The Disney Pixar film dedicated to the entire family, "Coco," after debuting on October 27 in Mexico, a month earlier than in the rest of the world, is the most successful movie of all time. To date, 17.9M of tickets were sold, managing to raise the historic figure of $842M Mexican pesos.
The film is inspired by the traditions and cultural richness of Mexico, celebrating the family and paying homage to the Day of the Dead, one of the most beloved and popular Mexican traditions. The cartoon film features a boy named Miguel Rivera, who dreams of becoming a famous musician, despite the incomprehensible ban on music that his family has observed for several generations.
Miguel, desperate to prove his talent, is wrapped in a mysterious chain of events that leads to the colorful Land of the Dead. On the way, he finds the charming con man Hector, and together they embark on an extraordinary journey to discover Miguel's family history.
In Mexico, the film brought together a unique dubbing talent composed of Mexican celebrities of various professions, never before seen for an animated film. It was presented for the first time - worldwide - at the opening ceremony of the 15th Morelia International Film Festival; and then in a masterful Avant Premier in Mexico City, in the Palace of Fine Arts, the country's maximum cultural venue. Director Lee Unrkich, co-director Adrian Molina, producer Darla K. Anderson participated in both events.
The 3D computer-animated musical fantasy film cast includes Anthony Gonzalez as Miguel Rivera, Gael García Bernal as Hector Rivera, Benjamin Bratt as Ernesto de la Cruz, the most famous musician in the history of Mexico and Miguel's idol. Renée Victor as Abuelita, Ana Ofelia Murguia as Mamá Coco, Miguel's great-grandmother; Alanna Ubach as Mamá Imelda, Miguel's great-great-grandmother; Jaime Camil as Papá, Miguel's father; Sofía Espinosa as Mamá, Miguel's mother; Edward James Olmos as Chicharrón, Alfonso Arau as Papá Julio, Miguel's great-grandfather; Selene Luna as Tía Rosita, Luis Valdez as Tío Berto, Herbert Siguenza as Tío Felipe, Taylor Cooper as Tío Oscar, Lombardo Boyar as a Mariachi Miguel meets in Santa Cecilia Plaza, and Dyana Ortellí as Tía Victoria.
The movie will hit United States theaters on November 22, but so far, the critical response by journalists has been positive. Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter said, "At every imaginative juncture, the filmmakers (the screenplay is credited to Pixar veteran Molina and Matthew Aldrich) create a richly woven tapestry of comprehensively researched storytelling, fully dimensional characters, clever touches both tender and amusingly macabre, and vivid, beautifully textured visuals."
Robert Abele of TheWrap praised the film, saying: "If an animated movie is going to offer children a way to process death, it's hard to envision a more spirited, touching and breezily entertaining example than Coco." On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 96% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10.
Watch the trailer below:
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