Coco (EOTWS)

End Of The Week Shorts #44 extract: Coco (2017)

Coco is a solid Pixar film, but, in my view, is quite distant from their best work. Substituting the mythological sensibilities seen in something such as Disney's Moana for emotional drama, Coco's strengths lie in the hands of characters, not the created world. Unfortunately, the story is too predictable and weighed down significantly by on-the-nose writing. I mention Moana as, though both films deal with mythology, Coco fails to balance exposition with symbolism where Moana succeeds brilliantly. The end result of Coco's direct writing is a rather touching narrative about a reconciliation with the dead and the realignment of a family tree, one that lays itself bare, leaving the viewer with very little to think about. 

All about the feels, less about thinking, Coco was good fun and a film I can certainly see myself warming to. Nonetheless, this leaves Pixar still seeking to reach the heights that they last managed with Inside Out.