Coco

2017 Coco, a new Pixar masterpiece, is a heart-warmingexperience, inundated with thrilling pictures, breathless music, and creativemodels which has brought out the best of Mexican culture. The movie took onthemes like commitment, family, love, betray, aspirations and music and mergedthem marvelously with the Day of the Dead culture in Mexico. I also feel thatthis movie sends a strong message towards those that had lost their loved onesat some point. The way it talks about the importance of family, the insist andpursuit for dreams and the inevitable loss that comes along tugs everyone’sheartstring. And I believe it's definitely up there among Pixar's finest.

An unknown sage used to say, "it's good to forgive,but it's best to forget". But until I've watched the newest Pixaranimation movie Coco, now I would like to revert it to — "it's good toforget, but it's best to forgive." Forgiveness and forgetfulness, are themajor themes resonating with me through the whole 90 minutes and I deeplybelieve they are the truth behind every scary, sad and cheerful scene, evenbeyond the final happy ending; while the intergenerational importance of familywhich bore a great resemblance to family-oriented eastern culture, particularlyin China, plays magnificently to me.

1.Forgiveness and forgetfulness

The story takes place during the Day of theDead, according to Mexican tradition, when the border controls between life anddeath become less tight and the deceased are allowed temporarily return to theworld of the living. Miguel, the young boy makes a reverse trip to thedeath, that his living self was transported into a fantastical world ofskeletons and specters, where those radiant parties and stentorian outdoorconcerts. But the heart of this movie—the old, deep-set wrinkled, drowsy mamaCoco, sitting still in an armchair, is like a living history pool but has begunto dry up — she has become weaker and dumber sadly. On the altar where herfather's frontal view has been ripped from their family photo (at the end ofthe film Coco took it out back from a notebook), all the families are put intoa serious position with their best representative handmade crafts exhibited inthe front. Shoe-making, is the business what the whole family has been engagedin, passed down and proud of, and Miguel, the 12-year-old descendant isnaturally deemed as a successor in this regard. Then the whole plot twistsin a not-hard-guessing way, Miguel fights for his music possibility from thefamily ban and curse and conquers an array of obstacles in the world ofskeletons where he could always rise to the occasions and split good from bad.When Hector reveals the sanctimonious music king, pointing outErnesto poisoned him to death only to possess those famous, catchysongs to himself, brutally led to his beloved wife and daughter an undeliberateabandonment. Miguel, all at a once, recognizes the weary, tattered, poor vagrantis his real great grant grandfather!

All the skeleton families have forgiven Hector, even histough stubborn wife Mellda, who has sung a love song dedicated to hermisfortunate died-young spouse in the fight for Hector's last photograph back.But it's too late. Coco, the only existing person in the living world isdeleting her memories all about Hector. For all the years since Hector diedprobably in his early thirties when Coco was five or six, Coco has beenrecounting stories about her dad. She's never forgotten him really. But shejust couldn't forgive him for his uninformed disappearing, discard of familydedication and no-place-to-find loving voice. I reckon Mellda and Coco used tohave stood in the same side to against this ruthless husband and father andeven stipulated the family rules for Miguel's grandma and parents to stay awayfrom anything to do with music and that's the deep-rooted reason to explainwhat Miguel has suffered and refrained from in his family. They couldn'tforgive and only death could forcibly put them to forget.

The movie uses Mexican Day of Death to give each life asecond chance to exist in another world and besides, they could go across apedal bridge back to visit their living families who still hold them both inmind and on the altars at home. Since Hector dies, he never gets a chance tovisit back which means Mellda ripped him from family photo. And Coco, afterwitnessing father and mother's successive left, has never put the ripped partback together to the altar. Why? If she has learned and inherited hostilityfrom her mother, or she has been in a hesitating state? Hard to forgive, thatis the only answer. So now Hector is going to die unforgivingly if old Cocodiseases quietly, or in a forgivingly way if she recalls him before the lastbreath. But the director gave us a third, tenderest and most loving ending—

"Remember me, though I have to say goodbye. Remember me, though I have to travel far..." Coco successfully retrieved her memories about Hector. She has forgiven him, even she knows nothing about the truth, her heart has automatically opened for the past and the being. Just like what Mellda requests from Miguel the last time," I bless you go back to the living world and only to keep yourself save and nothing else". Hatred gone, knob unraveled, love shines. Mellda is making the most limited request at all, just safety is all she wants.Forgiveness arrives and a new sense of understanding and appreciation dawns ever since in Miguel’s family. Every knots would be undone before Coco leaves.

2.    Family-oriented Concept

Family, the most limited endless conversationkeeping making sound through the movie, will always be number one over otherthings, even dream. This time Pixar has not only created an imaginative fancyuniverse, but has primed us into eternal issues of family honor andself-pursuit, loyalty and betrayal, respect to the elders. “As soon as wedecided that we wanted to tell a story that takes place in Mexico, weimmediately booked our first research trip,” says director Lee Unkrich. “Overthe course of three years, we visited museums, markets, plazas, workshops,churches, haciendas and cemeteries throughout Mexico,” says Unkrich. “Familieswelcomed us into their homes and taught us about the foods they enjoy, themusic they listen to, their livelihoods and their traditions. Most importantly,we witnessed the importance they place on family.” “We really wanted to explorethe family bonds that tie us to the generations that came before us.”

In the movie’s particularly beginning part,the multigenerational household living together presents many impressivetouching scenes. Especially Abuelita, Miguel’s grandmother, a no-nonsenseflesh-and-blood autocrat, who is a fully enforcer of the Rivera family rules,unconditionally loves her family and will do anything to protect them. At thecozy evening dining table, Abuelita is always worried if Miguel eats enough;she works hard and seems with nonstop for the whole big family day after day; butwhen she gets angry, as she finds Miguel secretly playing a self-constructedguitar or engaged in some street concert, she wields a mean shoe heavily, yellsferociously and even resorts to physical violence. “Abuelita is the torchbearerwhen it comes to the family’s rule where music is concerned,” says director LeeUnkrich. “She can be warm and loving one moment and sharp-tongued and strictthe next. That’s what’s so entertaining about her—you never know what you’regoing to get.”

The specific and universal concept—family,always help to carry us through the inexhaustible variety of life. And there isalways a nanny Abuelita in eastern traditional big family. They totally devotethemselves to the whole household while sacrifice their selves even the wholelife merely for the well-being and welfare of the FAMILY which they undoubtedlybelieve they belong to and rely on. Miguel, sustained and constrained by themultigenerational household, many times breaks the rules indulging himself inmusic, hates but yet deeply love Abuelita. Undoubtedly, Abuelita plays a keyrole who makes Miguel understand what unconditional love and how importantfamily is. In its many layers, Abuelita as well as other characters in Coco elevatesa man’s unselfish love, commitment and true motivation to honor his family evenwhile enduring injustice.

Furthermore, Coco reminds us to respectand adore our elders. The whole family cherished old and fragile great grandmotherCoco is about 90, hardly hear and open her eyes in most of the time, but thatdoesn’t stop Miguel from sharing his daily adventures with her now and then. Actually,according to Director Lee Unkrich, filmmakers were touched by so many of theMexican homes they visited in which multiple generations lived under the sameroof. “Babies were at home alongside their great grandmothers,” says Unkrich. “Wewanted to embrace that. Even as her own memory is slipping away, Coco willalways be surrounded by people who love her.”

The power of family help us rest and recuperate.Even the whole family reject Miguel’s music dream, but everyone is caring him fromthe deepest bottom of heart. There has never really once been a moment in Miguel’s life where his family was not there when he needed them. They have been there with him through his best times, worst times and times where he did not think he had anyone. The more that he matures the more he comes to the realization that people who say they will always be there for him are not always there for him, the sanctimonious Ernesto turned out to be the ugliest liar and betrayer, but only family can be count on forever for they are always there for him.

In many ways, the traditional roles offather and mother have benefitted societies. The traditional role of fathers inthe home involves men financially providing for and protecting their family.They are also called to preside over their families in love and righteousness. Traditionally,mothers have been the caretakers of the home. They bear and raise the children,focusing on their emotional development. Mothers have also been primarily responsiblefor making sure the home functions smoothly each day—kids make it to school andpractices, everyone is fed, the house is clean, and so on. But in Coco, theintergenerational collective life seems more eastern way, grandmother takes therole of Miguel’s mother and father, disciplines him, breeds him and feeds him. Andthat is the reason why Mellda hates Hecter for the rest of her life —the manshe deeply believes in left them without a word. As to Mellda, Hector chaseshis music dreams, abandons his commitment to his family and betrays her andwhole family. But as we know, the real Hector has been wanting to go homeearnestly but unfortunately be poisoned to death by ruthless Ernesto. Songsbeing robbed, fame being stolen, friendship being dumped, poor Hector even hasbeen ripped from the family photo, deprived of the last chance to visit backhome forever. Why the hatred is so deep and intolerant—because love is so deepand trust is so solid. Traditional family doesn’t allow such a severe familyscales lost balance. And in Miguel’s family, his grandmother takes in as themost powerful guardian, though the way she disciplines him is controversial.

The growingphenomenon of grandparents raising grandchildren is prevalent in nowadays China—itis considered traditional way doesn’t work for every family today. Fathers andmothers may both work outside of the home in some families, while in others themother might be the one who works outside of the home. And in many of today’shomes, both parents share the roles of financially sustaining their familywhile also sharing the child raising, household duties, and other day-to-dayfunctions at home. Whatever their individual responsibilities, in their role asparents, mothers and fathers are equal partners. Parents should help andsupport each other as they work together to fulfill their sacred responsibilities.They are the leaders, the family executives, the examples, while childrenfollow their parents’ leadership and house rules. And this is the key messageconveyed from the movie Coco.