Well produced but extremely predictable

Rating: 5/10 (4 March 2018)

This movie having an average rating of 8.5 at the moment is to me just another proof that the rating and review system of this site is completely out of order...
Pixar used to be all about telling great stories with a lot of playful creativity and originality thrown into the mix. But what Coco is just yet another sad example of is that they've found their "successful" formula as well as they've settled into a certain safe way of doing everything. This is the same story we've seen a million times before: A kid has a dream for his future but is prevented to follow that dream because of the surroundings he lives in (in this case his family), and of course he goes on a journey that changes everything and he can eventually live this dream. This is basically A Bugs Life (and a million other similar stories) in a Mexican setting but without anything new and original added. The main plot twists where so super obvious that you spent half the film waiting for them to be revealed... Also all the structure around the story - the flow of the story, the supporting characters, the way it's animated, the many little slap-stick (supposedly) humorous elements - it all reeks of habits and "let's just stay in our comfort zone and play it safe".... And this from the company that gave us Toy Story 2 (my favourite in the series), Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, and Wall-E.
Pixar, I'm not angry but I'm extremely disappointed in the direction you've taken in later years. I mean, the film isn't all bad, it's just nothing like what Pixar used to stand for.
5/10 (= almost OK, but still felt like a waste of time)