Coco (2017)
After a nearly 2 year break from releasing original films that weren't sequels, Pixar finally released another original film in 2017 called Coco. Following a young boy named Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) who ends up traveling to the land of the dead and must get back by morning or be trapped there forever. Luckily for Miguel, his family who has passed away are there to help him but will only give him their blessing to get back if he gives up his passion for music due to past family trauma. Miguel is not ready to give up his passion and teaming up with local lowlife Héctor (Gael García Bernal) he has to find another way to get home. After the last 3 Pixar movies at the time failed to impress most (though Finding Dory still is pretty fantastic in my opinion), Coco reminded many whey they loved Pixar in the first place.
The concept of Coco is absolutely genius, bringing the land of the dead to life opens the door to a unique and nearly genius world that is so intriguing and smart. Whenever there is a world like this that has to build multiple fundamental systems such as the exact relationship between the land of the dead and the living world it becomes increasingly easy for a world to feel distracting or confusing. The way that the land of the dead in Coco works makes total sense and is extremely well crafted. It is so easy to understand this world and get sucked into the story never being distracted or bothered by the logic of the world that the film takes place in. It also is just nice such a well-realized representation of this culture showcasing it beautifully and genuinely without feeling like it is using cultural elements as a gimmick. The story also opens itself up to scenes of legitimate emotion that elevate the film just that of a fun adventure. Without getting into spoilers, it should be mentioned that there are some twists and turns throughout the film that not only feel unpredictable but quite effective. It was going to take something massive to change an entire family's view on music going back multiple generations but the eventual conclusion that the film comes to feels satisfying and well built too
Where the world thematically works extremely well, the visual take on this world is possibly even better. With a stunning use of color and depth, the land of the dead is one of, if not the most breathtaking setting of any Pixar film in history. The initial shot of Miguel seeing the land of the dead for the first time has become iconic and the sheer scale is mind-bending. Beyond just the overall setting of the film, the animators clearly had a tremendous amount of fun filling the film with small sight gags and little details that help bring this world to life. It also should be mentioned that the voice performance by Anthony Gonzalez is quite impressive. From a general charisma to moments of real depth which is quite impressive for such a young actor.
Coco still is honestly such an impressive film. Not only is it such a fun adventure but it is a legitimately moving film. Sure at times, it follows a bit of a formulaic plot but it the world around it helps the film feel constantly fresh and engaging. The only real issue at times in the film is some of the decisions characters make such as Miguel's family absolute hatred of music and the lengths they are willing to go to avoid it which feel a bit overdone, but again this really is a minor issue overall. Pixar constantly proves that their best films come from their original features with Inside Out and Coco standing out as two of the best films of the decade not just for Pixar but for film in general. When Pixar puts their heart into a film like this the result is absolutely stunning with Coco being a perfect example of that talent.
Coco still is honestly such an impressive film. Not only is it such a fun adventure but it is a legitimately moving film. Sure at times, it follows a bit of a formulaic plot but it the world around it helps the film feel constantly fresh and engaging. The only real issue at times in the film is some of the decisions characters make such as Miguel's family absolute hatred of music and the lengths they are willing to go to avoid it which feel a bit overdone, but again this really is a minor issue overall. Pixar constantly proves that their best films come from their original features with Inside Out and Coco standing out as two of the best films of the decade not just for Pixar but for film in general. When Pixar puts their heart into a film like this the result is absolutely stunning with Coco being a perfect example of that talent.