"The Fault in Our Stars," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Lion King," "This is Us." These movies and shows are known for evoking strong, emotional reactions in their audiences, usually resulting in tears. Not in me. Though I would enjoy watching them just as much as everyone else, I always wondered what would leave everyone else so shaken up. Whether it was the unfortunate demise of a beloved character or the end of a popular ship, I was always pretty good at separating reality from what was happening on screen.
I don't think it was because I didn't connect or relate enough to the story, because I could leave while still completely immersed with what, why, and how the scenes unfolded into the climax. So, if sensitivity wasn't it, then what was it? Maybe I just hadn't found the right character, plot, or combination of both put together with the perfect timing.
I expected "Coco" to be a fun, light-hearted, stereotypical feel-good Disney Pixar Movie. Yet somehow, after the two hours completed, it was much more than that. Most of the time, I can catch little clues within the introduction and quickly make my predictions for how the movie will unfold. Within twenty minutes, I thought I knew exactly what would happen and how it would all end, but it felt a little too easy, if you know what I mean.
Warning spoilers ahead
Miguel Rivera belongs to a Mexican family, based on the traditions and values of a strong-willed great-great-grandmother. Her husband left her with their only child, a daughter named Coco, to pursue his dreams of garnering fame with a musical career. The great-great-grandmother, Mama Imelda, decides to start a family shoemaking business and makes it a point that none of her lineage gains an interest in music and follows the same path her husband did.
But guess what? Miguel doesn't want to be a shoemaker. That's right, he wants to be a famous singer, just like Ernesto de la Cruz, a man worshipped by the town and who we quickly presume to be his great-great-grandfather. Yup, the same great-great grandfather who left Mama Imelda and Coco.
It's Dia de Los Muertos and Miguel's grandmother, also Coco's daughter, won't allow him to audition for a show which could be his big break. She tries to explain to him that on such a day, it's more important to be with family and prepare to welcome the ancestors who came before them, customs that Miguel becomes more and more skeptical about. In a fit of anger, he reveals that he doesn't believe in any of it and wishes he wasn't a part of his own family.
Afterwards, he somehow gets sucked into the spirit world and comes across Mama Imelda and other dead family members, who are having a difficult time crossing over because, well, he's not supposed to be there, to say the least. The only way they can return is if Miguel receives a blessing from one of the dead. One problem: Mama Imelda will only give him his blessing if he promises to stop practicing music. In an attempt to get around his predicament, he runs away to find Ernesto de La Cruz to convince him that he is his great-great-grandson wishing to follow in his footsteps, while also seeking his blessing.
Next problem: how will he actually get close enough to the biggest celebrity in the world of the spirits? With the help of Hector, a forgotten spirit who relentlessly tries every year to cross over to the land of the living see his daughter. In exchange for his help, Hector asks Miguel to bring his picture to his daughter in the land of the living so he can finally see her and he doesn't disappear into oblivion.
In a dark turn of events, we find out that though they once were friends and even partners, Ernesto murdered Hector because Hector wanted to go back home to his family, consisting of a wife and daughter (hmmm) and Hector refused to let Ernesto use any of his songs. So, Hector received no credit for his musical contributions, and he never got to reunite with… *drum roll* Imelda and Coco! Yes, Hector is Miguel's great-great-grandfather, NOT Ernesto. Undoubtedly, one of the best Disney Pixar plot twists ever.
But wait, if you thought Hector's story wasn't heartbreaking enough, it gets worse. He's on the verge of being forgotten as Mama Coco is the only living person who remembers him but she's slowly losing whatever memories she has left because of her dementia. In the limited time Miguel and the rest of the reunited Rivera family (dead members only) have, they need to return Miguel back to his living family and make Coco remember her father again. If that wasn't an emotional rollercoaster, I don't know what is.
Back home, Miguel manages to make the rest of them fall in love with music and now the rest of the family, as well as the town and probably Mexico, knows and understands the real story behind the mysterious ancestor of the Rivera family, Hector.
Through the guise of a children's animated film, Disney Pixar grapples with risky topics such as death and afterlife and the fear of being forgotten as well as with the usual clichés such as following one's dreams and the importance of family. For the world we live in today, where everyone is trying to make a name for themselves and struggling with the balance of keeping a career and raising a family later on in adulthood, "Coco,"allows the audience to just sit back and actually connect with both perspectives held by the family.
We gain an appreciation for the sacrifices made by Mama Imelda and sympathize with Miguel and his passion for music. The movie explores the varying extremes of each scenario, playing with the consequences of what happens when too many restrictions are set in place as well as when one goes too far as to challenge their morals and ideals in order to accomplish a goal.
What I still cannot get over is how beautifully the creators used the visuals and animations to make the passage to the land of the dead seem like a whimsical experience, and how they developed the sentiments of the main characters to deliver themes that may have seemed too deep for young viewers. A dying and forgetful grandmother, a doting and regretful father, as well as a strong and powerful matriarch all add so much detail to really complete the family and bring them as close to home as possible.
The only thing keeping me from full-on sobbing every time Miguel or Hector sang "Remember Me" was the fact that the little girl sitting next to me in the theater was laughing most of the time. If you haven't already, this masterpiece is definitely a must watch, and probably one of my favorite Disney Pixar movies of all time.
