A wonderful animation, full of music and emotion

Rating: 9/10 (19 February 2018)

Determined to perform at a local talent show against his family's ban of music for generations, young Miguel is left without a guitar on that very day. Not willing to give up, he accidentally enters the land of the dead, where he's about to meet the greatest musician of all time. Well-hidden secrets will be unraveled, one at a time, influencing the young boy's way of thinking, for better or worse.
It's a wonderful animation which introduces to the audience a world of the dead, where everyone who was remembered by somebody alive could do whatever he pleased, even cross back to the living world to take offerings from relatives. It's a plot which brings something entirely new, something unique, something which raises the action to a whole new level. The characters are also well described, complex and with a well-defined mentality, contributing decisively to the outcome. The plot is complex, full of surprises and changes of pace, making it one of a kind, as said before.
The way it's animated is as you would expect, top notch, excellently portrayed and colored, with some spectacular scenes. Music also plays an important role in the picture, bringing characters together or separating others forever. It's action isn't breathtaking, but maintains a good pace throughout the movie, not letting the viewer to be distracted by anything.
What disappointed me, to be honest, was the finale, which, although respects the winning formula, being happy and satisfying, leaves the impression that it is a bit too rushed. All problems seem to be resolved and all wrongs made right out of a sudden, with little explaining being done in the middle. I know that I'm too subjective about this aspect, but I was hoping for a bit more in terms of storytelling regarding the finale of a complex turn of events.
Overall, what I saw was a very good animation, full of emotion, laughter, drama and good action, which told a great and complex story, but failed to maintain the extraordinary pace until the end. It's a very good movie overall, but a bit shy of other animation masterpieces.