Coco: Early Screening

I had the chance to see Coco last Thursday thanks to a friend at my university. As soon as he extended the invitation to his department’s early screening I jumped at the chance to see Disney Pixar’s latest installment. Revolving around Dia de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, Coco follows the story of Miguel, who is struggling to find his place within his family.

Torn between his love of playing music and his Family’s ancestral ban on music, Miguel embarks on a journey into the Land of the Dead to not only solve the mystery of why music is taboo in his family but to understand how important family is.

I’m going to say it, flat out. This movie lands on my top 10 favorite Pixar movies, if not missing top 5 by a hair. The story is well paced and provides emotional depth, as you understand Miguel as he comes to understand himself. 

The humor is laid perfectly, never misplaced, and always had the screening audience in chuckles. The animation is crisp and the art is beautiful. The details in Miguel’s hometown are accurate and researched, and the creativity in designing the Land of the Dead is jaw-dropping. There are big shoes to fill when building the afterlife, and Pixar delivered. But the best thing about this movie is definitely the music. I like to describe this movie as a pseudo-musical, in which the music isn’t used as exposition. The characters are genuinely performing, which adds a layer of depth to the meaning behind each song’s purpose. 

I plan on seeing Coco again after it is officially released in theaters (mainly because the screening didn’t include the Pixar Short). I look forward to revisiting the Land of the Dead and finding details I missed during the screening because I was just in awe of the beauty of it all. I also want to give it a proper place on my top 10 Pixar Movie list.

Quinn is a Contributing Blogger who is a true Disney Nerd!  Quinn has been to both WDW and DL and really does love all things Disney.  Look for his gaming reviews down the road.