‘Coco’ and our world 

By Jonathan Amrein & Timothy M. Matherly

DHS

“Coco” details its story by diving into the Mexican culture head first — its music, dramatics and styles of art. Mexican customs are of great importance also, more specifically — the Day of the Dead (or “Dia de los Muertos”), a day that blood relatives gather in graveyards to celebrate and offer reconciliation gifts to their deceased relatives.

It is an endearing tale of a young man named Miguel who loves music, particularly the work of a real life 1950s Latin-American legend Ernesto De Cruz. 

Alas, his family has forbidden all types of music from being played or listened to. The young boy becomes so infatuated with learning music despite his family’s disapproval that it leads him to venture into the surprisingly lively land of the dead. 

There, he meets a conniving trickster named Hector. The two venture out into the land of the dead to unlock the real reason why it is forbidden to play music. It is an amazing underdog story of friendship, family, and tradition that will lead you deep into Latin-American customs, beliefs and heritage.

Disney-Pixar made a smart move by releasing the film in Mexico on Oct. 27 of this year, the weekend before Dia de Muertos. On Dec. 12, “Coco” topped $400-million at box offices worldwide and has been more of a hit overseas than domestically. 

So far, Coco has grossed $139-million in domestic box offices, and $263-million in other international box offices. Alongside titles like “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” “Split” and “Fate of the Furious,” “Coco” is the fourth title in 2017 to lead the United States box office for three weekends straight.

On Rotten Tomatoes, “Coco” has received an approval rating of 97 percent after counting 203 reviews with an average rating of 8.2 out of 10. Rotten Tomatoes’ Critic Consensus reviews this film as: “A rich visual pleasure matched by a thoughtful narrative that takes a family-friendly — and deeply affecting — approach to questions of culture, family, life, and death.” Overall, we say that this movie may be the best one we’ve reviewed so far at the log and we encourage everyone young and old to go to your local theaters and see this masterpiece. I give it a 10 out of 10.