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This movie is about a silly little snowman who lives in a
castle with two princesses and who tries to save the day by coming up with a
Christmas tradition for his castle-mates.
Oh wait no that’s the 20 minute monstrosity of a Disney “short”
that drones on and on and on before “Coco”—a “Frozen” spinoff that’s so trite
and sentimental that I’m sure even the people at Hallmark are going to blush. I
guess it’s not fair to knock “Coco” for this. But it really did kill the vibe—for
me, at least.
But now “Coco”. “Coco” is about a Mexican boy—Miguel (Anthon
Gonzalez)—who desperately wants to be a musician but whose family won’t let
him. His family won’t let him because way way way back—generations ago—his great,
great grandmother was abandoned by a musician who apparently thought his career
was more important than hanging out with his wife and young daughter.
Nowadays Miguel’s family makes shoes. No music. Just
shoes. The only one who even remembers the old music man with whom everyone is
so pissed is Miguel’s great grandmother, Coco—who is also the musician’s
daughter. Still, no music. Just shoes.
But Miguel isn’t having it. On the day of the Mexican
holiday Dia de Muertos (“Day of the Dead”), Miguel concludes that his great,
great grandfather (the musician) is none other than “the greatest living
musician of all time”, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). So it turns out
music is in Miguel’s blood! Forget shoes. Music is his fate!
So Miguel figures it’s all right to steal Ernesto de la
Cruz’s famous guitar from his tomb in order to enter into a music competition.
But it turns out it’s not all right. Apparently you are not supposed to steal
from the dead on Dia de Muertos. Miguel is instantly transported to the realm
of the dead. All of the sudden he is walking among a bunch of skeletons.
Luckily, these skeletons are harmless and, for the most part, rather pleasant.
They’re just walking around enjoying their special day.
But Miguel is no skeleton. So he needs to get back to the
land of the living. To do this, he has to go to the Land of the Dead and get a
blessing from one of his dead family members. That would be easy enough, except
remember everyone in his family hates music. So they’ll only give Miguel a blessing
on the condition that he never plays music again. Bummer.
However, Miguel figures there’s at least one dead family
member who will bless his passion for music …
He doesn’t have much time. But Miguel figures it’s worth
the risk, since, for him, a life without music is no life at all.
“Coco” is vibrant. Its colors and shapes and music and
dancing and characters and traditions all dazzle the senses. This movie is, at
every turn, charismatic. It is, for example, easy to see why Ernesto de la Cruz
might be so beloved, and it is even easier to see why Miguel is Cruz’s heir in
at least that regard. Miguel’s expressiveness—the subtle mannerisms and gentle,
nuanced emotive responses he conveys—is a feat for all involved … from the
voice actor, to the animators, to the writers, and on down the line.
I suppose it is a little risky making a kids’ movie about
a bunch of dead people—rickety old skeletons who talk all about how they kicked
the bucket. But it works. The way “Coco” folds in the tradition of Dia de
Muertos is rich, interesting, and just a ton of fun.
The story itself is a throwback to older Pixar movies.
But as long as they keep taking risks like these, and cashing in big time, this
studio will continue to thrive.
