Coco is yet another hit from Disney-Pixar and although I don’t think it’s the best they put out, I actually enjoyed Momoa a tad more, but the core story was so well written and had a great core, and non-cynical, message about family with a touching ending.
Coco
— Ultimate Collector’s Edition —
(2017)
Genre(s): Animated, Fantasy, Drama
Disney | PG – 105 min. – $29.99 | February 27, 2018
Date Published: 02/23/2018 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 4.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Despite his family’s generations-old ban on music, young Miguel (ANTHONY GONZALEZ) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz (BENJAMIN BRATT). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead. After meeting a charming trickster named Héctor (GAEL GARCIA BERNAL), the two new friends embark on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history. Note: This portion does contain some SPOILERS. Quick Hit Review: In spite of a couple of missteps (mainly the Cars franchise), Pixar still stands for top quality animated fare that often pulls at the heartstrings of grown adults (Toy Story 3 still gets to me) and Coco is a great movie that, despite some predictable plot points, and there really wasn’t one surprising moment (not to mention the ridiculousness of Miguel’s family forbidding music due to his Great-Great Grandfather abandoning his family), was so well done with at its core a great message about family and some really well developed characters that you care about. The voice acting is quite good. Newcomer Anthony Gonzalez embodies the young and ambitious Miguel really well while Gael Garcia Bernal works well opposite him and his character probably has the best arc going from a comedy relief to heart-breaking drama towards the end. Beyond the story and characters, Coco is just a beautifully animated picture, each frame really is a work of art and when we get into the “Land of the Dead”, that’s where the film begins to shine with a bright world we have not seen before and is truly gorgeous. It’s an immersive expansive new world that I kind of hope could be explored in some way in the future, perhaps in short film form. Coco might not be Pixar’s best film, it probably is the best animated one, and has a great heart at its core even when the plot doesn’t have that many surprises. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.5/5 |
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This release comes with a nice, rounded-corner, embossed slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital Copy. DISC 1 (4K ULTRA HAD): DISC 2 (BLU-RAY): Mi Familia (10:00; HD) has the filmmakers discussing their own families and particularities. Dante (6:14; HD) is on the quirky street dog and his design. How to Draw a Skeleton (3:18; HD) is a tutorial on drawing the skeleton. Audio Commentary – Director Lee Unkrich, Co-Writer/Co-Director Adrian Molina and Producer Darla Kay Anderson sit down for a serious minded but informative track. DISC 3:
Deleted Scenes (33:07; HD) – Seven scenes, in storyboard form, failed to make the cut and there is an introduction by the directors on why they were removed. |
4K VIDEO – 4.0/5, BD VIDEO – 5.0/5 |
| Disney releases Coco onto the 4K format presented in its theatrical 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2160p high-definition transfer (done in 2K). Although it is a top-notch animated film and does benefit from the 4K format, I can’t say it’s the best I’ve come across, though detail is fairly sharp and there are some slight color boosts courtesy of the HDR, though some elements are a bit darker. The 1080p Blu-ray, however, does look incredible offering excellent detail as well and colors still are at least vibrant throughout. |
4K AUDIO – 4.5/5, BD VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| The 4K Ultra Blu-ray comes equipped with a Dolby Atmos and its… fine, but not especially aggressive though the music does come through with good clarity; dialogues is crisp, clean and clear primarily from the center channel while rear speakers are relegated for ambient noises or, in one scene, the crowd noise. That said, it’s not exactly boisterous and perhaps even disappointing. The Blu-ray comes with a DTS-HD MA 7.1 track which is more or less the same, perhaps slightly less dynamic by comparison. |
OVERALL – 4.25/5 |
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Overall, Coco is yet another hit from Disney-Pixar and although I don’t think it’s the best they put out, I actually enjoyed Momoa a tad more, but the core story was so well written and had a great core, and non-cynical, message about family with a touching ending. This 4K release isn’t the strongest from Disney as the 4K itself wasn’t as stellar as I would expect from an animated movie but the audio was decent and there are a good selection of bonus material. |