Coco (2017)

 

Gothdarnit Pixar, you've gone and done it again! Another instant classic in the roster and one that plucks the heartstrings in such a profound way. 

Egads, why do you make art that actually makes me cry at times? Why you so good? 

So yeah, 'Coco' is most excellent, in case you had any doubts. 

Based completely in Mexico and with a Hispanic cast, 'Coco' is the story of Miguel, a young boy who grows up in a family of shoemakers. But Miguel wants to be a musician and he clearly has the talent for it. However, in the past something horrendous happened with his great-great-grandparents and because of this, the family is radically against anything that has to do with music. 

This doesn't deter Miguel, and during the Dia de los Muertos-festivities, he wants to play on stage during a contest. But he needs a guitar, so he decides to 'loan' the guitar on display in the mausoleum of Ernesto De La Cruz, a famous musician from his village. But playing the guitar transports him to the land of the dead. Here, he meets up with a loser called Hector and Miguel also tries to avoid his dead relatives, because he needs to meet up with Ernesto, as he is certain this is his long lost great-great-grandfather. But of course, nothing is ever as simple as this and Miguel soon learns a few lessons about family along the way.

Oh, and he teaches his family some stuff as well. 

Purely on the surface, 'Coco' is a gorgeously animated feature. The world of the dead is vibrant and - dare I say it? - feels more alive than the world of the living. Check the spirit guides, who exist solely in flashy neon colours. But everything else as well is very colourful and stunning to look at. And yes, there are a lot of jokes, but along the way, we all discover that this afterlife isn't always shiny and bright. The people that are still remembered do well, but when you are forgotten, you die 'the final death'. This is why Hector is hell-bent on returning during the Dia de los Muertos, because he fears he too will be forgotten. 

There is an abslutely poignant scene during which an elderly skeleton passes on, and it is already pretty heavy and emotional. But if we're talking emotional, there's one scene near the end that takes the tearjerking cake by far, and it is when Miguel sings to his great-grandmother Coco, so she might remember her father. 

Nope, even thinking about it makes me tear up. Damn you, Pixar. 

So even though this is a fun film and a beautiful piece of art, the ideas and statement about family, about being forgotten and what it all means in the end, creep up on you and at the end, they've got you right where they want you: straight in the feels. And you will never even see it coming. 

Okay, you might see it coming. But it still works, though. 

It is quite simple: if you haven't seen this one yet, what are you waiting for?