Movie Review: Disney's Coco

Coco
Director:  Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina (co-director)
WritersLee Unkrich (original story by), Jason Katz (original story by), Matthew Aldrich (original story by) & Adrian Molina (original story by and screenplay by), and Matthew Aldrich (screenplay by)
Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt
MPAA Rating: PG
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Hashtag #PixarCoco

Aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to work out the mystery.

I know I am an adult, but that will never take away my love for kids' movies -especially Disney movies. When I was asked to review this movie, and I saw the trailer, I couldn't wait to be able to see it -and it didn't disappoint, at all! I really loved this movie very much, and I will recommend it to anyone who asks.

I am going to make this review short and sweet so to not spoil anything about the actual movie or plot:

Let's start with the visuals: the colors and the effects are amazing! I loved them! All the colors were so bright and beautiful, and happy. Yes, Miguel goes to the Land of the Dead, but nothing about it is ominous or dark. Disney did a great job of making this movie not scary, but rather fun, funny, and cheery. I don't think there was a single moment that any of the kids in attendance to the screening (including the one I took with) got scared a single time.

The music: the music was also very cheery and vibrant, and they did a great job in including only Mexican-style music. I was worried that it being an American made and produced movie, they'd get something of the culture wrong, or Americanize it somehow, but they didn't. I myself am not Mexican, but I know about it and have watched plenty of movies and listened to plenty of their music to have an idea (thanks to my dad who taught me all of that). The famous singer in the movie is called Ernesto de la Cruz ("the greatest musician of all time!"), and he reminds of one of the most famous Mexican singers: Vicente Fernandez (look him up!)

The plot: The plot of this movie has, of course, a lot of Disney in it and I feared it would be a cookie-cutter plot...but it really wasn't. It starts off being kind of obvious, but then the plot twists and it throws you off a bit. I also love the topics they addressed: family, following your dreams, and to really get to know someone before you judge. There's just one hiccup in my opinion about the plot: the timeframe of when some of the characters lived is a little off, but that seems to be the only thing that was off.

The characters: I loved the characters in this movie! So much Hispanic sass was portrayed in it, and I loved it. One of the main characters is called Imelda and she is as sassy and strong as most Hispanic women are, and I like to think I am like her, and that I have her sass. The main character, Miguel Rivera, is a very sweet and likable boy who is brave and caring, and makes this movie that much more worth it!

The message: my favorite part of doing reviews is talking about the message of the movie. In this movie, I liked that they gave more importance and true meaning to the message and advice that family members to Miguel. In the past, most Disney movies, the main character defies their parents/family and leave crying because "you'll never understand me", and always ends up being right, while the parents/adults aren't. I never lived that message because it's unrealistic and, in many ways, disrespectful. Than you Disney, for changing that typical plot.

Go check out "Coco" in theaters!!!