A Movie Review of Coco: A Worldwide Impact

One of Pixar’s latest movies Coco focuses on a young boy named Miguel who aspires to be a musician like his role model, famous musician Ernesto de la Cruz. His family has banned music for generations as they see it as a way to split them part, which was cause by the departure of his great-great grandfather to travel around the world for his music career. On the Day of the Dead, where souls from the Land of the Dead visit the Land of the Living, Miguel, wanting to prove his musical talent to his family, ends up in the Land of the Dead and meets a trickster of the land named Hector. Together, they venture around to find Ernesto de la Cruz, who would help Miguel return to the Land of the Living. Coco was released November 22, 2017 in the United States. This latest movie from Pixar is a must-see and it is perfect for the entire family to watch.

Coco is not just your average family movie made by Pixar. There a few points, in my opinion, that made this movie popular and unique: the culture, characters, and the main theme of the movie.

Pixar did its best to incorporate the Mexican culture in the movie, according to GameSpot. The setting of Coco took place in a small town in Mexico. Many of the characters spoke some Spanish and we get to see what their lives are like. The movie even had Day of the Dead, which is Dia de los Muertos in Spanish. Coco’s timeframe was on Day of the Dead. During this time, it is a celebration of deceased relatives who are invited to the Land of the Living for a while to see their alive families. To do this, families set up candles, food, and pictures of their relatives on an alter at their homes, which was seen in the movie. Items that were important to deceased relatives are placed on the alter as well, according to National Geographic Kids. As seen in Coco, many families go to the graveyard to have fiesta and see their relatives’ graves. This tradition is a way to honor them and keep their memories alive. Overall, Coco did a fantastic job to educate audiences who are not familiar with the Mexican culture. It increased culture awareness on what Mexican culture is like and how different Mexican culture is from our cultures.

My second point that made Coco popular and unique is the characters. The main character Miguel is a young boy who aspires to be a musician against his family wishes. Many people would relate to Miguel as they would chase after their dreams despite disapproval from family members. Even with their disapproval, people like Miguel would still like to have their support. One of the other main characters named Hector is a comical trickster who aides Miguel as they travel around the Land of the Dead. To me, he is the type of character who is more than meets the eye. The audience will love him by the end of the movie and you would know why once you see it. Miguel’s role model and famous musician Ernesto de la Cruz is your typical famous, popular musician who everyone loves but he is not what he seems to be. He is one of those characters who would change how you view him. As for the rest of the characters in Coco, some you would dislike at first but later you would understand why their actions are like that. What makes me attracted to the characters the most are the different personalities that each of them showcased. Some of them would make you love them, others would make you dislike them. Every character has their moment to shine, especially Coco, who is the titular character of the movie and is Miguel’s great grandmother.

The final point that makes Coco popular and unique is the main theme of the movie itself. The main theme of the movie is family. Miguel’s family has been an impact on him as he wants to be something that his family does not approve of. When he gets lost in the Land of the Dead and searches for Ernesto de la Cruz, his relatives, who also disapprove music in the family, search for him. His family from the Land of the Living were worried about him. Even if they do not approve with what Miguel wants to do at first, they do love and care for him. Towards the end of the movie, which is spoilers for anyone who has not seen the movie yet, Miguel realizes family is more important than music and cherishes them. His family disapproved his love for music at first but now they embrace it and fully support Miguel to become a musician. The turn of events that occurred in the Land of Dead has changed Miguel and his family. The message of the theme that the movie is trying to take away is that family should always come first and that you should always support each other no matter what, even if you might not like what they want to do and achieve first.

Coco, in my opinion, is the number one family movie I recommend for people to watch. It has characters who people can relate to and it exposes the Mexican culture to people who are not familiar with it. Coco has a memorable storyline along with an amazing soundtrack that would make people shed a tear or two. Pixar ended 2017 on an exciting note by releasing one of their best movies yet.