The world of animation is largely supposed to win over the very young audience in particular transporting them to the world of colour, music, dance, fun and happiness teaching a moral lesson too along with an enlightening storyline. Hence it’s quite difficult to imagine an animation film talking about the world of The Dead or The Feelings of the Dead and that too so adorably, never becoming anything even close to something depressing, gloomy or dark in an amazingly different manner.
Introducing its various characters distinctively related with music being an integral part of their life (in both positive and negative manner), COCO happens to be the rare film that takes you into a visually ambitious Land of The Dead, wherein the residents are allowed to cross over to The World of Living once in a year celebrating the ‘Day of the Dead’. And amusingly the border between the two worlds operates exactly like a typical custom office stamping the visa for the dead. However as per the rules, only those are allowed to visit the living, who still have someone lovingly remembering them paying a tribute with a proper photograph in the real world. And once everyone in ‘The World of Living’ forgets the departed soul, the person existing in ‘The Land of The Dead’ simply collapses and fades away reaching his final destination.
Such a warm, comforting and inventive thought representing the worldly relationships and that too unexpectedly in a stunningly fresh animation film is nothing short of a great, incomparable achievement by the entire team at Pixar and Walt Disney deserving loud praises.
Thankfully there is a lot more in COCO in terms of brilliant storytelling too, where you get to experience so well-written emotional twists and turns in the script that tears effortlessly come to your eyes watching the heart-touching family drama. Moreover, its simply unforgettable the way its title COCO comes to life towards the end, strengthening the divine relationship between a father and his daughter separated since an early childhood.
Unarguably one of the best creations coming from the world of animation, I never thought that an animated film and its characters would be able to express the term DEATH and the feelings of 'The Dead' living in an unknown world so beautifully with such an amazing introspective depth.
The film redefines the meaning of family warmth, love, relationships, memories and passion for music in its outstanding narration of just 105 minutes. And thus, deserves to be seen by every true lover of cinema as a must, celebrating both life and death together going through an emotionally entertaining and thoroughly enriching musical experience like never before.
In short, COCO certainly is that rare masterpiece of the year one shouldn’t dare to miss at any cost. And believe me, you will love to feel the tears after watching this gem, preferably along with your family and the young kids.
Rating : Movies To See Before You Die
Directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina
Written by Lee Unkrich, Jason Katz, Matthew Aldrich and Adrian Molina
