Coco (2017) - movie review

Coco (2017)

Rating – 5/5

Starring : Gael Garcia Bernal, Anthony Gonzalez, Benjamin Bratt, Renee Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguia

Directed by Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina

Story by Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina, Matthew Aldrich, Jason Katz

Music by Michael Giacchino

Review by Zulfiqar

There is dearth of superlatives while explaining a film like ‘Coco’. Just take out the checkbox for essentials which makes it a great movie (not just great animation) and it ticks every square. It a measure of the finest animation work happening in Hollywood and undoubtedly Pixar soars highest among its rivals. A tidbit about the film, I have stumbled upon recently, and it left me astonished as to the excellence of achievements in the accuracy of the details. The strums which are played on the guitar in a song by a character match the specific notes, of that particular tone. It could have been ignored in the flurry of sketches, but Pixar doesn’t take the easy path. Its hues are taken from the imaginary palette of greatest visual artistes and the product simply shows by its bold vibrancy on the aesthetics.

            At the same time, the directors Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina make sure that the movie isn’t just about visceral aesthetics but about the basic human element of value of loss. Pixar takes its industrious production and drives its point by relating on the simplest and fundamental level of sentiment, which is oodles in its measure in Coco. I couldn’t help getting moved quite a few times by the way the characters pull us into their emotions and let us dwell in them on a personal level.

            The movie takes its cue from the cultural festival of mexico, dia de muertos (day of the dead). Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez), an early teen, aspires to be a great singer like his idol, the late iconic Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). But his whole clan, which is an extended version of Full House family, abhors the concept of music. His grandmother Abuelita (Renee Victor) brandishes her footwear as a weapon whenever she hears someone lauding on this hobby. His relatives frown upon music as it had been a cause of some deep personal turmoil in the family a few generations before. Miguel’s senile great grandmother - mama Coco’s father had deserted her mother for this passion and the family down the generations couldn’t forgive the slight. Miguel discovers for himself that his great great grandfather is none other than the legend, Ernesto de la Cruz. He resorts to practice his secret passion unknown to the family and wants to compete in the village annual singing fest on the dia de muertos. But getting some serious objection from his Abuelita, who shreds his guitar into pieces, he runs away from home and resorts to steal the great Ernesto’s implement from his memorial. This simple act opens a route to the land of the dead, which Miguel explores with the ghost of Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), a free-going literal spirit in search of his lone relative, who might be the pass to his annual visits on the day of the dead.

            The movie’s driving force is the question, which one would you choose, family or your passion. The family behaves stoically idiotic in the way it thwarts Miguel’s aspirations of becoming a singer. Despite this rebelliousness, the characterization of the cast makes us root for the family. There is that personal involvement in the way the characters behave with one another, especially the way Abuelita dotes on her mother, Coco. There is that extended demised family in the land of the dead, which is quite amusing and so intimate. There are several nods to iconic figures of Mexican entertainment industry. I only spotted the artist Frida, whom Hector tries to impersonate.

            There are a lot of explanatory props for sketching out the plot details, and which gel with the moral plausibility. One of them is the placing of a memorial picture of the dead relative on the mantelpiece of the prayer room. This act serves as a passport for the dead city’s citizens to loiter out on the day of the muertos. This detail works so well on an emotional level when Hector reveals to Miguel that probably his family hasn’t installed such a picture of him, which makes him wear disguises to slither out. There is one poignant moment when Miguel and hector witness the permanent disappearance of a lone soul. As he is wiped out of his living relatives’ memory, his existence even as a soul ceases. The way Hector dreads it feeling him to be the next in line is a very emotional bit.

            It is a measure of Pixar’s steadfastness that it stays true to the spirit of the movie especially in its cultural aspect. Starting from the Xoloitzcuintli dog, the stray pet of Miguel, to the leaf which is present throughout the film, Cempasuchil, the animation of the details isn’t just exact but dazzlingly caricateurish. Just the re-creation of the town of Guanajuato is a great achievement in itself. It goes a lot into pouring soul into the body you have formed. Pixar doesn’t seem to have left any leaf unturned in the way they have blown life into this body of work. Lee Unkrich with the legendary work of ‘Finding Nemo’ in his CV isn’t new to the craft of creativity in animation. But here he seems to have gone long distances and deep pains to achieve the big picture. It definitely has paid off. Winning the Oscar would just be the confirmation of the act.

            ‘Remember me’ by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez is a strong contender for this year’s original song and for me, its win is a foregone conclusion. Performed by various actors in the movie it is a very soothing and melodious tune. But I enjoyed the raw vocal talent of Anthony Gonzalez while he does his rendition of ‘un poco loco’. Michael Giacchino provided the original score and the music for the movie and it gives the perfect foil to the visual brilliance of ‘coco’.

            ‘Coco’ is a sort of movie, which comes once in a while. While ‘Inside out’ according to many of my friends is a great visual spectacle, I felt it was a winner in terms of IQ but not of EQ (entertainment quotient). Coco however is a winner in both also emotional quotient. If we see a better movie than Coco in the coming days, then we definitely are living in the golden age of animation.