Coco (2017) - "Remember me"? Oh yes, I will | Intricate Films

Coco is one of those films that are so vibrant, so emotional, so exciting  that it seems impossible for a billion dollar mammoth of a company to have produced this film. Coco creates that exact same sense of awe that Bambi or the lion king managed to do before it. It is in equal parts a deeply affecting tale of family and Alice in wonderland, with the slapstick excellence that Disney has perfected. When a company has to make films every year, it can feel less and less genuine each time. Coco feels like a film that is made purely to tell a story because it wants to tell a story. And what a beautiful story it is.

Miguel Rivera  is the quintessential Disney  protagonist with the wide eyes and a heart of gold. He wants to be a musician but his family wants him to shine shoes, worried that music will separate him from family, the same way his great grandfather left his home, in pursuit of music. Miguel, wishes to ignore this fact and instead concentrate on  the other  singer the town had offered, Ernesto de la Cruz.   Through a series of events too complicated to discuss here, Miguel end up in the land of the dead. There, he finally gets a chance to meet Ernesto De La Cruz. Coco, is however, less inclined to focus on this story, it is rather about death and remembrance. It is about people in the land of the dead who no longer exist because people don't remember them anymore. Coco, tackles heavy topics despite being a movie primarily made for kids, but never feels overwrought. I believe, Coco stands out because so many animated films, which look too bland, feel too uninspired and have too little to say. Each frame of coco is colourful and feels fresh. It really is a delight to witness a kids film with brain. I also think that adults might enjoy this one a bit more than the kids, even though the film is hardly a sausage party. 

"Coco", does not sound like or look like a great movie. Its story, the first layer, is very Disney-ish and the humor might sound too childish. Let me assure you. Coco, is up there with the very best. Coco, corrects the mistakes that films like 'Ferdinand', 'Sing' or 'Despicable Me' have made. It employs the sort of visual animation that made Disney so famous its early years. You can tell so much about the characters just from the way they are drawn. It makes sense, that Scar, or Jafar are drawn with such high eyebrows and have that physically impossible lean, twisted frame. It is their character. Coco, uses that technique to pull the rug on you. After a very long time, we have an animated movie whose world makes sense. 

The most important part of Coco, is inevitably Mama coco,  Miguel's grandmother, whose father ran away for music. Thus, a family photo is torn and Miguel does not know who her father is. Coco, amazingly creates a complete plot around this photograph and still makes it seem like an epic journey. The twists, are obvious when you look back at the film, but they are revealed in such an amazing way that you are all the more delighted by them. It essentially does what Disney does best ; it toys with your emotions. "Remember Me" might be the most emotional moment in Disney after the Death of Mufasa in 'Lion King'. Here, the moment does not make you tear up because of the sadness, here you tear up because of happiness. When a film makes you tear up because you are so happy, its an absolute classic. "Remember me"? Oh yes, l will.
                             
                                            - Arvind Narayanan

The Important Characters And Their Voiceovers :

* Anthony Gonzales as Miguel. The energetic, lively protagonist.

* Gael García Bernal as Héctor. The meek, unlikely hero.

* Benjamin Bratt as Ernesto De La Cruz. The proud, boastful singer who might be Miguel's ancestor.

* Alanna Ubach as Mamá Imelda. The strict mother of Miguel.

* Ana Ofelia Murguía as Mamá Coco. The old, dying grandmother of Miguel.

* Alfonso Arau as Papá Julio. Miguel's father, a proud shoemaker.

Intricate Meter - 10/10

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                                                           - Abhyjith and Arvind