Despite his family's generations-old ban on music, young
Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his
idol Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel
finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead. After meeting a
charming trickster named Hector (Gael García Bernal), the two new friends
embark on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's
family history.
While the plot progression or story beats aren’t wholly
original, the story manages to throw in a few twists and turns that veer off
the typical lesson the film is using. Coco
manages to also feel much bigger than just the events of the film, like there
is a history to it all, a world that feels lived in and inhabited before the
cameras (or animators in this case) began working. Like in Pixar fashion though,
the lesson hits heavy at times, never shying away from emotional moments. The
final ten minutes are the classic tear-jerker scenes you’ve come to expect from
the studio.
It helps that the characters are all extremely likeable in
one way or another, with some great voice work as well. Miguel, voiced by
Anthony Gonzalez, is just the right amount of stubborn and dreamer that it is
easy to root for this kid. Hector, voiced by Gael García Bernal, is by far the
standout character here however, making the perfect guide and comic relief for
the film. Ernesto de la Cruz, voiced by Benjamin Bratt, is as charismatic as an
animated character could be with just enough ego to make him an annoying, but
likeable, star. But everyone, across the board, gives some great voice work to
make this film what it is.
Look, this bares little repeating but I feel I should
mention it anyway; the animation is breathtaking. Pixar has nailed a level of
detail and texture in their animation that works so well that you’d hard
pressed to convince someone that the water or cobblestone aren’t real or
tangible in some way. Everyone knows this by now though, just as they know that
Pixar’s themes are never short on things for the adults and children. Here the
themes are fairly darker, dealing with the Day of the Dead and death in
general, but the film never goes too far where it can’t be cut with some
emotion or humor.
Overall, Coco is
another smashing success for the prestigious animation studio. It features all
the classic Pixar markers, with a few twists and some catchy soundtrack entries
to boot. Coco emerges, to no surprise
of course, as a heavy favorite for so many awards in a rather weak year for
animation. Even if the year were better, it’d be Coco still coming out on top in most aspects. The film isn’t Pixar’s
best, a near impossible task at this point, but it’s another magnificent entry
into their impressive filmography.
So what did you think of Coco?
Have you seen it? Are you interested in seeing it? Share, subscribe, comment
below, and as always return to I Am Sam for weekly reviews and insight.
No comments :
Post a Comment