For Thanksgiving, my family and I went out to Bishop Twin Theatre and got to see the beautiful film that is Coco. Coco is full of heart, visually stunning, has an amazing soundtrack, shows great representation, and is an overall breathtaking film.

Born to Play! Miguel plays Ernesto de la Cruz’s guitar. Photo by Disney.

Let’s start off with a quick plot summary. Coco is about a boy named Miguel and his family. Miguel’s great great grandmother, Mamá Imelda, was in love with a musician. She sang with him while he played the guitar and they had a beautiful girl together named Coco. The musician wanted to be world famous though and left his family to pursue music. Mamá Imelda didn’t have time to cry over him and instead started her own shoe making business. She banned music in her household and passed that rule down through her family. The only problem is Miguel wants to be a musician. Miguel idolizes a famous musician named Ernesto de la Cruz, and even believes that he was Mamá Imelda’s lover who left their family. Miguel wants to prove to his family that he can succeed as a musician so much so, that he breaks into Ernesto de la Cruz’s memorial and steals his guitar to enter the talent show on the Day of the Dead. This transports him to the Land of the Dead, and Miguel has to get one of his deceased family member’s blessing to go back home before sun rise, or he will be stuck in the Land of the Dead forever.

Surprise! Miguel and his family return to the Land of the Dead. Photo by Disney.

This is definitely one of Disney’s darker concepts. If Miguel doesn’t get back in time, he will die. This movie has a fast pace, considering Miguel’s situation this isn’t a surprise, but I never felt that the film was rushed. I found almost all of the characters to be lovable and I truly worried for them whenever things took a turn for the worst. Miguel is a wonderful protagonist who is adorable and I wasn’t annoyed by his angst as I usually would be because I felt his feelings were more than justified. He’s just a kid who wants his family to understand him and who feels happiest with a guitar in his hand. The animation for this film is simply breathtaking. From the details on Coco’s hands to the colorful world of the Land of the Dead, you can tell how much effort and heart went into making this movie. Coco is also a wonderful representation of Hispanic culture and I’m happy to see that on the big screen.

Coco is a film about family and following your dreams and I found it to be almost as emotional as UP. It wasn’t as heart wrenching, but it was so heart touching that it’s hard not to tear up at times. That is all for the spoiler free section, so be warned SPOILERS ARE AHEAD.

Un Poco Loco. Hector and Miguel jam out. Photo by Disney.

Hector was probably my favorite character from this movie. He was funny and upbeat throughout the film and I felt horrible when I found out how he died. I’ll be honest, I had my suspicions of Ernesto de la Cruz when we first meet him in the Land of the Dead. He seemed too good to be true, and I thought Disney would just go for a fallen idol trope, where he turns out to be arrogant and vain. However, Ernesto is far worse than that. I knew he probably wasn’t related to Miguel when the petal he grabbed to give Miguel his blessing didn’t light up, but I didn’t expect him to be a murderer. When I realized that Ernesto killed Hector to steal his songs and Hector was just genuinely trying to get back to Mamá Imelda and Coco, my heart ached for Hector. He had to see his songs that came from his heart be manipulated and turned into mushy love songs. Remember Me was written for Coco, and it was never supposed to be about some random lady he loved. Un Poco Loco was also written for Mamá Imelda and that fact just warms my heart.

Going Home? Mamá Imelda tries to give Miguel her blessing. Photo by Disney.

The whole death after death aspect was also very dark. Seeing skeletons wither away into a gold dust because there’s no one left in the Land of the Living who remember them is heartbreaking. Seeing Hector come so close to being forgotten was also heart wrenching and terrifying. All he wanted to do was see his family again. I knew at the darker times that Disney wouldn’t really go there because they are Disney after all, but that didn’t stop me from being on the edge of my seat. Like when Ernesto de la Cruz threw Miguel off a cliff and Dante struggled to save him, I felt a rush of anxiety even though I knew he wouldn’t actually fall to his death. Miguel cut that really close, though. I was thoroughly invested throughout this film.

Familia. Coco and Miguel are pretty close. Photo by Disney.

One of my favorite scenes in Coco was when Miguel made it back to the Land of the Living and tries to get Coco to remember her father, Hector, to keep him present in the Land of the Dead. I could feel Miguel’s desperation and sorrow through the screen and all seemed hopeless for a bit. Coco was very old and her memory was going, so the chances of her remembering Hector were very slim. Once Miguel started to play Remember Me though, I knew Coco would remember. Miguel and Coco’s duet was beautiful and I loved seeing all of Miguel’s family members switch from betrayal and worry to happiness and love. Music tore their family apart, so it’s only appropriate that it’s what brings them together.

Awestruck. Miguel and Dante are amazed by the beauty of the Land of the Dead.

I didn’t have any significant criticisms of the film, so I give Coco 10/10 stars. Coco is full of heart, visually stunning, funny, and overall a wonderful story full of great characters. What did you think of Coco? Let me know in the comments down below! Thanks for reading!