Great! So what exactly will I be discussing in these reviews?
Plot
Character and their development
Viewer Engagement
My favourite moment
My least favourite moment
Anything else!
So... which film is going to be the subject of my second ever Film Review on my blog?
Disney & Pixar's Coco (2018)
These reviews will contain SPOILERS!
I watched this film in the cinema yesterday with two of my friends. We were all itching to finally see what this film would be like! And we were most certainly, not disappointed in the slightest! This film was brilliant!
We found ourselves sat in the cinema, praising the recent development in Disney in terms of their representation, particularly in regards to racial representation. If you look at the recent phenomena from Disney, a pattern is emerging now. In 2009, they released The Princess And The Frog, where the characters are black. And it took until 2014 for a next big hit that contained racial representation, Big Hero 6, which is set in a futuristic hybrid between San Fransico and Tokyo, San Fransokyo. However, it has since only been two years to split Big Hero 6 and the next racially representative international phenomena by Disney; Moana, which told the story of a Polynesian Princess. And from then, only two years dividing Moana and Coco's UK release.
Plot
I found the plot of Coco interesting, I was intrigued about whether this piece would be too similar to The Book Of Life, as both tell stories that relate to Dia de Muertos. I was glad that in Coco, the story focussed more on Miguel's dream and the story of Hector, instead of the lore.
However, there were several plot holes which my friends and I picked out. For example, the fact that Miguel was absent for the entire night of Dia de Muertos, something his parents, and extended family were very much against. His entire family spend the night looking for him, meaning they are also all away from their homes on the night of Dia de Muertos too, which was something they did not want to have happened - and yes it can be argued that living family comes before the deceased family but regardless of which, his family do not question the new knowledge Miguel acquires after a night away from home. We found it very hard to believe that they would have absolutely no questions about where Miguel got information that only the dead could possibly know.
Character
I absolutely adored the characters in Coco! I found myself previously invested in the story that due to following an artist on instagram that was heavily invested in the character of Miguel! I found myself falling in love with the ambitious boy from the start of the film and was captivated by his journey, to the point that he was so emotional, that he cared more about Hector than going back to the land of the living.
I found Hector's character equally compelling - the idea of wanting to be remembered after having passed away is a common issue when alive - hoping that our memory will live on and the idea that because of something out of your control takes place, your memory can be completely voided. The concept is heartbreaking and leaves you to root for Hector, hoping that he will not undergo the second death in the afterlife as his daughter nears death.
Viewer Engagement
I was greatly invested in the story in Coco. I found it easy to follow and predictable enough to expect the outcome but was still powerful enough to evoke viewer upset toward the end of the film.
Despite being older than the intended target audience of the film, I found it brilliant, and incredibly funny. For example, the repetition of parallels, particularly with Ernesto De La Cruz. I found the repetition of the bell hysterical, as did my friends. Which was very awkward when there are three teenagers in the middle of the cinema howling with laughter and everyone else is silent!
My Favourite Moment
If I said the bell scene, would I be deemed an awful person? Yes? Okay then... not the bell scene! ((Yes the bell scene))
My Least Favourite Moment
I guess it's more of a physicality thing which bugged me for hours at the end of the film; how, despite the contrast in physiques, could Miguel mistake Ernesto and Hector? It seemed absurd that Ernesto managed to acquire the same build that he had in life, are we expected to believe that in the family photo, Hector was wearing huuuuge shoulder pads in order to give off the impression he is Ernesto De La Cruz? I would have made their builds slightly more similar in order to justify the mistake on Miguel's part.
Anything else?
The soundtrack was amazing! I have had it on loop for hours and hours! La Larona is such a pretty song oh my gosh I loved it so much!
Thank you for reading my review and I hope you give this film a watch!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Asta
- Imogen. L. Smiley
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Asta
- Imogen. L. Smiley
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