Coco

If I could, I would rather sing this review to you while playing a guitar.

I can't remember the last time Pixar failed to deliver a praiseworthy piece of work with the most meticulous details of animation and themes that were both engaging and identifiable for virtually all ages. These days, I rarely visit a Pixar title as often as I did when I was a 10 year old and was just on the verge of forgetting how inspirational even a kids film can be for adults. "Coco", for all its sentimental themes about family love and death, falls short in tearing me up, but it greatly impresses me with its creative methods of delivering the messages by using a Mexican setting, original soundtrack and a whole palette of brilliant colors. Every Pixar film has a unique quality that even kids can remember by; for "Coco", it happens to be the fervor and passion for music, as one character eloquently quoted, "The music, it's not just in me, it is me!". No matter how simple or jaded this line is in meaning, what makes it so strangely memorable was due to the syntax, how it was said, who said it, and what reaction it made. An impressive amount of details floats just within 3 seconds, which really encompasses what "Coco" is: an immense network of different elements and with careful attention on how a cliche could be delivered as a novel concept to the audience.

"Coco" constantly reminds me of another animated film called "The Book of Life" (watch out for its confirmed sequel, by the way). The resemblance is utterly striking, and I suggest you watch it yourself and find out why. As far as "Coco" itself is concerned, there is virtually nothing to criticize. Barring occasional moments that are mawkish for my taste, the creativity in the story plus characters and the intricate animation are absolutely on point. On top of nailing the two greatest traits to keep an eye out for in any Pixar film, "Coco" pays homage to a rich culture from Mexico with one of the most in-depth voice acting in the past 3 years and a captivating list of songs that rejuvenates the same essence of originality from "Frozen". Was "Coco" emotionally heavy too? Well, it's doesn't beat "Up", "Inside Out" or even "The Good Dinosaur", but when any type of literature explores the idea of death, you still need to get your tissue boxes ready. To offer a way for children to process this incomprehensible notion that slowly awaits us all in an entertaining, educating and enthusiastic manner, that takes incredible skills in all facets of filmmaking, and none does it better than "Coco" so far. It's easy to watch all 20 Pixar from "Toy Story" to "Incredibles 2" with just your eyes, but the challenge is which ones will remain forever in your experiences. I personally struggle to find that single element in "Coco" that makes it iconic like say, "Toy Story" or "Finding Nemo", because it does so many things well. Nevertheless, given everything that has been said so far, "perfection" is the most appropriate word to describe this film, and perhaps that is what we hope for ourselves too: a perfect ending.

When life gives you lemons, grab a guitar and sing!