Review of Coco (2017) by Alexander M — 18 Apr 2018

Coco is a cinematic masterpiece that is the culmination of years of experience picked up by the legendary company Pixar. The Mise-en-Scene is enhanced greatly by the setting of the film. The depiction of Mexico was highly researched and matched to what a real life Mexican town and family would look like.

The setting is also able to create a hard line between the living world and the world of the dead. By creating a world that is very relatable to our real-life counterpart, it then creates a wonderful sense of unfamiliarity when Miguel crosses over to the world of the dead, giving us a sense of how he feels.

The cinematography of the film is absolutely jaw dropping, Pixar was able to, ironically, turn the world of the dead into a living and breathing place. In every single frame something is moving, whether it's a main character, a background character, trams and busses in the background, and even house lights being turned on and off.

Having so much movement in each shot gives an animated movie the feeling that typically can only be found in a live action movie. The sound of Coco is immensely important because it's the whole point of the movie.

Aside from dramatic buildup music, every song and sound are diegetic, meaning it can be heard by the characters. The most impressive bit about the sound is how each individual pluck of the guitar matches what it looks like when played on a real-life guitar.

Each and every note is matched up perfectly. The story structure is set in a way that flows nicely from act to act. The transition from act one to act two is easily seen when Miguel enters the world of the dead, and from act two to three when Miguel re-enters the world of the living.

Personally, Coco is not only my favorite movie of 2017, but possibly my favorite Pixar movie ever.