Pixar Rewind #2 - Coco: Pixar Brought Back to Life
Release date (US): November 22nd, 2017
Directed By: Lee UnkrichRating: PG
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renee Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguia, Anthony Gonzales
**DISCLAIMER**: This is a subjective, opinionated article that does not have, nor should have any affect on your opinion. As such, my opinion is entitled to change over time and whatever is written here at this point in time may not and should not be held to me in the future. You are not meant to agree with me 100 percent of the time, because the nature of subjectivity is we see everything differently. If there is something you happen to disagree with, I absolutely respect your point of view if you will respect mine. Please keep this in mind.
The Review
Does anyone remember the days of old, when Pixar would crank out quality film after quality film? The first two Toy Story films, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, all coming within a few years of each other. But after awhile, it seemed as if Pixar had lost their magic touch. You look at the past ten years and it's been fifty-fifty. Sure, you have films like Toy Story 3, Inside Out, and The Incredibles. But with those come Cars 2, Cars 3, The Good Dinosaur and Brave. And then came Coco.
Coco, much like Inside Out was, is a brief look at what happens when Pixar actually decides to care and give their movies 100 and ten percent. And when they do that, somehow they can touch all of your emotions a little bit at a time that culminates in one scene, or maybe a dozen that gasp at all of these emotion all at once. That's what Inside Out did so well, and that's what Coco does so well.
Coco follows the adventures of a boy named Miguel, whose only aspiration is to become a musician. But, in a family where music is forbidden, his ambitions and dreams take him to places where he shouldn't go, until he eventually ends up in the land of the dead on Dia de Los Muertos.
The entire film circle around the Mexican holiday. This is another thing that Pixar does so well. They are able to explore cultures and different worlds and countries without becoming what's known as "preachy". They don't bash you over the head with the traditions of the Day of the Dead; they seamlessly integrate it into their story so that you learn more about the culture through the exposition. The team at Pixar spend countless hours, days, years, researching about their particular films so that they can get the most authentic experience to the viewers as possible.
But Coco doesn't just rely on its setting for background; it takes it and explores the deeper significance of it. The beauty of Coco is that through the exploration of the Land of the Dead, you are able to see both traditions near and dear to both the Mexican people, but also the the world at large.
Miguel (Anthony Gonzales) finds himself at odds with whether or not he should follow his heart or his family. Based on other Disney films, you may think the story is going one way, but in actuality, the moral conclusion of the story takes you in a different direction that is both satisfying and fulfilling, as well as pertinent.
To avoid spoiling anything, I would advise going into a film like this as fresh as possible if you have not seen it yet. Not that there are many major surprises; I would actually say that as far as Pixar films go, there aren't many big spoilers. But I went into the film knowing next to nothing; in fact, for awhile I thought the main character's name was Coco. So I won't spoiler the other characters you get to meet throughout the film. But there is a lovely cast of supporting characters that only help to support our young protagonist.
As the story progresses, what Unkrich (director, Coco and Toy Story 3) is able to do so well is peel back the layers inch by inch and show you the characters not all at once, but slowly. That way, there is an element of suspense. There is one major twist that I absolutely did not see coming, but when the twist was revealed, it was shown through an emotional, cathartic lens for both the characters and the audiences as well.
And really, while the story isn't the most important part of the film, much like other Pixar films, it does its jump of lifting up our characters. Where Pixar excels is building relatable, kind-hearted protagonists, as well as motivated, but human and relatable villains. Granted, the villain in this film is not the most inspired or novel, but what this does is actually goes to strengthen Miguel as well his other friends.
If I had to be critical, and I do, objectively speaking I can say the first hour of the film is a little slow. There is a lot to get done and a lot to explain, as we uncultured peoples of America are not educated in the culture of Mexico, but there is admittedly a lot of heavy lifting done in the beginning of the movie. The film takes its time to hash out Miguel and his family, and why they're going to be important later. Which, yes, does make sense in the grander context as we approach the end of the film, but in the beginning it almost feels meandering. Like there's not much purpose in a few of the scenes.
But once the first hour ends, the film kicks into overdrive. Not quite in terms of pacing, exactly, but more in terms of emotional narrative and climax. Pixar really knows how to ramp up a film and hit an emotional climax. You've seen it with Toy Story 3, Up, and Finding Nemo, for example. Pixar knows exactly where the head of film is and strikes you at your core.
Somehow, some way Pixar knows exactly which "buttons" to press to get you to feel. It knows where each emotional trigger is, and for this movie, it doesn't hold back. It's not quite like Up, for example, where it hits you right off the bat and then revisits it later. In fact, towards the beginning, I was beginning to wonder if this was going to err on the side of a Cars more than an Inside Out. But Unkrich and his team are so, so incredibly clever. They are able to quietly, subtly build up the emotion inside of you, and then in one final, climactic scene, they gut punch you. And does it ever hurt. But in all the best ways.
That's the beauty with film. The emotions that you can feel but vicariously living through others. Through Miguel and his struggle, and through the emotional through-line, you're able to feel the same exact emotions as the main characters. That's the beauty of movies. That's the beauty of Coco.
In Conclusion: Pixar knows the human mind better than anyone. They know how we feel. And they know what makes us human. So when they decide to, they can make you feel any range of emotions that they want. That's what makes Coco so beautiful. Even though the first hour is a little slow and methodical, it knows exactly what you need to know, and at the end, it renders you speechless, silent in your own tears. Coco is a return to form from Pixar.
Coco, much like Inside Out was, is a brief look at what happens when Pixar actually decides to care and give their movies 100 and ten percent. And when they do that, somehow they can touch all of your emotions a little bit at a time that culminates in one scene, or maybe a dozen that gasp at all of these emotion all at once. That's what Inside Out did so well, and that's what Coco does so well.
Coco follows the adventures of a boy named Miguel, whose only aspiration is to become a musician. But, in a family where music is forbidden, his ambitions and dreams take him to places where he shouldn't go, until he eventually ends up in the land of the dead on Dia de Los Muertos.
The entire film circle around the Mexican holiday. This is another thing that Pixar does so well. They are able to explore cultures and different worlds and countries without becoming what's known as "preachy". They don't bash you over the head with the traditions of the Day of the Dead; they seamlessly integrate it into their story so that you learn more about the culture through the exposition. The team at Pixar spend countless hours, days, years, researching about their particular films so that they can get the most authentic experience to the viewers as possible.
But Coco doesn't just rely on its setting for background; it takes it and explores the deeper significance of it. The beauty of Coco is that through the exploration of the Land of the Dead, you are able to see both traditions near and dear to both the Mexican people, but also the the world at large.
Miguel (Anthony Gonzales) finds himself at odds with whether or not he should follow his heart or his family. Based on other Disney films, you may think the story is going one way, but in actuality, the moral conclusion of the story takes you in a different direction that is both satisfying and fulfilling, as well as pertinent.
To avoid spoiling anything, I would advise going into a film like this as fresh as possible if you have not seen it yet. Not that there are many major surprises; I would actually say that as far as Pixar films go, there aren't many big spoilers. But I went into the film knowing next to nothing; in fact, for awhile I thought the main character's name was Coco. So I won't spoiler the other characters you get to meet throughout the film. But there is a lovely cast of supporting characters that only help to support our young protagonist.
As the story progresses, what Unkrich (director, Coco and Toy Story 3) is able to do so well is peel back the layers inch by inch and show you the characters not all at once, but slowly. That way, there is an element of suspense. There is one major twist that I absolutely did not see coming, but when the twist was revealed, it was shown through an emotional, cathartic lens for both the characters and the audiences as well.
And really, while the story isn't the most important part of the film, much like other Pixar films, it does its jump of lifting up our characters. Where Pixar excels is building relatable, kind-hearted protagonists, as well as motivated, but human and relatable villains. Granted, the villain in this film is not the most inspired or novel, but what this does is actually goes to strengthen Miguel as well his other friends.
If I had to be critical, and I do, objectively speaking I can say the first hour of the film is a little slow. There is a lot to get done and a lot to explain, as we uncultured peoples of America are not educated in the culture of Mexico, but there is admittedly a lot of heavy lifting done in the beginning of the movie. The film takes its time to hash out Miguel and his family, and why they're going to be important later. Which, yes, does make sense in the grander context as we approach the end of the film, but in the beginning it almost feels meandering. Like there's not much purpose in a few of the scenes.
But once the first hour ends, the film kicks into overdrive. Not quite in terms of pacing, exactly, but more in terms of emotional narrative and climax. Pixar really knows how to ramp up a film and hit an emotional climax. You've seen it with Toy Story 3, Up, and Finding Nemo, for example. Pixar knows exactly where the head of film is and strikes you at your core.
Somehow, some way Pixar knows exactly which "buttons" to press to get you to feel. It knows where each emotional trigger is, and for this movie, it doesn't hold back. It's not quite like Up, for example, where it hits you right off the bat and then revisits it later. In fact, towards the beginning, I was beginning to wonder if this was going to err on the side of a Cars more than an Inside Out. But Unkrich and his team are so, so incredibly clever. They are able to quietly, subtly build up the emotion inside of you, and then in one final, climactic scene, they gut punch you. And does it ever hurt. But in all the best ways.
That's the beauty with film. The emotions that you can feel but vicariously living through others. Through Miguel and his struggle, and through the emotional through-line, you're able to feel the same exact emotions as the main characters. That's the beauty of movies. That's the beauty of Coco.
In Conclusion: Pixar knows the human mind better than anyone. They know how we feel. And they know what makes us human. So when they decide to, they can make you feel any range of emotions that they want. That's what makes Coco so beautiful. Even though the first hour is a little slow and methodical, it knows exactly what you need to know, and at the end, it renders you speechless, silent in your own tears. Coco is a return to form from Pixar.
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