Coco Review

"Know that I'm with you, the only way that I can be, until your in my arms again, remember me!"



Coco is the latest release from Disney Pixar and was directed by Lee Unkrich and co directed by Adrian Molina, and stars the likes of Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Renee Victor and Jamie Camill. The film follows aspiring musician Migual (Anthony Gonzalez) who confronted with his families ancestral ban on music, travels to the land of the dead to get approval and find his great great grandfather, who was a legendary singer in his past life.

Well what can I say about Coco... well for one thing, Coco is an absolutely incredible film, and in my opinion it is definitely up with some of the greats that Disney Pixar has ever produced (I really mean it, it's that good!). Not only is Coco extremely beautiful to look at, with its lifelike, photo realistic animation style (which is truly as realistic as its going to get!), but also has a great cast who give fantastic and heart warming performances throughout the film, and credit is due to the young Anthony Gonzalez who plays Miqual and Gael Garcia Bernal who plays Hector. Both actors give great performances and work extremely well together on screen, which creates some of the standout moments in the film and also some of the most emotional moment's as well (get those tissues ready!). Not only does the film have great performances, but the film also has some important messages about the importance of family and introduces some interesting concepts about the afterlife that will leave you questioning them even after the film has finished. Coco is not just a film for kids, whilst Pixar's target audience is generally towards the younger generation, Coco certainly appeals to kids in the way that it has funny comedic characters, bright, colourful and engaging animation and catchy songs (throughout the film), but it's the depth and emotion that will really grab older audience members, and this is at the core of the film, and it is this heart that will truly put Coco up there with the best of Pixar's films (I truly believe that!).

Coco without a doubt is a truly special film, and deals with some very complex and mature themes such as the afterlife and what happens to us when we pass on, and whilst Coco presents these themes in a child friendly way, some of the concepts might be lost on children (and might require some explaining from their parents!) and as Coco is generally aimed at younger audience members, Pixar might of raised more questions with children which in no doubt is a bad thing, but the overall concepts might be lost on them. The only aspect that I was not to keen on was the design of the spirit animals guides. To me it just seemed way too colourful and abstract and did not fit the overall design aspect of the film, compared to all the other characters in the film. Whilst I totally understand that making the spirit animal guides more colourful, made them more child friendly, and that they could not use the same design as the people in the film, as it could scare the younger audience. But the design just was not for me, and was slightly off putting whenever the spirit animal guides where on screen (but that is just my opinion!).

Overall Coco is an absolutely incredible film, and I highly recommend it without a doubt. Coco is not just a film for young children, but it is a film for everyone, with enough heart and emotional depth to move anyone of all ages. Pixar has definitely made another incredible film and it is certain to pick up some Oscars at this year's award ceremony.

Verdict: 5 out 5 stars