Mini Movie Review: Coco

If you're looking for a movie for the whole family, definitely put Coco on your list.

We don't normally see animated films at the theater, but this one was part of a holiday party given by the company who handles our retirement money. It was one of those fancy theaters where they serve dinner with the movie.

What a treat! The food was good, but the movie was even better.

Coco is about a young boy (Miguel) who desperately wants to be a musician, but after his great, great grandmother was abandoned by her musician-husband, she bans all music in her household. To support herself and her young daughter, she becomes a shoemaker, and a family business is born spanning generations.

But Miguel doesn't want to be a shoemaker. He wants to be a musician, and he is convinced that his talent was inherited from his great, great grandfather.

When his grandmother destroys his homemade guitar just before a major music competition, he steals a guitar from the tomb of the most famous musician in all of Mexico. In retribution, he's then transported to the land of the dead. In order to return  to the land of the living, he must ask the blessing of his great, great grandmother--only her blessing comes with strings attached.

There is so much color, so much imagination, and so much feeling in this movie, you don't know where to look. Everything is beautiful and alive. The land of the dead is so inviting it almost makes you wish you could get a passport to visit. :) Which brings me to how the dead visit the living. They have their own version of 'passports' which was entirely brilliant.

What I found most fascinating is how clever the director was in portraying the dead. At first I thought it might be scary or creepy to have talking skeletons in a movie for children, but it was so gentle and familial that it wasn't scary at all. Being dead was just like being alive, albeit on another plane of existence.

The reactions the dead have when they find a living boy in their midst is hilarious! There were also a couple of twists and turns we never saw coming.

I'm not sure I can tell you anymore about the movie without spoilers, so I'll end there. What I can tell you is that the movie was thoroughly enjoyable. I only wish it had been released in the US at the end of October instead of the end of November.

If you've ever wanted to know more about Dia de los Muertos, I heartily recommend this movie. It's got all the feels and twice the color and plot twists.

Pixar hit this one out of the park.

Highly recommended.

******

Christmas Party update: What a night. We had the best time! Good food, good friends and a surprise. Our youngest neighbors (whom we rarely see because of their schedules) arrived with a little bundle of joy. They had a brand new baby boy only two weeks old. Absolutely precious!

I'm tired today so I plan to be totally lazy. :) We cleaned last night so the only thing left for me to do is to return a few plates from the food people brought. It was just the right amount of food. Very few leftovers.