Coco is a Feast for the Eyes and it Tells a Worthwhile Story About Family

Rating: 9/10 (6 January 2018)

I don't know if Pixar has ever made a movie that didn't boast excellent visual style (I've seen every Pixar movie minus Cars 3) but Coco didn't drop the ball. Both the original setting and the afterlife are portrayed by this movie is gorgeous. It's filled with bright neon and pastel colours that are used superbly. Unkrich, Molina and their team outdid themselves creating this eye-popping environment and it was a definite positive to help make the movie an immersive experience. I loved how they decided to integrate that into specific ideas, like the bridge between the living and the dead being made out of flower petals. There are more than a couple visual gags with the skeletons too and to Coco's credit, I was never bored or annoyed with them even if I have seen another version of them before. There was plenty of laughter in the theatre I saw it in and I liked the gags throughout.
The central conceit of the plot bugged me at the beginning. Mama Imelda's husband was a deadbeat who was selfish and abandoned his family. Why is it music's fault? If anything you think Mama would encourage emotional detachment from romantic partners instead of a hatred of music. But to the movie's credit, I got over that. They couldn't have explained it any other way without damaging the overall story so if you're like me and have a problem with this line of thinking, try to be patient and I think you'll be able to hurdle it.
As animated protagonists go, Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) reminded me of Meredith from the Pixar movie Brave. You can relate to him and see why he's frustrated with how his life is going but he also comes off as selfish when we're just getting to know him. That's how I felt about Meredith but where Brave stumbled and Coco succeeds is that Coco gives Miguel great supporting characters to interact with. Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) was easily my favourite, he's the right mix of likeable and sweet and I also really liked Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). There's a lot more to his character than meets the eye and I think they made the right choices with his magnetic musician character. As much as I was annoyed at Miguel's living family (they're largely forgettable), I also connected with his dead family and characters like Mama Imelda (Alanna Ubach). The movie could have drawn them as being nags or shallow but they take the time to help you see their point of view.
The voice acting in the movie is good across the board. Anthony Gonzalez isn't the most talented singer or voice actor but he gets the job done and I think he was a good addition to the movie. Bernal and Bratt stole the show, they have great characters to work with but they helped elevate them into being memorable for me. I also have to credit Alanna Ubach for doing a solid job as well.
The message of the movie is familiar (family first) but I think Coco is such a good movie that they present it in a way that it seems fresh. There is subtext about compromise and how things aren't always what they seem that I found touching. I got swept up in this movie and I think it works almost as well as many of Pixar's best movies at being emotionally affecting.
I have to give the movie a backhanded compliment when it comes to the pacing. I was never annoyed with the movie but until Miguel travels to the afterlife, it did seem like it was treading water. The story was being told with care but it wasn't exciting right off the bat. Luckily, when we get to the afterlife and we start meeting Miguel's family, the movie moves at a quicker clip and you are getting so much in the way of characters and new information that Coco grabs you by the hand and you never look back.
This movie felt like Pixar showing off. Not only is this one of their most impressive movies from a visual standpoint (which is no small feat) but I thought after a shaky start, the momentum picked up and they had a very sweet story about family by the end. I almost let this pass by me in theatres and looking back, I'm really glad I got the opportunity to go see it on the big screen. This is an excellent animated movie in every respect and I would urge you to give it a shot.