Coco is a movie that I could rewatch a thousand times and still get emotional every single time. I felt just at home watching this movie, it’s almost like you can feel the warmth through the screen and imagine a warm plate of food with your family filling the room with laughter and music. The movie felt more at home for me because I come from a Hispanic background, so I would definitely recommend this movie to those from the same background.
Coco is based on the Hispanic Holiday, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). In the movie, Miguel, who is 12 years old, (Anthony Gonzalez) goes against his family’s beliefs and desperately wants to become a musician. But this yearning leads to extreme measures that almost cost him his life. He finds himself exploring the land of the dead and meets his deceased family, but eventually learns import life lessons. Throughout the movie Miguel and his mentor, Hector (Gael García Bernal) go through many obstacles to reach their goals. Even though the family might have their differences, they are connected by their love for each other.
The setting is in Michoacán, Mexico, but takes inspiration from Guanajuato, Mexico City, and Oaxaca. The movie is full of Hispanic culture and is such a colorful film. Throughout the movie, Pixar included a lot of Spanish vocabulary and it really gives us a glimpse of Hispanic culture, particularly during the day of the dead.
The songs that were played throughout the movie really touched me, and helped me feel what the characters felt.
For example, Remember Me, sung by Gael García Bernal, Gabriella Flores, and Libertad García Fonzi, makes me feel the emotion of mourning yet remembering your loved ones and their memories. Coco truly does highlight the positive parts of celebrating the death of your loved ones.
The movie really plays out the message of how important families are, because they care, love, and fight for each other even during dark times or disagreements, but at the same time they support each other, and you can see that all throughout the movie. Coco is overall a very funny and emotional movie that aims for and is highly recommended for families and younger audiences.
I rate Coco 5 out of 5 RedHawks because I really love the message it spreads across and admire the diversity with the culture. Personally, I recommend the movie for ages 7 and above. Coco is available to watch on Disney+ with a subscription, but can be purchased on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
