Coco is a beautifully decorated cake. On the surface, it’s coated with sweet buttercream and dotted with sprinkles and roses in every color of the rainbow. From the opening moments, Coco draws you in with laughs, detail, and striking animation. It looks good! Let’s take a piece.
Ooh, there are about 18 layers in this cake. Time to dive in!
Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) is a boy living in a small Mexican town. Everyone is in a flurry preparing for Dios de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. His family are the local shoemakers, going back several generations. He lives with his loving extended family and it is very understood he will learn to make shoes. The problem: He loves music. He sings and plays the guitar well. Most families would be proud and supportive, but not his.
Music is banned. Music is despised. Music is feared. It represents pain and abandonment.
While his home showcases a shrine to his dead relatives, Miguel has a secret shrine to his musical and movie superstar hero, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), the most famous person to hail from his hometown. When Miguel learns the Day of the Dead commemoration includes a talent show, he decides nothing will stop him from entering the contest—even feisty Abuelita (Renee Victor). When that dream is threatened, Miguel goes to extreme lengths to enter the talent show. In the process of risking everything, he makes a startling discovery that could explain why music is sewn into his soul.
That shocking moment lands him, still very much alive, in the Land of the Dead. Suddenly, there’s a person to find and a mystery to solve.
This is where the Pixar animation goes from stunning to breathtakingly stunning. Detail and color are almost overwhelming. The Land of the Dead sequence is one of the finest examples of animation I’ve ever seen.
Miguel quickly encounters his dead relatives, in skeletal form, as they cross the bridge to the Land of the Living for the annual cross-mortal visit. The clock is ticking, though, so if Miguel doesn’t find who he’s looking for in time, he will be stuck in the Land of the Dead forever. He reluctantly accepts the help of ernest Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal).
That cake keeps getting better, layer after layer. Animation, humor, music are all great, but the heart of the movie is found in family and the power of memory. Coco is an unusual movie in that it isn’t afraid to explore pain and regret, or ugly emotions like jealousy and hate. In the end, forgiveness and redemption save the day. Like Pixar’s Up, Coco is not afraid to get the tears flowing but then turn around and make you laugh.
Coco, by Pixar Animation Studios, released by Disney, opens on November 22, 2017. It is rated PG.
Venture to wintery world of Arendelle where Olaf and Kristoff help reunite royal sisters Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen and learn love is the most powerful magic of all. See Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana and the Disney Princesses make their dreams come true through their virtues of bravery, kindness and perseverance. And celebrate true friendship with Buzz Lightyear, Woody and The Toy Story gang. Make unforgettable memories with Mickey, Minnie and all your Disney friends when Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart skates into your hometown! 
Visit a Colorado tree farm or acquire a Christmas tree cutting permit from the US Forest Service to harvest your tree. For a special twist, harvest your holiday tree on a trip with the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Let pine-scented needles of ponderosa, fir, and juniper grace your doorway in a wreath from Llama Pack Farms in Masonville or create and decorate a wreath at the Covered Bridge Farm in Montrose.
Stock the hunters’ shelves with equipment from Karifu or Denver Tents. Anglers will appreciate a Colorado-custom-made Bamboo fishing rod from South Creek Limited, hand-tied flies from Duranglers or ice-fishing excursions to various lakes across Colorado. Give the gift of exploration with a park pass to a Colorado State Park. For those that like to play in the snow, Colorado is home to leading manufacturers of must-have winter toys: Meier Skis for custom-made skis, Moots for fat bikes, and Mountain Boy Sledworks for traditional and iconic sleds.
Fashion seekers will love hats, including fedoras from Greeley Hat Works or Dom wool hats from Icebox Knitting. Cooks will enjoy wooden crafted bar and kitchenware from David Rasmussen and western-lovers will covet leather goods from Zapata Ranch’s Ranchlands Store. Pamper loved ones with luxurious rose oil from Osmia Organics, or Lavender Hydrosol from Colorado Aromatics. Treat that preening man with beard oils and salves from The Vintage Grooming Company. Or why not give the gift of making: CoCo Crafted of Colorado Springs offers budding crafters the chance to create wall hangings, art, embroidery, and painting. More specialized classes include leather-working with The Makerie for fiber classes at Table Rock Llamas. For aspiring chefs looking to sharpen their skills, try an animal breakdown or sausage-making class at Boulder Butchery Guild.
