We just got home from seeing Disney's Coco at the Imperial Valley Mall. WOW! I totally LOVED it. Scott wasn't thrilled to see it because he's not a big fan of animation, but when it was over he said he was really glad he did. For me, it was one of Disney's best. As a genealogist, it was wonderful to help us remember those who have passed on and how family is connected.
I really liked Disney's final trailer of the movie. The fun part was that the street dog, Dante, in Coco reminded us so much of our dog, Coco and the little Chihuahua's that villain Ernesto de la Cruz had reminded us of Roxy.
Here's the story synopsis:
Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming a musician like his all-time idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt) but his family forbids him of doing so. Ages ago, his great-great grandfather left his family to be a musician and never returned to Imelda Rivera, his great-great grandmother and her daughter, Coco. Coco never really knew her father. Imelda ripped his husband's face off the family photo. And, because of this, Imelda forbids music and she started to make shoes...a profession that the family continued for 5 generations! Miguel doesn't want to be a shoemaker. He was to be a musician but his grandmother, Coco's daughter, Elena, forbids him.
On the day of the dead celebration, Elena (Renee Victor), tries to teach Miguel about honoring their ancestors but in the end breaks Miguel's guitar when he wants to play for the festival instead and he runs away in frustration. He wants to play at the festival but has to have his own musical instrument, so he decides to steal his hero's guitar from his crypt and when he does, he finds himself transformed and living in the stunning and colorful life of the dead.
There, he meets his ancestors of the past and soon discovers he needs to camouflage himself as a dead person as not to attract attention but the longer he stays in the land of the dead, he starts to become a skeleton. If he doesn't return to the land of the living before sunrise, he will also become dead. Miguel meets crazy Hector on his journey the two of them try and find Miguel's great-great grandfather who they think is Ernesto de la Cruz.
The entire journey of the story is how the dead rely upon the living to keep the photos of them alive in their hearts and during Mexico's Day of the Dead. When a photo isn't displayed...in time, the dead will go away forever. Coco, Miguel's Abuelita was nearing death and didn't remember her father. On the other side, Hector begins to diminish. Through the course of events, Miguel realizes that Ernesto is not his great-great grandfather, but Hector is! It was discovered that Ernesto was the man who murdered his real great-great grandfather, Hector preventing him to return to his family Imelda and Coco. Hector was a master singer/songwriter and when he decided to return home to Coco and her mother, Ernesto de la Cruz poisons him so that Ernesto could have fame and fortune, which he got from any expense - even disposing of Hector. The guitar that everyone thought was Ernesto's was really Hectors! Miguel now does everything in his power to try to save his great-grandfather so he is remembered and not forgotten forever.
In the end, Miguel needs a family blessing to return to the land of the living and when he is finally given a family blessing from Hector and Imelda with the Aztec marigold petal, Miguel returns to real life. He immediately runs to his great-grandmother, Coco and sings "Remember Me" to her - the song Hector sang to Coco when she was a small child before he left to be a musician. Even though Coco has dementia, she comes alert and remembers the song from years before and sings along with Miguel and memories come flooding back. Miguel's grandmother, Elena and parents and other relatives are amazed.
The following year, Hector and Imelda along with Coco (as she died the previous year) are able to cross the bridge together to the land of the living during the Day of the Dead since Coco produced the ripped photo and it was mended back into the family photo. Miguel becomes a wonderful mariachi singer and the family relationship are restored.
The concept of when the family remembers you no more really touched my heart and made me want to be sure that family lives on forever. I'd give this movie a 5-star! Not only are the characters wonderful, but Pixar did a spectacular job with all the color and animation of the feature. If you haven't seen it, grab the family and head to the movies! You won't regret it!!
This film was inspired by the book Miguel and the Grand Harmony by Matt de la Pena.
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