Disney Pixar’s latest cinematic venture Coco follows the story of young Miguel Rivera, a young boy in
Mexico who dreams of being a musician. Miguel idolizes famed guitarist Ernesto
De La Cruz, a character that I would say has the equivalent of Elvis Presley
stardom. Ernesto sold out shows, starred in movies, and was a real heartthrob
with the ladies. Miguel studies Ernesto’s moves and even teaches himself how to
play guitar by watching Ernesto’s movies. Problem is that Miguel’s family hates
music. They don’t hate just a specific kind of music; they hate music in
general. Many years before, (the matriarch of the family) Mama Imelda Rivera’s
husband was a musician. Though they had a child together, the husband sought
fame and fortune in his music. He left his family to seek that fame and fortune
and never returned. Mama Imelda from that day forward decided to cast music out
of her life and the life of her daughter. Instead she focused on making shoes
and built a successful empire in which all future generations would follow and
become a part of. So what does this have to do with the name Coco? Well Coco is
the daughter of Mama Imelda and the husband that walked out. Though the film
follows the adventure Miguel embarks on, it is Mama Coco on whom the whole
story actually is hinged upon.
Present
day in the film is Día De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the famous Hispanic
holiday in which the living remember and celebrate the loved ones who have
passed. This is done in the film by the living placing the photos of their
passed loved ones on an ofrenda (altar) and telling their stories so as to keep
their memory alive. On this night, in the film, the spirits of the dead may
return to Earth and walk unseen among the living. There is however a catch; in
order for the spirits to cross the bridge into the world of the living their
photo must be displayed. Furthermore, should the inhabitants of the living
world fail to keep telling the stories of those that have passed, and thus lose
all memory of the person, that spirit will fade away and cease to exist.
The
film Coco does a wonderful job of
presenting the moral dilemma of Miguel’s in which he must choose between his
passion for music and the love of his family. This is a very relatable issue
for people in their developmental years as they make similar decisions as to
who they want to become. Think about the kids that decide they want to go into
the music business because of the artist in their soul. How they must sacrifice
time spent with family by moving far away to be in major cities or go on the
road doing music tours. As a very young boy he is at a crucial stage in his
development where the choices he makes and the values he holds onto will shape
who he will grow to be in adulthood.
While
the film begins in the land of the living, most of it takes place in the land
of the dead. While the name sounds frightful and gothic, it is important to
remember that this is the Día De Los Muertos Land of the Dead. If you are
unfamiliar with the holiday, just google and you will see it is a festival of
bright colors and fireworks. Pixar builds its Land of the Dead the same way;
filled with bright and exuberant colors. And because Día De Los Muertos is a
holiday for the dead, the dead party it up just as much. Sure they are all
skeletons in clothes, but the Pixar artists are careful to make sure the
characters still are distinct and not frightening or ominous, which makes sense
because while this is a film capable of being enjoyed by all children are the
primary audience.
Because
this is Pixar, the quality of art and storytelling alone is reason enough to
see this film. As an extra bit of incentive, this is Pixar’s first venture into
telling a Hispanic story. In America, the Hispanic population is very high; so
high that you would be hard pressed not to find someone who does not have at
least a little Hispanic blood in them. It is actually a big part of American
culture, yet Hispanic stories and characters are greatly under-represented in
these United States. The fact that a major theatrical studio that creates the
kind of quality that Pixar is known for has taken on this project and in fact
delivered it with high quality to what will be a world-wide audience is
incredibly admirable and deserves to be rewarded. So when you go to the theater
this Thanksgiving weekend, see something that is both different yet relatable,
something with ethos that is also crowd pleasing, something that will make you
laugh and touch you. See Pixar’s Coco.
0 comments :
Post a Comment