Coco

I would agree that this is as close to a musical as Pixar has ever come. Considering however that their first feature film was designed to be different from the masterpieces of the Disney Renaissance, I don't think Pixar will be making an actual musical motion picture anytime soon. Pixar has always been classified as a studio that is not afraid to take risks and make something unique. Examples of this include "The Incredibles" and "Brave". "Coco" is also unique because of its high level of respect for and use of Mexican culture. I was hoping the filmmakers at Pixar, including Oscar-winning director Lee Unkrich, would adhere to the level of professional storytelling that they are known for. For the most part they did but I am so used to Pixar movies that I found "Coco" to be a little too predictable for my taste when I first saw it. The film also felt fast-paced during that first viewing. Thankfully, there is sincerity that can be felt while watching the film and the third time I saw the film was a moving experience.

At some point during production, Pixar had to change the name of this movie but Mama Coco has such a short amount screen time that I wonder a little why they chose to name the film after her. Imagine if "Up" was re-titled as "Ellie". It is true that both Ellie and Coco are the heart of each of their respective films but I still feel a bit confused by this decision. The plot motif of this animated film is the same as many past films released by the studio. The protagonist is passionate about something but they have a flaw that stems from that passion. As the story moves forward, there are storm clouds on the horizon. The inciting incident then happens and the nature of it adds insult to injury. The protagonist then faces a choice on how to achieve resolution and they choose the juvenile path (otherwise, there would be no character growth and the story wouldn't be worth telling). We saw this story pattern in "Toy Story", "Finding Nemo" and "Inside Out" among other Pixar movies. For "Coco", Miguel wants to be a musician so much that his family's indifference to music causes Miguel to somewhat distance himself emotionally from his family. When he tries to enter the talent show, his family's reaction creates a deeper emotional disconnection. After Miguel is cursed, he learns the only way to lift the curse is to accept a blessing from his deceased family members that also despise music. He could have accepted the blessing as given to him by Mama Imelda but he chooses his love for music instead. Even though Pixar has used this story motif many times, they have always found a way to make it feel original. For the general public, "Coco" will also possess a feeling of originality but I on the other hand am a seasoned Pixar fan. As a result and unfortunately, the majority of the plot was way too predictable for me. Other parts were not thankfully. The existence of the letters to Coco for example brought the complete resolution I wanted. When I watched the show for the first time, I just seemed to be one step ahead of the story for the most part. I was sensing where things were going and then my suspicions would be confirmed. I am just too familiar with Pixar and filmmaking for my own good. The story of a movie needs to be told in such a way that you forget that a screenwriter wrote it and that filmmakers brought it to life. There needs to be an emotional connection between the movie and the audience that is invisibly fashioned by the filmmakers. The plot of "Coco" flowed naturally at some moments and not at others but this is again a result of my familiarity. It was also hard to keep straight what information certain characters knew and didn't know about the plot such as Miguel hiding the fact from Hector that he has other ancestors. This is because of the film's fast pace that made it hard for me to fully appreciate the show and keep up with certain plot points. The scene with Miguel playing to Ernesto de la Cruz on the TV is very well constructed but it has the same flaw as "Love is an Open Door" from "Frozen". Coincidentally, the Oscar-winning songwriters for "Frozen" wrote half of the songs for "Coco". The scene with the TV is too powerful for the story's own good. We become so emotionally invested by this scene that when the plot twist comes, it is a little hard to accept it. Again, if the show had slowed down a little in certain moments such as when Miguel and Hector prepare for the contest number, we may have been able to develop a more genuine interest in that relationship. The main point I wish to make is that, despite these misgivings, the film is still powerful and these flaws seem less obvious after multiple viewings. I continue to tear up during the climax so that tells me the film must have done something right. If Disney's "Tangled" and Pixar's "Ratatouille" were able to gain greater favour in my eyes with each subsequent viewing then why not "Coco"? That appears to be happening now that the film is on blu-ray. Something I have faith in very strongly is that the responsibility of making sure we are together forever as a family in the eternities depends on us; the living. This further assisted me to focus less on the flaws of the show. Another noteworthy part of this movie was the opening prologue.

After the story of a movie, the other cinematic aspect that I value the most are the characters. Miguel follows in the tradition of other recent Disney characters that have hopes and dreams such as Remy and Rapunzel, whom I have already alluded to. Pixar has cast all the main characters with Latino actors and that shows their sincerity in telling this story. In the Pixar filmmaking process, a character is constructed first and then an actor is sought out who can not only bring the character to life but also add unto what the filmmakers have already done. The only character in "Coco" that I feel did not live up perfectly to that goal was Hector. He was one of the most important characters unfortunately but this was balanced out by how strong of a character Coco was, despite her minimal screen time. We do feel concern for Hector's fate but I think the filmmakers had trouble balancing his comedic side with his tragic side. At least the relationships between all of the characters worked well enough. I recognized the name of many cast members such as Benjamin Bratt, Edward James Olmos and Cheech Marin (from the "Cars" franchise). John Ratzenberger had a cameo as is traditional, playing the voice of the skeleton with dental work.

Pixar has this drive to push technology forward with every film to support the stories they tell. Skeletons were a challenge for the studio as was Mama Imelda's alebrije. Coco herself is an example of the advancement of computer animation because it seems like each one of her wrinkles was loving crafted (the last time that Pixar made advancements in the design of elderly characters was for "Up"). I always like to identify a "Wow Moment" in every Pixar film, which I define as a point in the movie where the characters or the story pauses in order to take in the complexity or beauty of what is happening. I prefer these moments to come during the climax but lately, Pixar has used them towards the start of their movies. In the case of "Coco", our introductory view of The Land of the Dead is the film's "Wow Moment" It is colorful and very complex. I love identifying Pixar Easter eggs and I spotted the Pizza Planet Delivery Truck very early in the film. A few minor shout outs I have to give include co-director Adrian Molina and composer Michael Giacchino. Molina has been involved at Pixar since "Ratatouille" and I am impressed how versatile Giacchino is as a musical composer. His score was very emulative of Mexico.

This film was released almost a month in Mexico before any other countries, including the US. "Coco" ended up becoming the highest grossing film in the Mexican market in 2017. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature and I knew that the Oscar would follow. Besides that Academy Award, "Remember Me" won Best Song and I was hoping that it would. This was Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez's second win after "Let it Go" from "Frozen". Too bad that their acceptance speech was a little too political for my taste. In choosing my favourite animated film for 2017, I think the originality of "Coco" and its touching ending qualify it for my list. This is Lee Unrich's first original film as a director. With "Toy Story 3", he had to mimic the style of John Lasseter so I was interested in what he would do with no "baggage". As mentioned, I felt "Coco" was fast paced the first time I saw it and its plot was too foreseeable. I was not expecting this style and multiple viewings is helping me overlook these flaws. Every film story in my mind needs to have a good reason to be told and thankfully, I felt a lot of earnestness demonstrated by Pixar. The story may have had execution glitches, the characters may have been only decent but relationships between all the characters felt real. That was vital for a movie about the power and importance of family.

4 Stars out of 5