Coco

Pixar has gone through some hiccups lately - whether it be the run of sequels and prequels that seemed noticably less inspired than some of their earlier work (the "Cars" series, "Finding Dory" and "Monsters University") or simply original films that didn't have the verve of the early Pixar films ("Brave" and "Good Dinosaur"). Since the formal merge with Disney, the distinct identities between the two companies have become blended, as Disney's Feature Animations have appropriated some of Pixar's verve, and Pixar's aged (as, I suppose a company that's now 22 years old is going to do) into something a bit more routine. It hasn't all been blandness ("Inside Out", for example, was a notable recent highlight) but it's slightly less special.

"Coco" does feel slightly more like Disney than Pixar (it's a continuation of Disney's international explorations after "Moana" explored Polynesia and "Frozen" explored Scandanavia, and music plays a strong part, including a couple of songs by the "Frozen" team of Robert and Kristen Lopez). In this case we're exploring Mexican culture, with a particular focus on the Day of the Dead celebrations, while telling the story of a young boy whose desire to break out into a musical career are threatened by family tradition, until he gets the chance to meet the ancestors who established those traditions in the first place. The land of the dead sections in particular are gorgeous setpieces of a fantastic world entirely populated by skeletons and animal spirit guides. It combines eccentric humour with a strong emotional payoff. If the plot twists are not entirely unexpected, there's still a sense that they are fully earned and exploited to the utmost. 

I tend to think this is probably more a solid than a transcendent entry in Pixar's catalog (some of the early exposition is perhaps a little heavy-handed), but it's still quite reasonably entertaining and a good cinematic experience.