A Pixar Favorite at Movies in the Park

By TRILBY BERESFORD | Reporter

To conclude the 2018 Movies in the Park screening series, “Coco” will be shown at Palisades Recreation Center on Saturday, Aug. 25, at 8 p.m.

Co-directed and written by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, the film won Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song at the 2018 Academy Awards.

Many critics and fans even declared it the best Pixar film ever made. (Though I would instruct them to promptly watch the 2007 offering “Ratatouille,” which also won the Oscar for Best Animated Film and stands so strong against live action titles that it should be taught in film schools. Inexplicably, it’s been forgotten.)

The appeal of “Coco” is clear: Not only does it dive into the ways in which we connect to and understand music on a personal level, but in addition, the film carefully deals with the concept of death and how a young boy is able to navigate those emotions while simultaneously learning about responsibility and truth.

While the animation is dazzling—especially in the Land of the Dead—the story feels slightly convoluted at times. There’s a lot to remember: Is this character alive or dead? How are these family members related? Who is Miguel’s mother and who is his grandmother? Does it matter if I remember all of this correctly?

Despite this downfall, the universal themes and gentle tone of the film, combined with its unique exploration of sadness, are memorable—they give it good legs.

Among an all-Latino cast, the standout is Anthony Gonzalez who voices Miguel. “Coco” was his breakout role, and he’s involved in several projects awaiting release. Benjamin Bratt and Gael Garcia Bernal play supporting characters.

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez wrote the winning song, “Remember Me.” They won their first Oscar in 2014 for “Let It Go” in “Frozen.”

The next Pixar film to be released in June 2019 is “Toy Story 4.” It will be the directorial feature debut of Josh Cooley, who won Best Original Screenplay for “Inside Out” in 2016. (Curiously, he is not one of the writers of “Toy Story 4.”) Remarkably, the franchise hasn’t missed a beat so far and we anticipate the fourth installment with open arms.