Review of Coco (2017) by Manas B — 18 Apr 2018
Like the last pretty-good Pixar film they have delivered, "Inside Out," this film stands on the second-tier of the studio's works - it is so close to being great; however, something is held back to stop it from reaching their plateau of first-rate stuff ("Wall-E," "Ratatouille," "UP," the "Toy Story" trilogy, and to a lesser extent "Monsters, Inc.
" and "The Incredibles"). The problem here is that so many of the themes (choosing the safety of family or the uncertainty of a passion, discovering that what one wants is not always what is best for that individual) and narrative conventions (kid goes missing in an unfamiliar/fantasy world, trying to save something from the "death" of fading away through being forgotten) are taken from, and done better by, so many of their other films that it just feels like Pixar is going through the motions here.
The deep dive into Mexican culture and the lessons associated with it are appreciated, but it is very repetitive and almost lazy, to the movie's detriment. The voice acting and music is superb per the usual, but - for me - this flick is as by-the-numbers as you can get from Pixar (unless you watch the crummy "Cars" trilogy).
This review of Coco (2017) was written by Manas B on 18 Apr 2018.
Coco has generally received very positive reviews.
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