‘Coco’ Movie Review: Disney-Pixar’s Latest Will Make You Laugh, Surprise You, And Wreck You Emotionally

Pixar has a way of making you want to run out of theaters crying due to the way they make you love their characters while giving them a moment that is too much to take, but they may have bested themselves. We’ve seen it with Wall-E, UP, and Finding Nemo among many others, but those ended up just being moments of great films. Coco is one of those movies that you won’t just love for its beauty, humor, and characters, but also for the way it makes you feel inside.

Let it be known that there will be no spoilers for Coco in this review. Any information revealed about the movie is what has already become known to the public. Feel free to read ahead without any worry of having the movie spoiled for you.

Despite the recent issues that came to light with John Lasseter in the last day, Disney-Pixar had Coco set for wide release on Tuesday evening and they followed through with it. That isn’t surprising as there were no signs that they would change their plans, but would the allegations cause trouble for the movie at the box office?

That is going to be highly unlikely.

Coco introduces the world to 12-year-old Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) who is a lover of music, but his family simply wants nothing to do with it. They are angry about the way Miguel’s great-great-grandfather devoted his life to music while abandoning his wife and child to live out his dream.

Despite his family’s feelings and the hatred they have toward music, Miguel is determined to follow his dream, but he wants to be just like the famous musician Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt).

Wanting to play at a music festival for Dia de los Muertos, he borrows (steals) the guitar of the late de la Cruz which sends him to the Land of the Dead and reunites him with long-gone family members. Now, he must seek out the famous musician to get his blessing and head back to the real world.

Along the way, he partners with a man/skeleton named Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) who is quite humorous and seems to know a lot about everyone and everything. Hector will help Miguel if he will bring his picture back to the real world so he will be remembered and never disappear from existence.

I saw #Coco last night and you need to go see it! So good! pic.twitter.com/e4nvTwXKUz

— Everyday Disney (@DisneyAve) November 22, 2017

Believe it or not, there really is a lot to this movie and Coco has so much depth to it that you will need to pay close attention to everything. That’s not going to be hard to do as the characters are inviting, the visuals are stunning, and the music is masterful.

Don’t be surprised if you purchase/download the soundtrack as soon as you exit the theater. “Remember Me” is one of those you may have already heard, but “Un Poco Loco” and others are just as fun and memorable.

The world of Mexican culture, music, history, and way of life and death is absolutely incredible and Pixar does an amazing job of delivering it in true fashion. The respect paid to the culture is perfect down to every last detail, and it will leave you wanting to see the film a second time to merely take it all in.

For those who are hearing that Coco is a sad movie, well, it is, but that’s not all. As Rolling Stone states in its review, it is as “lively as they come” and full of entertainment.

There are some great one-liners from different characters and some funny jokes here and there from both the land of the living and the dead. Oh, and you are going to absolutely adore Miguel’s street dog, Dante, who steals many of the scenes he is in.

Just try and keep it together until you see #PixarCoco, NOW PLAYING in theatres in 3D! Get tickets now: https://t.co/fvtPsGhybG pic.twitter.com/HadCBAa5Cg

— Disney•Pixar’s Coco (@pixarcoco) November 22, 2017

Every single thing about Coco works well when wrapped into its shell, and it is hard for anyone to think that this will not be a successful film. Box Office Mojo reported it already has made $2.3 million on Tuesday previews alone, but that is only the beginning.

Prepare yourself for all of the fun and excitement, but know that your emotions are going to be tested and in a big way.

Disney and Pixar have a great way of playing with the emotions of the audience before giving them a great story with which to move ahead. In reality, Coco appears to be the exact opposite of that formula. You’re going to receive a phenomenal story of family, friendship, love, humor, adventure, and music before it dives even deeper and touches your inner soul. In a world of Toy Story and The Incredibles, Coco has found a way to not only stand on its own but jump to the front of the pack.

Go see it. Bring your tissues.

[Featured Image by Disney-Pixar]