We went to the cinema to watch this due to strong word of mouth recommendations on places like Broken Forum. However the film has been in the news recently for all of the reasons due to how much hatred the Frozen short that precedes it has engendered. While not being awful, the short is clearly a B-team effort that goes on far too long. Once Coco proper kicks off, the difference in quality is so immediately apparent that you really do have to question why they ever thought pairing them like this was a good idea.

Miguel hails from a family of shoemakers who has banished all music from their lives. The story goes that his long deceased great-great-grandmother was married to a musician who left his wife and daughter to pursue his musical career and never returned. Since then every generation has been taught that musicians are nothing but trouble. Miguel however is secretly a fan of Ernesto de la Cruz, supposedly the greatest musician in the history of Mexico and has learned to play the guitar from watching his old videos. On the Day of the Dead, he decides to enter the talent contest but when his grandmother discovers his plan, she smashes his homemade guitar. After recognizing the guitar of de la Cruz in one of his family’s old photographs, he concludes that de la Cruz is his great-great-grandfather and goes to his tomb to steal his guitar. This causes him to be cursed to the Land of the Dead. To leave, he must receive a blessing from one of his family members. However his great-great-grandmother Imelda insists that he abandon his musical aspirations as a condition of the blessing. Therefore he decides to seek out de la Cruz to obtain his blessing, accompanied by his dog and a man Hector who wishes to be allowed to visit the land of the living.

Though it tries to throw in some surprises, Coco is for the most part a predictable film. The major plot points are telegraphed well in advance and the story pretty develops as you would expect. Yet I’d rate this as a win due to the excellence of its production values. All of the characters are interesting and likable, with the dog Dante being way better as light comic relief than the stupid Olaf from Frozen. I have no idea of course how faithful it is to the real Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico but it seems like a rather respectful adaptation and expansion of the folklore. I found the way it expanded the land of the dead to include conventions like immigration queues to be amusing and rather creative. Most of all the visuals are jaw-droppingly awesome. Even watching the way the camera pans across scenes make it obvious what a lazy effort the Frozen short was and since I started dipping my toes in learning Blender, I have a newfound appreciation for how many man-hours of work goes into every frame.

I don’t have too much to say about it since at heart it is still a Hollywood animated feature. Probably no one can avoid being moved by the sight of the elderly Coco pining for her father who never came home, demonstrating how Pixar is still great at conjuring a tearjerker moment. If nothing else, it still makes for a wonderful spectacle. I do wonder whether or not it being released now is some sort of political statement. The Trump administration is probably none too pleased about a film that highlights Mexican culture, especially during the Christmas. Given the realities of how long it takes to make such films, it probably wasn’t so much a deliberate snub than a happy coincidence. In that case, perhaps the Christmas-themed Frozen short should be seen as a sort of peace offering then?