Coco

Only Pixar is capable of tear-jerkers like this. A visually polished world with clever rules and a Mexican atmosphere with the right kind of message. A message about family and how important it is not to forget. And about music, of course. Giacchino really lays it on us. The sophisticated guitar parts and catchy tunes would warm the heart of the dead. (11/11/2018)

Two years ago, Pixar managed to impress with the breathtaking Inside Out, and with their latest piece, which hides behind the modest title Coco. For 100 minutes, we can escape into a beautifully colourful spectacle where the world of the living and the dead – and the world of lies and truths – collide. I have to admit that I have not been moved by a film in the cinema (or indeed at home) for a very long time as much as with Coco. If you're expecting a crazy romp in a hundred colourful ways, you'll probably be disappointed, that's definitely not what this film is about. There are plenty of humorous scenes, but they are served in reasonable doses. In particular, this film relies on a deep story, which features more than one unexpected detour and, most importantly, the (already mentioned by many) plot twist that you don’t get in most animated films today. In short, a very good piece of work that reminds you that you should not judge a book by its cover, that every truth and lie has two sides, just like a coin, and above all that the most precious jewel we can get is a loving family. (01/18/2018)

A Pixar movie as it should be, but Zootropolis is still unbeaten for me. Coco has solid visuals, a nice story, nice songs, decent pacing, a good dose of humor, and one very good plot twist. The emotional finale left me cold this time, but otherwise satisfied. Good fun for the whole family. No wonder Coco is a hit in Mexico. 80% (01/04/2018)

For about three quarters of its runtime, it still feels like a classy four-star animated film, with lots of visual flourishes and ideas, some predictable sequences, and one weaker scene that I've seen in other films (the reveal of the bad guy to the public). But then it builds up to an incredible moving moment, and the pivotal scene with the song at the end made me cry like a little kid – something that hasn’t happened to me in a long time. It's true, the most important thing in life is the family being together in mutual love and respect for the elderly. On top of that, the eye-pleasing Mexican setting, unusual in Hollywood productions, its flair and positive mood. Yeah, it was very good. (08/06/2018)

In my opinion, Coco is probably the best-animated movie of the year 2017. It is colorful and beautifully shot. It has got some drive, the characters are likable, it is entertaining, and the narrative is really good (considering it is Pixar). They did a great job as it gets really emotional, and I almost could not hold back the tears at the very end. As for the negative aspects, the movie is very predictable in places (who exactly is Hector?), slightly unbelievable at times (could a family ban music so stringently?), and the first half of the movie is much less interesting than the second. In my final assessment, I compared it mainly to last year's Kubo and the Two Strings and 2014's The Book of Life (because of the subject matter), and I am finally clear about the rating, 8.4/10. (12/09/2017)