Coco Movie Review: Going Loco for Coco

COCO opens in theaters everywhere on November 22nd!

When Disney Pixar first announced they were producing Coco I was excited but afraid at the same time. You never know what turns the story is going to take, how accurate they can get the cultural references and also how different they movie was going to be from The Book of Life. 
We are all in for a great surprise. Both movies actually are very different from each other (although both are beautiful) and the studio showed everyone again that they know how to get directly into your heart and manage your emotions. 
No spoilers here... only advice. Do NOT forget the tissues. You might (will) cry!

Thank you, Disney and Disney Pixar for inviting me to COCO Screening and Press Junket

About the movie

​Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Héctor (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history. 

Watch a trailer

Did we like it?

We LOVED it. It is a movie you must take your kids to see (and the whole family as well). The story is amazing, the way the cultural traditions are presented is well thought and the music is phenomenal. There is nothing I did not like about the movie. It has just the perfect balance of Spanglish. Enough to make you feel like the story is actually taking time in Mexico but not too much to have people that do not speak Spanish bored. 
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If you are not Latino and if you did not know anything about Dia de Los Muertos, I can assure you that you will fall in love with the holiday, will maybe stat celebrating it and will appreciate it much. 
The message of the importance of family, specially on these times, where people are being separated by distance and borders is just a great way to start your holiday celebrations. 

Let's talk about how the movie shows the Latino culture. The inclusion of the famous CHANCLA scene is fantastic. The references to Latino singers Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete are brought perfectly into the story. Pixar really made a  remarkable effort to avoid any type of cultural appropriation.  The movie is no way  culturally insensitive. On the other hand I laughed out loud several times because I kept thinking about my family. The other aspect that wowed me were the papel picado banners, it just added a touch of color in every sense to the story.

The animation is one of the best to date. The characters are lovable and I fell in love with Dante, the dog.
Once again Pixar has done it right, however this time I see it as a higher victory for the studio. It is one of the few times that talking about another culture has been so natural on a story line and in a way that kids all over the world can understand. The whole world can go LOCO for COCO!

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