Coco, the latest movie from Disney Pixar is finally released in the
UK (some 3 months after the US!) and I got to see it at an advance screen this
weekend.
I used to be a huge fan of Pixar movies, there was a point
where every film they released was a bonafide classic. However since the
release of Toy Story 3, they’ve become a bit hit and miss. Pixar never release
bad movies but they definitely went from consecutive movies of excellence, to
films ranging from mediocre to good.
Remember, at one stage Pixar released Ratatouille, WALL-E,
Up and Toy Story 3 back to back, probably four of the best animations ever made. Toy
Story 3 was released on 2010, so I’ve been waiting a long time for a truly
great Pixar film. Finding Dory got close, and although the concept and opening
20 minutes of Inside Out are incredible, the film as a whole is nowhere near
Pixar’s best.
Why have I spent 2 paragraphs building this up? Well,
because Disney Pixar have finally returned with their best movie since Toy
Story 3. Coco is absolutely in the same league as Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up and
TS3, it’s early days, but in my opinion it might even be better than some of those as well.
Coco tells a story centred around the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and a boy's love of music. He (accidently) ventures into the land of the dead, meeting various family members and discovers his true ancestry.
This is a truly heart-warming, feel good movie that is
thought-provoking and emotional too. It’s a great movie and although it’s only
the first movie I’ve seen in 2018 (in the cinema), I’m pretty sure it’ll be on
my top ten come year end.
As is expected of Pixar, the animation is spectacular, the
visuals are lush and beautiful from start to finish. Once, we arrive in the
World of the Dead, the lights and decorations all look incredible. It’s a
living and breathing festival come to life in the form of a city. Truly
breath-taking. I also loved all the neat touches of including skulls in various
parts of the architecture.
I really liked the music throughout, it never feels forced
or “it’s time for a song” like some Disney films, each piece of music fits
organically into the story and elevates the emotion of a scene, sometimes this
is full of joy or others can be very sad. One scene in particular really hit a
nerve with me and demonstrates how powerful Pixar are at playing on your
heartstrings.
All the characters and their relationships are well
developed and you fully understand their motivations and actions. This is Pixar
at the top of their game, they are the kings of story and character. I would
say there is a twist during the film that is flagged fairly early on, but
although I saw it coming a mile off it still leaves an impact when it plays
out.
I don’t want to say anymore to save talking specifics or
spoiling anything, but in my opinion Coco is one of the best Pixar movies ever
made, and definitely the best since Toy Story 3.
I recommended seeing Coco as soon as you can, with as many members of your family as possible.
Written by @RossBishop for MoviePush. Follow Ross on Twitter.
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