BY KYLE LESNAK

Coco, directed by Adrian Molina and Lee Unkrich, came out on Nov 22, 2017 and was met with critical acclaim and it became the highest-grossing movie ever in Mexico.

In Santa Cecilia, Mexico, Miguel has a dream to become a famous musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz, who died after a giant bell fell on him. The only problem is that his family hates anything musical after Miguel’s great-great-grandfather left his family to pursue a career in music and never came back. After he left, the family started making shoes and it became the family business. Mama Coco, Miguel’s great-grandmother, is the oldest member of his family and the one he can talk to about his love for music. On the Day of the Dead, Miguel accidentally knocks his great-great-grandmother Imelda’s picture off the ofrenda which reveals that Miguel’s great-great-grandfather had the same guitar as Ernesto, making him believe that they are related. After trying to tell his family, he tells them how much he loves music, which angers his grandmother, leading her to destroy the guitar Miguel made. This makes Miguel run away, determined to play in the town’s talent show. He tries to sign up, but he doesn’t have a guitar to play. After attempting to steal Ernesto de la Cruz’s guitar, he realizes he’s invisible to everyone else until stumbling into multiple skeletons. This is when he meets some of his dead relatives who bring him back to the land of the dead to try and find a way to send him back home.

Pixar has done a great job in making a fun and touching movie about Mexican culture. This film has smooth and nice animation. The way the skeletons move is a big factor in that. The way they move is so energetic and expressive that they always keep my attention. And the songs complement it so well. All the songs in this movie fit the theme and never feel out of place. It would have thrown me off guard if they had decided to throw in a pop song when all the others are inspired by mariachi and banda music. The story isn’t terrible but not too interesting. The big plot twist can be seen a mile away, but at least it didn’t come out of nowhere with some little hints scattered about. But one detail that pushed this movie is its attention to detail with Mexican culture and tradition. The rituals they do for the Day of the Dead are extremely faithful, and it’s obvious Pixar did their homework.

This movie was a joy to watch. The music helped tell so much about the character that if you took them out, the movie would lose what makes it great. With a mix of great character design and beautiful animation, it stands out from the rest and truly feels like something unique. And with its love and appreciation for Mexican culture and traditions, it’s no wonder it’s Mexico’s highest-grossing film. This is a very high recommendation for anyone who enjoys great animation or has an appreciation for Mexican culture and its music.