Pixar’s Coco – Review Both charming and heart-breaking, Coco is a return to form for Pixar.

Pixar’s latest outing is as charming as it is heart-breaking. Coco follows a few days in the life of Miguel, a young boy in rural Mexico.  He defies his family’s generations-long disdain for music, taking inspiration from his idol: singer Ernesto de la Cruz. Aspiring to become a world-famous musician, Miguel’s journey takes some surprising twists and turns, bringing him to the Land of the Dead and grappling with many macabre themes along the way.

Anthony Gonzalez gives a stellar performance as Miguel. His overwhelmingly cheerful and charmingly naïve outlook carries the audience through what would otherwise be an unsettling story. Throughout the film, Miguel confronts terrifying prospects with determination and enthusiasm, making him the most endearing character in the story. Early on, Miguel meets Hector (played by Gael García Bernal), a well-connected dead musician who serves as his guiding companion in the Land of the Dead. The pair develop an entertaining dynamic, with Miguel’s naivety being the perfect foil for Hector’s experience. Miguel’s tight-knit extended family, both living and deceased, comprise the rest of the film’s characters. The supporting cast deliver fantastic performances, making the family setting feel all the more genuine.

The plot chronicles Miguel’s quest to return home from the Land of the Dead and is reminiscent of a ‘fish out of water’ story. Though seemingly predictable, the film subverts expectations, making it a much more gripping watch than some of Pixar’s more recent films. The third act in particular, runs viewers through an exhilarating gamut of emotions. The enthralling plot is complemented well by stunning visuals and sound. Michael Giacchino’s orchestral score, along with the original songs make the Land of the Dead Pixar’s most colourful, vibrant and creative world yet.

Perhaps most surprising are the film’s hard-hitting themes. Being primarily set among deceased characters, Coco’s central message is that death is a natural part of life; that the dead should not be mourned but rather, their lives celebrated. It is impressive that the film manages to bring adults to tears with its message, while remaining suitable for an audience of children. It is difficult to describe just how well this morbid topic is handled without discussing significant plot details, but this aspect of the film left me floored.

Coco is arguably Pixar’s best film to date. Refreshingly original, impactful and memorable, this film is sure to leave Irish audiences stunned.

 

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