Coco

Coco is Pixar's latest guaranteed Oscar winner. Why? It's the most entertaining and emotional animated film this year. It's just as emotional as Inside Out. Let's see what it's about.

Miguel Rivera (Anthony Gonzalez) comes from a family of shoemakers in Santa Cecilia, Mexico. He wants to be a musician like his idol, singing sensation Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), who died in a mishap on stage. His great-great-great grandpa left the family to be a musician, so his family have shunned music ever since. The only photo of the man has his face mysteriously ripped off. His great grandma Coco (Ana Ofelia Murguía) is declining with age and wonders when her papa will come home.

On the Day of the Dead, Miguel finds out that he might actually be de la Cruz's grandson. He wants a guitar to participate in a concert that day. So he decides to take de la Cruz's. One strum and Miguel finds himself in the Land of the Dead. His ancestors recognize him and decide to help him return home. But that involves swearing off music forever. So he goes off and meets Hector (Gael García Bernal), a scoundrel ghost who wants to see his last living descendant before it's too late. Hector decides to help Miguel find de la Cruz so he can bless him back to the living world. They'll have to hurry because at sunrise, Miguel will be a permanent resident and Hector will be deader than dead.

The screen story was conceived by four writers, including director Lee Unkrich. It's the kind of animated story that ought to win an Oscar (but probably won't). Once Miguel figures out his connection to de la Cruz, the story seems all too easy to figure out. But it goes off in unexpected ways. His family's resistance to music seems unfair at first, but they have more sympathetic reasons for it. Hector turns out to be far more important than he appears. Dante, a dimwitted street dog, is great comic relief who also turns out to be more than he seems (kind of). It's an understandable story with an emotional resolution.

Miguel is a likable protagonist with a reasonable goal. We can feel how unfair his family's restrictions are for him. We're surprised when the mysteries surrounding him, his family, Hector and de la Cruz are revealed. We're also entertained by his adventures with Hector and Dante. And that ending...

Pixar's track record for technical excellence continues. Both the Lands of the Living and Dead are colorful locales. The ghosts are an eclectic cast of characters. The sound designers and editors get their jobs done. The music is headlined by another memorable Michael Giacchino score and Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez's ballad Remember Me.

Coco is another unforgettable Disney/Pixar film. Its story and characters will get to you long after you leave the theater. It deserves to be seen on the big screen, flatscreen or 3D, night or day. That's how great this is.

The fiesta begins, like it or not, with a 20 minute long short starring Olaf the Snowman. Olaf's Frozen Adventure has him go around and find holiday traditions for Anna and Elsa. It's a fun short but it's length was a bit too much for a feature starter. My theater had a disclaimer warning patrons it would play before the movie. But rest assured. Coco is worth the wait.