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Coco may not represent Disney/Pixar at its pinnacle but it’s close enough to the
top to warrant consideration as the best computer-drawn film of 2017. The best
animated film of the year overall is still the anime, Your Name. But more about
that in my year end list. Of course, competition is slim and little comes from
Pixar’s summer release, Cars 3, which was crass commercialism at its worst. Coco
proves that when not tied to the strings of sequel-making, the writers and
animators can do some of their best work. This one movie won’t be sufficient to
revive a genre that has fallen into a chasm-sized rut but it’s as good a start
as any. We need more films like this: family-friendly efforts that challenge
viewers with ideas rather than regurgitating tired tropes in the name of
placating toy companies.
Coco takes a deep dip into Mexican culture by setting the movie south of the
border on the Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), when the spirits of the departed
can visit their living relatives. This isn’t the first animated film to honor
the holiday – Guillermo del Toro’s 2014 The Book of Life has already plowed this
fertile ground. However, while there are superficial similarities (in the same
way that two movies set at Christmas would be expected to share certain images),
the plots are divergent. Coco seems to draw more inspiration from Pixar’s own
Ratatouille and Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away than The Book of Life.
Director Lee Unkrich brings a rich and respected animated filmography to this
project. He was the co-director for Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., and
Finding Nemo.
He was then the primary director for
Toy Story 3. Without question, he
understands how to blend child-appropriate material with mature themes.
Toy Story 3 is one of the most successful “works on two levels” films and, although
Coco falls well short of that achievement, it is strong enough to engage viewers
young and old alike. Music is an important aspect of the movie and Coco hits
many of the right notes.
In the Rivera household, music is banned. The ban dates back several
generations, when a woman, Mama Imelda (Alanna Ubach), was abandoned by her
musician husband and left to raise her daughter alone. Despite the prohibition
imposed by his great-great-grandmother, however, Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) has a
song in his heart and a tune on his lips. Bolstered by the “do whatever is
necessary to follow your dream” motto of his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin
Bratt), Miguel seeks to prove himself in a talent contest but his unorthodox
means of obtaining an instrument catapult him and his dog Dante into the Land of
the Dead, where he meets not only Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), a good-natured
con-artist, but many of his forebears, including Mama Imelda. Not being a
spirit, Miguel has until dawn to return to the Land of the Living lest he remain
trapped forever. But when Mama Imelda offers to send him back, he balks at her
condition and instead seeks out Ernesto de la Cruz, with whom he believes he
shares a special connection.
Putting aside the songs, which are unremarkable, Coco has most of the requisites
that make animated movies popular: the (young) protagonist is likeable, the
animal sidekick has cute antics, the villain is suitably nasty, and there’s
heart & soul to the proceedings. Visually, the movie doesn’t attempt to top
every previous Pixar effort – something that would be difficult considering the
studio’s output in recent years. A few scenes, such as a panoramic view of The
Land of the Dead, “pop” but much of the movie is more interested in emphasizing
the Mexican culture than outdoing earlier features.
Family, a common theme in Disney movies, is front-and-center in Coco. The
narrative focuses on Miguel’s desire to find his father, Hector’s love for his
daughter, and the shared bond that develops between the two. The emotional
aspect of the movie is handled with delicacy and just enough manipulation to
ensure that even the iciest heart will melt a little. The movie also highlights
Dia de Muertos customs and uses them to open a portal into a fantasy world. As
in many good animated films, there’s plenty of comedy to go along with the
occasional doses of pathos. The film also addresses death in a manner that
younger viewers may relate to – not as a big, scary end but as a subtle
transition to something else.
When not pandering exclusively to children, animation can be a wonderful outlet
for a filmmaker’s creativity, opening vistas that are wider and more expansive
than anything found in a live-action production. In its early days, Pixar did
this with regularity. In recent years, financial expectations have forced the
studio to take commercially secure but not necessarily rewarding avenues. Coco
may not be a blockbuster but, regardless of how it performs at the box office,
it’s a welcome return to a variety of animated fare that prizes inspiration over
safety. |