Coco
An animation about death might seem an odd choice for the family-friendly studio Pixar, but in the hands of Toy Story 2 director Lee Unkrich such concerns are unwarranted
Coco opens on Mexico's Day of the Dead in the town of Santa Cecilia, home to young aspiring musician Miguel (Gonzalez), who, through a series of events, ends up transported into the land of the dead where he encounters his ancestors. Despite this realm's inhabitants being sans heartbeats, it's a vibrant place. Streets bustle with grinning skeletons as neon-glowing alebrijes fly overhead, and for one night only the dead can visit their relatives in the land of the living via a golden road made of marigold petals.
This landscape is as sumptuous as we’ve come to expect from Pixar. Aztec temples transform into the foundations of Mexican villages that are piled higgledy-piggledy on top of one another, the palette a dizzying blend of golden yellows and incandescent purples. It is a feast for the eyes that relishes Mexican culture, and leads towards inclusivity rather than cultural appropriation.
Like Up before it, Coco is likely to make you shed a few tears, but here the sadness is met with joy. [Joseph Walsh]