Coco

• Directed by Lee Unkrich and Co-Directed by Adrian Molina
• October 20, 2017 (Morelia) / November 22, 2017 (US)

Voice Cast

• Miguel-Anthony Gonzalez
• Héctor-Gael García Bernal
• Ernesto de la Cruz-Benjamin Bratt
• Ernesto de la Cruz’s singing voice-Antonio Sol
• Mamá Imelda-Alanna Ubach
• Abuelita-Renée Victor
• Mamá Coco-Ana Ofelia Murguía
• Young Coco-Libertad García Fonzi
• Chicharrón-Edward James Olmos
• Papá Julio-Alfonso Arau
• Tía Rosita-Selene Luna
• Tía Victoria-Dyana Ortellí
• Tíos Oscar and Felipe-Herbert Sigüenza
• Papá-Jaime Camil
• Mamá-Sofía Espinosa
• Tío Berto-Luis Valdez
• Gloria, Departure Agent-Carla Medina
• Abel-Polo Rojas
• Rosa-Montse Hernandez
• Plaza Mariachi, Gustavo-Lombardo Boyar
• Arrival Agent-Octavio Solis
• Clerk-Gabriel Iglesias
• Corrections Officer-Cheech Marin
• Emcee-Blanca Araceli
• Frida Kahlo-Natalia Cordova-Buckley
• Security Guard-Salvador Reyes
• Juan Ortodoncia-John Ratzenberger

A 12-year-old boy in Mexico is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead, where he seeks the help of his deceased great-great-grandfather to return him to his family and end their ban on music.

With Coco, my usual gripe about CGI aside, there is nothing significantly wrong with this movie. Though fantastical, it’s relatable on multiple levels because it touches on things that we can all understand and is character driven. At no point does it superficially check off boxes to get from Point A to Point B to the finale.

Partially this is a loving portrayal of Mexican culture. Not idealized nor worshipful. Under lesser hands a story built around the Mexican Day of the Dead could have gone in so many bad directions but director Lee Unkrich and co-director Adrian Molina but right away they establish a fun and enjoyable tone and even engage in some very Warner Bros. dark humor. Jaws literally drop off heads in shock like in something from classic WB.

A young boy named Miguel is secretly rebelling against his family’s generational ban on music. Ages ago Miguel’s late great-great-grandmother Mamá Imelda banned music because her husband left to pursue a musical career and never returned. Miguel comes to believe his idol Ernesto de la Cruz who is the most famous musician in the history of Mexico is his great-great-grandfather based on an incomplete photograph.

In a moment that looks like one of convenience while in the Land of the Dead Miguel meets up with Héctor who is desperate to get back to the one person who still remembers him but is beginning to forget due to age. A clue right there like so many others laid out in this movie until the reveal that Héctor is the ancestor and not Ernesto de la Cruz. Disney has often gotten dark and the reveal when all the pieces come together is rather dark. Ernesto in a bid to achieve fame killed his musician friend Héctor and passed his music off as his own.

In the world of Coco, once you are forgotten by the living you fade away in the Land of the Dead. It’s referred to as the second death with a strong implication that you are completely gone. One nice little line hints of a possibility of maybe survival but with a caveat that you cannot interact with any of your family members that are in the Land of the Dead. That may be reaching a little bit on my part but when Héctor says nobody knows it does hint at that without saying the situation he faces is not that serious.

While Héctor faces second (and permanent) death, Ernesto is practically impervious to death because he is remembered and stories of him are still told. Maybe I missed it but Miguel’s town where Ernesto is also from is shown to have an economy built around Ernesto and his fame though that reveal is to demonstrate they have shifted to the musician who should be honored.

What would a Disney movie be without a cute animal sidekick and here it is Dante who is just a street dog that’s also the pet of the hero of the movie. Initially you think the assumption by Frida Kahlo that he’s a spirit guide is a mistake, but it turns out he is. His reaction to the grandfather points out that’s who Miguel should’ve been after all along. Another clue that’s not in your face yet horribly obvious once everything gets learned. 

There’s a lot going on in this movie. Murder and greed and lies and misunderstanding all intertwine in a story that’s about family and forgiveness and following your dreams. Héctor’s wife Imelda who instituted the music ban thought he was off to parts unknown not knowing he was dead. Maybe you will not think this when watching but I know right know I am asking how shaky was her faith in him?

Héctor’s whole goal is not fame or glory but to get to see his daughter one more time who being the only one that still remembers him is going senile and forgetting. He will never get to spend time with her one he fades away. He’s afraid of never seeing this girl he cherished so much again. If that doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, I don’t know what will. This movie generates genuine emotions. I can’t remember the last time I teared up in a movie, but I did for Coco. The desperation of Miguel as he races to save his great-great grandfather and get back home is palpable. You’ve come to care about these characters and their fate

To go off on a tangent when Miguel and Héctor go to Héctor’s friend Chicharrón is downright tragic. He’s clearly weakened from not being remembered and wallowing in his final days because all those that remember him are gone. He is broken and looking for comfort in his final moments. You assume some antics will occur but realize he is really looking for something in his final moments. Such a hard-hitting scene.

The animation switches between bright and garish and melancholy and its visual tone. Yet it never feels as if it’s making a jarring change. Nothing is ever creepy. It just sets the right tone yet the movie itself ends on a hopeful note, despite death being very prominent throughout.

Coco is an expertly crafted very meaty bit of Pixar animated magic. Touches on multiple themes and strikes all the right emotional chords. Great viewing for families or adults alone.