Coco

While you'd think Pixar wouldn't be able to come up with a film that gets to you again, the opposite is true. By the end, I just couldn't help watching the film through tears. Visually beautiful, Day of the Dead is a great backdrop in its own right, but in Pixar's rendition it is beautiful to behold. You can add to that a story that is beautifully powerful, emotional and just plain good. A beautiful film! (02/03/2018)

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)

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)

The premise and the Mexican atmosphere are definitely great, but the characters aren’t fully developed. Not to mention that you can feel how much the film wants to be touching and I don't think it ultimately succeeds. I've seen prettier fairy tales. With nicer endings, more sympathetic protagonists and, most importantly, no annoying supporting characters. I’ll give an extra point for the music and the Spanish, but otherwise I consider it a slight disappointment. 3 stars. (09/25/2018)

I have nothing against animated films about the undead (how could I, right?), but Coco will definitely not become one of my favorites. I expect the world beyond to have a certain atmosphere, which Tim Burton is so excellent at. In this case I got some sort of a carnival of colors and joy. I get it that Mexicans have different traditions, but this film gave me the impression that they are practically looking forward to death, unless someone forgets to put up their photo. I didn’t find anything interesting about the story in the first half, the situation improved in the second half, but I can't say I was beside myself with joy. There was far too much music and family happiness for my taste. To enjoy the film, I would need better jokes and a less transparent plot. (03/09/2019)