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‘Coco’ Final Trailer: Pixar’s Visual Stunner Will Melt Eyeballs And Hearts

Pixar’s take on The Land of the Dead is bursting with life.
By  · Published on November 7th, 2017

Pixar’s take on The Land of the Dead is bursting with life.

When the team at Pixar Animation Studios puts out a new film you don’t have to wonder if it’s any good. Based on their track record, it’s a safe bet that they’re going to hit a home run. The only real question is whether they hit one into the stands or rocket the ball completely out of the park. Their upcoming film Coco began generating buzz when its teaser trailer dropped way back in March. The teaser’s vibrant art style and the production’s Oscar-winning pedigree had animation lovers marking Coco’s November release date on their calendars. And after watching Coco’s final trailer, it’s easy to see why.

Coco tells the story of a young boy named Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) who wants nothing more than to become a musician, a profession that his family forbids. When Miguel’s attempt to prove himself lands him in the Land of the Dead, the only way to return home is to unravel his family’s secrets. Coco is co-directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and Adrian Molina (The Good Dinosaur co-screenwriter) and features Gael García Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle), Benjamin Bratt (Star), Alanna Ubach (Welcome to the Wayne), and Renee Victor (Weeds).

I had the opportunity to watch one of Coco’s trailers on a giant movie screen at a recent press event and the experience left me in a state of bliss. Every new Disney/Pixar film introduces its own distinct artistic style and no film has appealed to me as much as Coco. The Dia de Los Muertos artistic influences really give the animators carte blanche to let their imaginations soar and Coco’s vivid colors explode off the screen in a way few other films can match. I find it ironic that a film about the dead feels so full of life.

People are already talking about how extraordinary the film looks but it’s not just the Land of the Dead sequences that make Coco stand out. As you watch the trailer check out the level of detail put into rendering every wrinkle on Great Grandma Coco’s face, the white wisps of hair flowing out of her two long braids, and the texture of the flowers in her dress. The extraordinary craftsmanship Pixar puts into their animated films never ceases to amaze me. Take a look:

Here’s the concern about Coco: The film is walking a fine line between being seen as celebrating Dia de Los Muertos culture and flat-out exploiting it. Given the studio’s track record, the amount of effort they put into researching their films, and their emphasis on authenticity, I think it’s a safe bet that they fall into the former category. Plus, our man Neil made the trip up to the studio a few months back and reported on how the team researched the history and immersed themselves in the culture, worked with cultural consultants, and hired a completely Latino cast. In other words, long gone are the days of an animated film like Mulan that “celebrated” Chinese history with a cast that included Eddie Murphy, Donny Osmond, and Harvey Fierstein.

Coco opens in theaters on Nov. 22, 2017.

Here is Coco’s synopsis:

Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.

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