family hates - remember Ratatouille?, the family is caricature, most of the scenes are predictable (more Disney here than Pixar) and it definitely includes fantasy - a transition to another world which changes the protagonist into a better person (yes, as in almost all Disney movies).
If so, why did I regret not watching it? Although the storyline is straightforward, it has alot of warmth (yes, I'll repeat this word); a fuzzy family feel to it which connects you and almost brings you to tears at the end of it. The impeccable research on Mexican culture and the depiction of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), in a sensible and touching manner leaves the audience with sweet memories while stressing on the importance of remembering and cherishing the dead. If you'd note, every culture across the world (especially the old ones) always had dedicated days to celebrate the dead, atleast 1 generation above.
We all have heard our parents and grandparents fondly remembering their childhood and may have ignored them or even criticized them (inside our heads) for droning on about the same memories. The movie, by communicating in a nice way states that those whom you remember from your past, never really die. They remain alive in another world. As this generation of ours grows older and we witness passing away of our grandparents, this is an important message to remember. And more to spend atleast one day in a year talking about them and sharing a laugh and a tear.
By using the smallest of elements including the golden petals of the Aztec marigold flower as a travel portal, highlighting the importance of family's blessings and showing how, unspoken words of love, can harm an entire generation, the movie retains all the best things an animation can bring, while being so much relatable to every culture in the world.
And then of course is the music. Composed by Michael Giacchino (the guy who had us swooning in 'Up'), it's instantly hummable and also capable of singing along once you listen to it. Justapoxed with Spanish and English lyrics, the 'Un poco loco', Miguel's stage debut song is my favourite. And few of them do make you want to get up and groove as well. Most people would also love 'Remember me' not just for it's music, but also it's lyrics.
Special mention to Gael Garcia Bernal, the voice actor for 'Hector', for brilliantly voicing comedy, love and tragedy all.so convincingly.
'Coco' is a recommended watch as per me. And be ready when you eventually realise whom the movie is named on. Wishing you happy tears..