Another great film from Pixar

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2019)

This Pixar animation is centred on Miguel a Mexican boy who dreams of becoming a musician. Unfortunately for him his family has banned all music because his great great grandfather had abandoned his great great grandmother to become a musician... they expect him to become a shoemaker like the rest of his family. On the Day of the Dead he plans to sneak off and take part in a music competition but his grandmother destroys his guitar. Needing a new instrument he breaks into the tomb of his hero, legendary musician Ernesto de la Cruz, to borrow his guitar. As soon as he plays a chord something strange happens... nobody alive can see him but he can interact with his dead relatives who can enter the world of the living that one day. He returns to the Land of the Dead with them. He learns that if he stays past the end of the night he will become one of the dead! His family could return him but add the condition that he must give up on music... he refuses believing that Ernesto is his great great grandfather so could return him without such a condition. HÃ©ctor offers to help in exchange for taking his picture back to the Land of the Living. In what follows Miguel learns more about his family and culture.
I found this film to be an absolute delight; the story is charming with excitement and genuinely emotional moments. I loved how it was based on the Day of the Dead; a celebration I'd previously heard of but didn't know about in any detail... I'd thought it sounded rather macabre but thanks to this see that it is really something rather beautiful; a day to remember dead family members. As one would expect the animation is great as were the detailed backgrounds. The central story of a child trying to return from a spirit world strongly reminded me of Studio Ghibli's 'Spirited Away'; the execution is quite different though so I never felt this was copying that film. One might think that a film about characters who are dead might be a bit creepy for younger viewers but the character designs aren't scary; in fact I think the film could be shown to children wondering about death. There are more songs than most Pixar films but it isn't a musical... characters perform rather than just break into song. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to all film fans.