Perhaps the greatest attribute of Pixar Studios is that they take chances.  Risks.  Surprising paths.  Nowhere is this more apparent than with their latest film, Coco.  It takes place on Mexico’s annual Day of the Dead, and concerns the souls of people (and animals) on both sides of the Great Divide trying to keep connections with family and friends.  It’s not exactly what one thinks of when one thinks of animated family-oriented entertainment.

As directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, the story is a parable about the importance of family, which is traditional and obvious.  What isn’t traditional or obvious is how much the story allows us to dislike (in my case it was despise) Miguel’s family when they oppose his desire to make music.  Music, you see, has been outlawed in the Rivera family, and young Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) risks offending all of his family when he desires to play the guitar and sing like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt).  Long ago, a man who wanted to be a singer deserted the family, leaving Coco (Ana Ofelia Murguia) to raise children by herself, and since then, music has been outlawed.

There’s a lot more to the story, and much of it involves loss, grief, death and being forgotten to history, which are not exactly themes designed to entrance the kiddies.  But credit Pixar and Disney for trying something different, more serious than usual, and creating an intriguing story out of this colorful mix.  The production design is indeed colorful, reflecting the Mexican custom of bright color and fanciful design pretty much everywhere.  The music is excellent, too, from the songwriters behind Disney’s Frozen, and composer Michael Giacchino.

Coco isn’t your normal animated movie.  I felt it was a bit too long and involved, even while some parts of it are gorgeous and remarkable.  I did feel that delving into murder was a bit too drastic for the story; it’s one thing for an evil witch to offer a poison apple to Snow White — it’s another for one man to poison his supposed best friend for fame and glory.  This is a beautifully made movie which I am glad to have seen, but I don’t think I will ever need to visit it again.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  22 February 2018.