Like a warm glass of hot chocolate on a cold night, Coco hits the spot. It is some of Pixar’s best work, right up there with Inside Out (2015), and just a few notches behind Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008) and Up (2009).

Similar to those classics, this 3D-animated fantasy film is stunning to look at, especially its depiction of the Land of the Dead during the Mexican holiday Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead). The environments are incredibly detailed, colourful and highly imaginative, worth the ticket price alone. Meanwhile, the utterly charming character design of the dead is highly reminiscent of the classic LucasArts adventure video game, Grim Fandango (1998). So much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if the artists at Pixar were fans and quietly paid homage to it.

Thematically, Coco is deeply engrossing, taking us on a journey of Mexican folklore. The film is about Miguel Rivera (Anthony Gonzalez), a 12-year-old artist who would love nothing more than to become a musician like his hero, the late Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), an iconic musician/film star. Sadly, his dreams are out of tune with the rest of his family, who have abhorred music for generations.

Coco is a deeply touching, highly imaginative and some of Pixar’s best work

It all started when Miguel’s late great-great-grandmother Mamá Imelda Rivera (Alanna Ubach) and her daughter and now Miguel’s sweet old great-grandmother Mamá ‘Coco’ Rivera (Ana Ofelia Murguía) were cruelly abandoned by Miguel’s mysterious great-great-grandfather so that he could pursue music. Coco waited all of her childhood for her father to come back, but he never did. Now, Miguel’s grandmother, Abuelita Elena Rivera (Renée Victor) makes sure that no one in the family listens to a single note, especially around Coco, and instead concentrates on the family’s shoe business, which was established by Mamá Imelda Rivera after she was left to care for her child on her own.

But, of course, Miguel doesn’t want to give up, especially after clues lead him to believe that music is in his blood. Through some fanatical events, he ends up in the Land of the Dead, where comically enough, the boned beings are frightened of a living soul. Here, he meets his dead relatives as well as the best character in the film, Héctor (Gael García Bernal), a rogue who promises to help Miguel by finding his great-great-grandfather.

As I said, I loved the narrative in Coco and was enamoured by its delightful portrayal of Mexican culture, both real and legend. I also appreciated how all of the cast, who are outstanding in the film, are of South and Central American origin, adding authenticity to Coco.

Like Pixar’s best work, Coco is deeply touching. I must admit I had a couple of tissues rolled up and placed under either eye behind my 3D glasses for the emotional bits had my eye faucets going. In fact, just thinking about the song Remember Me is getting me misty-eyed again.

It can be said that Coco is a bit more heavy-handed than Pixar at its prime. The twist and the ending are foreshadowed and predictable, though this doesn’t make them any less enjoyable. But the biggest flaw in Coco doesn’t have anything to do with the film at all. For some reason (you can probably blame Disney) there is a tedious 21-minute ‘short’ film starring the characters from Frozen preceding Coco. The reaction to this bit has been so bad that international theaters are now chopping it off.

Published in Dawn, ICON, December 3rd, 2017