[Movie] Coco

Coco (Nov. 22)

Pixar has had a difficult time of late. Cars 3 wasn’t the success they’d hoped for. Finding Dory was well-received and made plenty of money, but didn’t exactly set the world on fire. And does anyone even remember The Good Dinosaur? With Coco, Pixar hopes that their original foray into Latin culture and Day of the Dead mythology will bring audiences rushing back. From the looks of it, this might be a hit for the animation studio, and one that will once again have kids enamored and their parents sobbing in the aisles.

The Story

As Coco opens, we learn all about Miguel’s great-great grandmother and how her determination helped save her family when her husband leaves her for his music. However, the family ban on making music is crushing young Miguel. He idolizes the late singer Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt) and secretly watches videos of his performances. In fact, he has a whole shrine to him in a hidden attic. Miguel and Dante spend hours in there, playing the guitar that Miguel built himself and dreaming of being a musician.

Back at home, Miguel’s entire family is working in the family business, making shoes. When they find out what Miguel has been doing, they try to take it away from him. It’s almost Día de Muertos or the Day of the Dead, where the family who has passed over the generations are honored. There is a festival at their graves and every family has an alter called an ofrenda where pictures of the dead are placed with marigold petals to guide them back from the land of the dead. Their favorite foods are offered and stories are told about their lives. There is also a talent show in the town square, where Miguel is hoping to show his family and his village that his passion for music should also be his life. Unfortunately, his family finds a way to take his guitar away and Miguel has a plan to get one to play on. We won’t spoil it for you, but he travels to the land of the dead to find his idol and his family on that side of the marigold bridge doesn’t want him to be there.

Día de Muertos and the Land of the Dead

While we were at the press day, we learned all about the Land of the Dead. There are rules in this universe. Those who pass have alebrijes as spirit guides and usually stay with others in their family. They have to stay in the land of the dead until Día de Muertos, but they can only cross back over to see their families if those families honor them with a photo on the ofrenda. In fact, they have to go through what appears to be a TSA sort of situation to make sure there really is a photograph. Being remembered is important and someone like the famous musician Ernesto de la Cruz lives like a king in the land of the dead. Someone who’s family has forgotten him like Hector isn’t so lucky. Molina said, “A lot of offerings come with that [being remembered] and the remembrance holds him together. He’s very high status. Miguel’s family, they’re well-remembered by the people who love him. They might not be as sparkling as Ernesto de la Cruz, but there are some characters who may not be remembered and don’t hold together as well.” In the land of the dead, people continue to look and act like themselves, but they’re skeletons.  As you can see from the shot of Miguel looking at the land, it’s lit with strings of colored lights and is still being built. You can see a bit in the shot that the bottom levels are built up with ancient dwellings and as it moves up, you can see the progression of buildings that reflect the time period of those who have passed.

The Importance of Family

Family is key in Coco, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Miguel is expected to be what the rest of the family wants him to be, which isn’t a musician. He feels the crush of family expectations and runs away to try to prove that his love of music is essential to his being. What he finds out is that, though that is true, his family is always there for him, on both sides of the marigold bridge. Alongside the family he makes for himself with Dante and Hector, he must learn the secret of what happened in his family’s past and use it to help shape his own destiny.