Coco

 Did Ya Ever See Coco?  

Because of my opinions on Disney I don’t see many of their movies, unless they are heavily recommended, or, if they happen to be shown somewhere I am.  This was an example of the latter.

It was shown at the end of the year at work.  I caught half or two thirds of the movie and was very impressed, so I had to go check it out.

Coco is made by the team at Pixar.  I had heard that some of their movies, after the golden age of the 90s to 2000s, had a dip in quality so I made no effort to watch them.  Perhaps this is why I was so impressed with Coco.  My bar was so low that when Coco flew over it, it was like they leaped over a mountain.

On the face, Coco is about a young boy trying to get his family’s approval and escape the land of the dead.  It is set during Mexico’s Day of the Dead.  The boy, Miguel, comes across his past family members as he seeks for approval to be a musician as his living family do not approve.  This leads him to meet Hector, a down and out skeleton who only wishes to see his daughter and be remembered.  The two have an up and down journey as they try to return Miguel to the living world.  It's a journey of being true to yourself and chasing your dreams (Miguel wants to be a musician so bad).

But there is more than that.  

Coco is about legacy.  In an intensely powerful way too (for me at least).  We meet characters who are forgotten and disappear forever.  Lets not forget this is a kids movie about wanting to play the guitar when your family doesn’t.  I haven’t seen a children’s movie ever dwell on mortality in such a way.  Maybe kids don't see this layer but it is so evident.  The scene where Hector plays one last song for his down and out mate before he is forgotten forever… It ruins me.  This scene alone starts with a gag about the song lyrics being too rude for Miguel to hear and ends with one of the most emotional deaths, if you can call it that, I've seen.  It sets up the stakes for Hector’s journey.  If he is forgotten he is gone forever.  We see this affect him throughout the movie and it brings an emotional climax to the third act. 

However, the legacy element really hits hardest for me when (spoilers) Miguel and Hector find out they are family.  This was not the subtlest of plot developments but the execution is top.  The emotion of the scene is drawn out as the music plays and extra bar and the shots linger on the characters.  It was pleasing to see a movie take its time at the important beats.  Too often I have seen these moments undercut by humour or play out too fast.  When a movie takes its time and allows the characters to feel and think the audience does the same.  It doesn't squander these moments.

And now Coco (further spoilers).  Coco is the elderly great-grandmother of Miguel.  Her part in the story is crucial to the journey.  Coco is the only character with a memory of Hector but her memory is fading.  It seems that she has dementia.  Dementia is a horrible disease and this movie suggests and deals with it with a soft touch.  The final scene with Miguel and Coco is touching and it uses music therapy that pays off for the family who rejects music.  Finally all the themes of the movie peak at this moment.  It is a well crafted climax to an entertaining and truly touching movie.