It’s taken a long time for Hollywood to widen the range of who they represent in films. After a long history of showcasing white stories, the 2010’s saw a significant increase in the representation of other ethnic groups with stories that reflect their respective cultures given the big screen treatment. Pixar were no exception to this and in 2017 released Coco, the first six-figure budget film based entirely around Mexican culture; a huge moment in cinematic history following the election of the famously anti-Mexican Donald Trump as President of the United States the year prior.
But does Coco rely on representing a minority ethnic group to get pity praise, or is there a great film in there too?
Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming a musician like his idol, beloved Mexican entertainer Ernesto de La Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). Unfortunately, following his great grandfather’s abandonment of the family to chase his own dreams of fame, Miguel’s family have a strict banishment on music.
On Dia de los Muertos, Miguel accidentally crosses over into the land of the dead and is trapped there until he is granted passage back to the land of the living by a deceased relative. With his great grandmother Mama Imelda (Alanna Ubach) only willing to send him back if he gives up on his musical ambitions, Miguel instead seeks approval from the man he believes to be his great grandfather, Ernesto, with the help of a desperate beggar, Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), who claims to be a friend of the famed singer.
But does Coco rely on representing a minority ethnic group to get pity praise, or is there a great film in there too?
Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming a musician like his idol, beloved Mexican entertainer Ernesto de La Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). Unfortunately, following his great grandfather’s abandonment of the family to chase his own dreams of fame, Miguel’s family have a strict banishment on music.
On Dia de los Muertos, Miguel accidentally crosses over into the land of the dead and is trapped there until he is granted passage back to the land of the living by a deceased relative. With his great grandmother Mama Imelda (Alanna Ubach) only willing to send him back if he gives up on his musical ambitions, Miguel instead seeks approval from the man he believes to be his great grandfather, Ernesto, with the help of a desperate beggar, Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), who claims to be a friend of the famed singer.
Coco just about cracks my top ten Pixar films (as of writing), and that is such a disservice to how great the film is. It is, unquestionably, one of the best films the studio have ever made…but they’ve made so many amazing films that it hurts to put it so low on my ranking.
Every aspect of this film is crafted with such passion and care, and it’s not only extremely funny but also incredibly moving.
The story itself has so many layers to it, and the characters are so deep and interested. Miguel has such a complicated relationship to the notion of family, something that is the very foundation of the culture he lives in, and the journey he goes on to delve into his families darkest period is very touching.
Hector is a man who is facing his final death, being erased from all memory with the impending death of his only relative that remembers him.
Ernesto too has a wildly different interpretation of family, as he is remembered by all of Mexico, although he was never truly close to anybody.
Whereas Mama Imelda and Miguel’s living relatives all have a very traditional outlook on family, that you act as a single unit, always looking out for each other and working collectively towards a single shared goal, one that doesn’t have room to celebrate individuality or creativity.
I find it somewhat strange that the title of the film is the name of a character who is hardly in it. Miguel’s eldest living relative, Mama Coco (Ana Ofelia Murgula). Whilst she does play a very significant role in the films climax, she’s almost entirely absent for the rest of the film, and therefore to name the whole film after her is one I think is an odd choice.
Every aspect of this film is crafted with such passion and care, and it’s not only extremely funny but also incredibly moving.
The story itself has so many layers to it, and the characters are so deep and interested. Miguel has such a complicated relationship to the notion of family, something that is the very foundation of the culture he lives in, and the journey he goes on to delve into his families darkest period is very touching.
Hector is a man who is facing his final death, being erased from all memory with the impending death of his only relative that remembers him.
Ernesto too has a wildly different interpretation of family, as he is remembered by all of Mexico, although he was never truly close to anybody.
Whereas Mama Imelda and Miguel’s living relatives all have a very traditional outlook on family, that you act as a single unit, always looking out for each other and working collectively towards a single shared goal, one that doesn’t have room to celebrate individuality or creativity.
I find it somewhat strange that the title of the film is the name of a character who is hardly in it. Miguel’s eldest living relative, Mama Coco (Ana Ofelia Murgula). Whilst she does play a very significant role in the films climax, she’s almost entirely absent for the rest of the film, and therefore to name the whole film after her is one I think is an odd choice.
One of the things I appreciate the most about Coco however is how dark Pixar go with some elements of the story. Whilst there’s nothing that’s unsuitable for children, Coco deals with some very heavy subject matter at times, and it does so with finesse and grace.
Without ruining the excellent second act climax, Coco pulls an amazing slight of hand villain reveal and the repercussions of which don’t only reframe Miguel’s motivations, but it changes the way you understand the story and characters entirely, and makes the whole ordeal that much more heartbreaking.
Coco is one of Pixar’s most visually impressive films up to this point as well. Not satisfied with just having a good story, Coco puts the Presto animation tool to the test with highly detailed and intricate environments and character models.
The environments are given a real pop thanks to the beautiful use of colours and Mexican inspired art style, with burning oranges and cool blues dominating the colour palette, but Coco really goes in on colour and uses just about any colour you can think of in its environments.
The character models mostly comprise of skeletons (considering the characters are dead after all), and not only have Pixar refined human movement to near perfection, but each skeleton looks and behaves differently based on bone structure, texture, and even density. It’s incredibly impressive, leading to a handful of shots that look borderline photorealistic.
Music plays a large role in the film also and thankfully the music is good. Not only is there an excellent Mexican themed score composed by Michael Giacchino, but there’s also a handful of songs for the first time in Pixar history. They cut right to the core of Coco’s themes, and are used at the story’s most pivotal moments. It’s not quite the Disney style animated musical that some might hope for, but it does use music as a key component in the telling of the story.
Coco is one of Pixar’s most magical stories, and I often wish I could place it higher in my list. Personally I don’t think it quite matches up to the likes of Up, Inside Out, Toy Story 3 and Wall.E, Coco is still far above and beyond the competition when it comes to quality of storytelling, depth of characters, and technological prowess.
It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry (a lot), and it presents an enlightening view on Mexican culture. Coco is nothing short of amazing, and if you haven’t already seen it, then you need to change that.
Without ruining the excellent second act climax, Coco pulls an amazing slight of hand villain reveal and the repercussions of which don’t only reframe Miguel’s motivations, but it changes the way you understand the story and characters entirely, and makes the whole ordeal that much more heartbreaking.
Coco is one of Pixar’s most visually impressive films up to this point as well. Not satisfied with just having a good story, Coco puts the Presto animation tool to the test with highly detailed and intricate environments and character models.
The environments are given a real pop thanks to the beautiful use of colours and Mexican inspired art style, with burning oranges and cool blues dominating the colour palette, but Coco really goes in on colour and uses just about any colour you can think of in its environments.
The character models mostly comprise of skeletons (considering the characters are dead after all), and not only have Pixar refined human movement to near perfection, but each skeleton looks and behaves differently based on bone structure, texture, and even density. It’s incredibly impressive, leading to a handful of shots that look borderline photorealistic.
Music plays a large role in the film also and thankfully the music is good. Not only is there an excellent Mexican themed score composed by Michael Giacchino, but there’s also a handful of songs for the first time in Pixar history. They cut right to the core of Coco’s themes, and are used at the story’s most pivotal moments. It’s not quite the Disney style animated musical that some might hope for, but it does use music as a key component in the telling of the story.
Coco is one of Pixar’s most magical stories, and I often wish I could place it higher in my list. Personally I don’t think it quite matches up to the likes of Up, Inside Out, Toy Story 3 and Wall.E, Coco is still far above and beyond the competition when it comes to quality of storytelling, depth of characters, and technological prowess.
It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry (a lot), and it presents an enlightening view on Mexican culture. Coco is nothing short of amazing, and if you haven’t already seen it, then you need to change that.