At the heart of all Pixar films there is a journey. There's the journey to get the thing or the person to the place in order to save the day. This is a template Disney and Pixar have used time and time again in order to ensure a structure and beats that the youngest of audience members can seemingly recognize and appreciate, but I didn't consider this initially. As an adult viewer I was simply bummed to discover that the studio was once again leaning on this crutch in Coco in order to convey what seemed to be a unique narrative from a marginalized culture. Inside Out did the same thing when it took all of these original ideas and concepts it had and then used them in service of the heroes journey arc we've seen countless times before, and especially in films whose target audience is largely children. What Inside Out did to ultimately reverse this expectation by the end of the film was to of course use that template in service of those original ideas and concepts as a way to explore them as well as the ideas and themes the filmmakers were keen on conveying. It worked. I teared up. Coco more or less does the same thing in that this is a heroes journey of self-discovery for our protagonist, Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez), and it is an entertaining one at that, but while these familiar beats are present to allow the younger audience members a sense of connection and understanding it is the emotional strands of family, legacy, and pride in that family history that are woven throughout this otherwise standard structure to be the connective tissue for what Coco is truly meant to represent. This dawned on me as the credits began to roll and I was feeling content with what I'd just experienced if not bowled over by the visual prowess that Pixar is now achieving, but as I looked down at my three year-old daughter sitting next to me and asked her if she enjoyed the movie it became obvious as to why there needs to be this accessible structure by which the character's and their story arcs relate to younger viewer's otherwise Pixar would strictly be making films for adults. Pixar does make films for adults wrapped in the facade of colorful children's fables, we've known this for years, but with Coco it became more evident why this approach has been so important in that, as my three year-old grows up and continues to watch Coco, she will only gain more from it on each viewing. In this way, Coco carries on the great tradition of Pixar while continuing to diversify and expand that special brand it has now seemingly perfected. read the whole review at www.reviewsfromabed.com.

Pixar, aside from a few weak entries with either Cars 2 or Brave, has always been the studio that places quality entertainment over making a quick buck. Coco is their latest outing, and I'd be absolutely lying to everyone if I didn't say that I loved every second of my viewing experience with this film. Coco is easily one of their best in years and possibly one of their best, period. Diving into themes that felt very risqué for this particular studio, I found that these particular elements only added to the overall story as a whole. Here is why I believe Coco is the must-see movie this year and why it will probably bring tears to many. Due to a tragic past that I won't discuss here, young Miguel (the main protagonist of the film) is forbidden to ever take up music as a profession. Looking up to the great Ernesto de la Cruz, he hopes to be like him one day (the greatest musician to ever live). As he borrows Ernesto's guitar to perform in a contest during the Mexican day of the dead celebration, he is sucked into the land of the dead, where he meets his ancestors. Discovering new things about life, death, and the importance of family, Coco is a film that will send you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Throughout the first act of this movie, you feel as though it will be a touching story about a boy who's able to connect with the family he was never able to have met, but the hidden secrets will shock even the smartest of viewers. I hope you'll be as shocked with some of the reveals as I was because the writers have really outdone themselves in terms of making you care for these characters. Yes, the plot itself may have familiar elements, but what film doesn't nowadays? I believe that Coco found a way to spin the clichés on their head, injecting some very dark aspects into this movie, which I found to be quite the risk but also worth it in the end. There are times when adults will feel as though they're watching a mature film due to how certain circumstances play out, and while kids can still enjoy the spectacle of this movie, this really is a children's movie for adults. That being said, the spectacle of it all is still worth the price of admission alone. Disney/Pixar continues to impress its audience in terms of how detailed the majority of their films have become, and Coco is no exception. Not only was I sucked up in the emotional journey that Miguel goes through, but the visuals only added a level of depth to the story, due to the fact that the animators have really made these people feel realistic, not in a true-to-life way, but in the way they move or speak to one another. This film is everything you could possibly ask for from Pixar. In the end, Coco is the reason we go to the cinema. We want to be transported to a unique world that makes us forget about reality, but that also reminds us how important reality still is. The core essence of this film's existence is to remind everyone that even the biggest of dreams will have their issues and that family really is the most important thing in life. Whether or not you choose to buy into that aspect will probably make or break your enjoyment of the movie, but I was moved to tears by it. Pixar has created another masterpiece in Coco and this may just be the best film I've seen all year. I can't recommend this beautiful piece of filmmaking enough.