Coco 2017

     Miguel’s is a 12-year-old boy and his family has a generations-old ban on music.  Despite the pressure from his family, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician.  His idol is Ernesto de la Cruz.  Miguel finds himself in the colorful Land of the Dead because of a mysterious chain of events.  He meets Hector and they set off together to unlock the real story behind the Miguel’s family history.

      I wonder about the scenes of the Land of the Dead and young children?  It seems the skeleton people would be scary?  This film is recommended for children aged 7+. As an adult viewer, I thought there was a lot of repetition in the scenes?  The animation is good and there is a lot of color.  3* (This movie is OK)

105 min, Animation directed by Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina with the voices of Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Renee Victor, Jamie Camil, Alfonso Arau, Herbert Siguenza, Gabriel Iglesias, Lombardo Boyar, Ana Ofelia Murguia, Natalie Cordova-Buckley.

Note:  Imdb 8.5 out of 10, 97% critic 94% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 4*, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 1218 reviews, Empire Online 5*, Peter Bradshaw The Guardian 4* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed at Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios, California.  The look of the Land of the Dead is inspired by the Mexican City of Guanjuato.  This city has colorful houses placed on hillsides that give them the appearance of being stacked.  The orange flower shown in the film is the Aztec marigold.  It is used in the traditions of Dia de Muerttos in Mexico to guide the deceased to the living.  Originally Miguel was only going to play guitar.  When Lee Unkrich found out that Anthony Gonzalez was a talented singer, it was decided he would also sing.