Loco for “Coco”
Over the weekend, I went to see “Coco”, the new Pixar/Disney animated movie, along with my wife, 3 sons and sister. Before the movie started, I had to endure 6 increasingly stupid looking cartoon previews for other kids movies, followed by a tedious 20 minute “short” sequel to “Frozen” (a movie that, as a father of boys, I was hoping to never have to see). As a result, I was expecting to have a bad time. I don’t usually enjoy animated movies. I usually stay home, or if we are home, I fall asleep or leave halfway through. I agreed to go to this one to be with the family, and because I knew “Coco” was about the celebration of the Dia de Muertos in Mexico, which sounded interesting. Though I thought for a second of leaving and going for a walk, I am definitely glad I didn’t. The amazing visual effects, cultural richness, smart writing, and meaningful message made “Coco” perhaps my favorite animated film of all time.
I knew enough about the Day of the Dead and Pixar to expect that this movie would be beautiful to look at. For the first scenes, Pixar created its own picturesque Mexican village, with a charming, lifelike Mexican family, and a colorful Mexican cemetery filled with candlit mourners. Our hero, an eight year old aspiring musician named Miguel, is youthful and lifelike, but even more impressive is his great-grandmother, Coco, whose wrinkled face could be mistaken for a real “abuelita”. But that was just the beginning of the magic, for soon the plot took us across the bridge of marigolds into the Land of the Dead, where the skeletons of our hero’s ancestors come to life in an amazing world of their own. Here, the skeletons dance, fight, glow, and have grand celebrations that could only occur in the afterlife, all as luminescent neon dragons fly through the night.
All this spectacle would be enjoyable on its own, but “Coco” has culture and substance, too. I knew a little bit about the meaning behind Dia de Muertos from my sister, who spent a year in Oaxaca, Mexico and carries on the tradition of decorating sugar skulls with her nephews in remembrance of our dead relatives. However, I learned much more about the holiday from the movie. (At least, Disney’s version of the holiday.) For example, I learned that the ancestors cross over the bridge of marigolds on this magical night, but only if one of the living puts up their picture on their altar of “ofrendas”. The movie brings Miguel’s skeletal ancestors “to life”, and we can feel how much they want to be remembered. (It brings Frida Kahlo back to life, too, still making surreal, colorful art in the afterlife.) One main character, Hector, is desperate because he is in danger of being forgotten by all his living relatives. After travelling to Hector’s beautiful underworld, and feeling his desperation to stay connected to the living, I will be even more certain to share in my sister’s celebration and tell the stories of my bygone relatives next November 1st.
“Coco” not only brought the culture, but also the brains and heart, which is a rare combination. The plot was logical and absorbing. Young Miguel’s family forbids him from playing music because his great-grandfather abandoned the family to pursue his music career. When he decides to disobey them to follow in the footsteps of his musical hero, Ernesto De La Cruz, I thought, “This is too obvious. Miguel is going to find out De La Cruz is actually his great grandfather.” Without spoiling the plot, let me just say that I was wrong, and what actually happens is much more interesting than that.
The “heart” came through the theme of the movie, illustrated by Miguel, who is trying to balance love and respect for his family with his strong desire to follow his own passion and talent for music, struggling against his family’s desire that he follow in their footsteps and join the family shoe business. The Rivera family, living and dead, is portrayed so richly, that the whole audience is invested in them keeping their closeness and traditions, while also hoping Miguel will find a way to pursue his musical dreams.
Before I say too much, I will just say, go see this movie. The audience I sat with had a mix of Hispanic and non-Hispanic families, and everyone applauded at the end. The Latino families seemed delighted to see a part of their culture and traditions come alive on screen. Families like mine got a chance to learn about a different culture in an entertaining way, and everyone was transported to another beautiful world infused with an important message.
I was actually a little worried that Americans wouldn’t embrace this movie, but I was heartened to see that it made 71 million dollars over its opening weekend. Hopefully, this means that Pixar will make more beautiful movies that show us other cultures as beautifully and respectfully as “Coco” does.
