Disney know how to use light with great effect in their animations, such as the lanterns in Tangled, and thereby pulling at the not-so-very-underlying magic of their movies, and in Coco this is magnified ten-fold with a marigold bridge of orange illuminance that connects the Land of the Dead to that of the living. But not everyone can see this bridge, only the dead, and its appearance comes but once on the spiritual and family night of Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a celebration and remembrance of loved ones which helps them on their spiritual journey. But I’m jumping ahead, before that and after (well, again it’s Disney) there’s singing, family secrets, blood-ties, forbidden music. Guides of fluorescent colourings that are mythical and animalistic in appearance. Songs that will make you smile, and ones that will make your eyes go as big as those seen in the film’s leading role, Miguel, as you sob, clap with glee (I did not clap……..much) or bawl your eyes out.
But first of all have you ever had a dream? I’m going to go ahead and presume you have, and that your family, friends, someone will have hopefully been supportive of that dream, if not you’ll really relate to our hero; Miguel Rivera (voiced by the brilliant Anthony Gonzalez). Miguel is a little boy who dreams only of music and of playing the guitar like his idol; Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). He’s learnt all the lines of his films, songs, and has even crafted (not just a secret shrine) but a guitar like his; lovingly made from nails and planks of wood – man this kid has skills! But his family hate music and have banned it for many a generation, and why? Because Miguel’s great-great-grandfather, who was a musician, abandoned his daughter and wife in pursuit of it, and now Miguel’s father proudly reminds him what their family role now is; “You are a Rivera. And a Rivera is……..?” To which Miguel replies despondently, “……..A shoemaker. Through and through.” The Rivera family having no time or patience to listen or hear the mentioning of music, though it’s what Miguel lives for, and what he might be willing to die for.
Accidently stumbling upon a family secret on the eve of Dia De Los Muertos, Miguel in a flurry of excitement and defiance seeks the music he’s been banned from but with grave results. Borrowing the guitar of his late hero, Ernesto de la Cruz, Miguel takes from the dead and in doing so he might become one himself, being instantly cursed and finding himself in the Land of the Dead. Risking everything to follow his passion and dream, and in doing so discovers more about the greater cost and loss of losing one’s family.
The Land of the Dead is shown in Coco as an enticing candy-colour-cornucopia of activity; being more alive than the human breathing world, and far brighter. Death here being not the end but a continuation, and this is what makes Coco feel respectful and true to many traditions and beliefs observed in Dia De Los Muertos, such as in the use of marigolds, which guide souls to the world of the living, or in having photos of the departed on an Ofrenda – an altar where offerings are also left for the deceased, along with personal objects that welcome loved ones from the Land of the Dead. Though in the story of Coco our co-star Héctor (Gael García Bernal) is stopped from crossing over to the living world, for his photo is missing from the Ofrenda; showing the hurt and pain of being forgotten. The film pulling at our heartstrings to remember those who have left us. This is a slightly teary movie, but in all, the music will keep you upbeat. There is one part of the film where a threat is created that if you’re forgotten by those in the land of the living, then you will cease to exist in the Land of the Dead, though this seems more metaphorically than in keeping with the beliefs of Dia De Los Muertos (which make no clear mention of this), and builds a degree of tension that will have the little ones on their toes.
Coco is an upbeat, family film after all’s said and done – I mean there is a “dog” who’s crazy-eyed, loyal and has a tongue that wraps around his head and seals his mouth shut. He’s just so damn cute, that I actually wondered, where was Disney with his merchandise?! The colours in Coco are vibrant, the characters upbeat and optimistic, the sadder tones kept short and well-played into the overarching story, which has some great surprises that exceed the slight downfall of the more predictable one. This is Disney after all and you know it will have a happy ending, but what I wasn’t expecting was that you would come away viewing the after-life as having a border control! But it’s also a land that’s appealing with trams, cable cars and 1930s aesthetic grandeur, though sadly there are also computers that look like they’re from the 1990s – death might come with a long queue, but with its mesmerising duets I don’t mind waiting at all.
Director & Writer: Lee Unkrich
Other notable works:
- Toy Story 4 2019
- Toy Story 3 2010
- Finding Nemo 2003
- Monsters, Inc. 2001
- Toy Story 2 1999
Director & Writer: Adrian Molina
Writer: Jason Katz
Writer: Matthew Aldrich
