Coco

It's been an odd year for animated films in the world of Rath's Reviews. 

Point being that I have only been to one this year: The LEGO Batman Movie. 

Everything else has seemed kind of...meh. 

If I'm being totally honest, I thought Coco looked kind of "meh" too. I won't really delve into the whole "Pixar lost their magic" controversy, but I think it's fair to say that they have more competition now, more than ever, so I only get highly intrigued in what they're doing when it's either a sequel to a beloved property -- no, not you Cars...The Incredibles! -- or something that screams "highly original" like Inside Out. 

Coco wasn't either of those things, which certainly isn't bad, but it explains my lack of excitement for it, despite good-to-great reviews. 

Even still though, I'm always willing to give Pixar a chance (unless it is Cars) and Coco at least looked beautiful enough and authentic enough to hold my interest even if it ended up being fairly conventional fare, which was my assumption. 

Turns out that I was only half right as Coco, at least in this reviewer's eyes, is almost a tale of two stories that results in a well rounded film that is highly enjoyable, but certainly not a Pixar classic. 

The first thing that I should praise about Coco is its visuals. In fact, referring back to one of my original points, I'd say that the visual detail Pixar is able to capture is one area where they still remain fairly untouchable. The amount of granular detail that goes into some of their frames are staggering and they're truly a sight to behold. The Land of the Dead in Coco is so colorful, layered, and detailed that I almost completely ignored the film whenever a wide shot of it was used. Even the flower petal bridges to this land are inspiring with thousands of separate petals visible to the naked eye. It's consistently gorgeous and the colors are rivaled only by other Pixar films like Inside Out or Finding Nemo. Coco sounds great too with some crisp audio editing and some truly authentic Mexican music both in the original score (great) and performed songs (even better). It's not in the same vein as Frozen where it's a musical, but there are a few parts where the characters sing on a stage. The songs are highly enjoyable and again, the authenticity is there in spades. 

A lovable duo

Incredible detail and colors

Where I found Coco struggled, and subsequently surprised and delighted was with its story. And perhaps "struggled" is the wrong word, but for the first half of the film, Coco was highly unoriginal. Almost to the point of boredom for me but the visuals were still there to keep me intrigued. We're introduced to a likable boy named Miguel who loves music and wants to play music but his family has banned music completely because of their great-great Grandfather. In a rather unshocking manner, Miguel travels to the Land of the Dead on the Day of the Dead and in order to leave he must receive his [deceased] family's blessing. During this portion of the film, everything is so straight forward and by-the-books that it's a tad shocking given that it's coming from Pixar. Sure, it's fun enough and kids will love it, but there's usually a lot to engage the adults too and the only true conflict feels like Miguel's need/want to play music and his family being a bunch of grumps. 

Luckily though, Coco evolves in its second half thanks to some plot revelations that were a welcomed surprise and immediately changes the landscape of the film's emotional heft. In retrospect I get why Pixar led us down a certain trail, but it feels like the con went on too long as the ending felt a tad rushed and I'd have rather had the film spend time there. It turns into a rather Shakespearean family drama that keeps all the same fun and charm that came before it and the ending will certainly keep you engaged and likely shedding a tear or two. 

Quick! It's Carl from Up in disguise!

For me, Coco is an interesting film to look back on, even if it's only a half day since I've seen it. It's final half is classic Pixar in the sense that it's gorgeous, packs content for both adults and children alike, and is unsurprisingly but gladly emotional. The first half is a bit of a misdirect that is more forgiving once you've seen the whole film, but I still remember being shocked by how pedestrian it was for a time. I'd be willing to be my money that I'll be remembering it for it's well crafted finale more than anything though. 

CONS

• The Frozen short before the movie was obnoxiously long, unnecessary, and not all that special. I want my Pixar shorts (i.e. 5-7 mins) back
• Coco lacks laughs. Not every Pixar film has to make me chuckle, but I don't think I laughed once in this one
• An average beginning that felt somewhat...bland. This leads to a somewhat rushed finale

PROS

• Likable cast of characters and Miguel is an endearing protagonist to anchor the film around
• Handful of wonderful, authentic musical performances
• Vast expanse of color choices and staggering attention to detail visually
• Good original score and great soundtrack
• Has a significantly better last half that I was highly engaged in. Packs a lot of emotional weight too
• Fun, colorful, unique, and uplifting all describe Coco at one point or another

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10