"CoCo": Death is Never an Eternal Separation; It is Forgetting.

When watching the trailer, I thought that this movie, co-produced by Disney and Pixar, was a simple music and dream-chasing theme like "Sing."

After watching it, I realized that the pursuit of dreams is just a guiding thread; this movie is more about exploring family ties and touches on eternal themes like death. It is an animated film about the Mexican Day of the Dead.

The Day of the Dead is a traditional holiday that the Mexicans particularly cherish. They believe that departed loved ones are not really gone; they just continue to live in another world. On the Day of the Dead, these departed souls are believed to return to the real world to reunite with their families.

Therefore, the entire country celebrates this day with great pomp. People cut paper into skeleton shapes, make skeleton-themed snacks, don skeleton masks, sing, dance, and celebrate without a trace of sorrow.

The story in the movie unfolds during the Day of the Dead, a night filled with peculiar events. The young boy finds himself in a vibrant and bustling world, filled with skeletons and unique wonders. With his dream of becoming a musician, he embarks on a journey in this extraordinary world to seek his deceased musical idol. Along the way, he encounters various bizarre and whimsical events.

However, the story itself is not entirely novel. Fox has previously produced an animated film called "The Book of Life," which also used the backdrop of Mexico's Day of the Dead. The protagonist, carrying a guitar and the recurring theme of skeletons, reminiscent of "The Corpse Bride" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas," is already a well-explored concept. The main character, a dream-chasing individual for whom music is of utmost importance, is a recurring motif. Additionally, the challenges posed by family members to the protagonist's musical aspirations are familiar themes. The concept of one world and one family is also not unprecedented.

Furthermore, the film constructs a grand world, like "Zootopia," featuring a lively ghost party akin to "Hotel Transylvania." The bridge, adorned with marigold flowers and shimmering golden stars, which emerges in a scene from "Coco," bears a reminiscence to the movie "La Luna." Elements like defeating a big boss to fulfill the ultimate mission are common tropes. Despite these clichés, Pixar has a magical way of immersing the audience and evoking emotional responses.

The creative team went to Mexico for inspiration, staying with the locals to experience their daily life and understand their culture. Almost everything was meticulously prepared, including music, colors, plot, scenes, and character development. The film showcases rich and authentic details such as colorful paper cutouts, golden marigolds, hairless dogs, traditional food resembling elongated rice dumplings, family-owned shoe workshops, entertainment squares, native musical instruments, and more. The vertical towering structures in the Land of the Dead draw inspiration from Mexico's historical references, depicting the evolution from ancient to modern at the bottom to the top. These meticulous details are a testament to Pixar's dedication, contributing to the awe and surprise that their animated films consistently deliver.

Family and music are the two key elements of this film. Therefore, Pixar invested considerable effort into the music. The songs are brimming with Latin flavor, and the melodies are highly infectious. The film invited over 50 musicians to perform, incorporating many native Mexican instruments, fully showcasing the charm of this musical haven. The various chord techniques and playing details of the young boy on the guitar are accurately and perfectly presented, indicating the tremendous effort and emotion invested in the music.

The title "CoCo" is the name of the great-grandmother, a nomenclature seemingly reminding us of the true protagonist of this animation. Like "Kikujiro," the actual leading character is not the young boy but the eccentric uncle, played by Takeshi Kitano.

The film itself is joyful, but possibly due to the underlying theme of death, it doesn't aim to invoke uproarious laughter; it simply elicits heartfelt smiles, which is sufficient already. A film that brings genuine happiness and moves you to tears is an extraordinary comedy. Such a film is different from humor with no concrete content or the mere depiction of suffering. It is an elevated artistic work that transcends ordinary life, offering a viewing experience with intrinsic value.

Much like an O. Henry-style ending, the first hour and a half bombards you with splendor and excitement, only to touch your heart with the simplest, plain, and genuine moments in the final minutes. Unprepared and defenseless, you find yourself falling into the trap carefully laid out by the director, and tears start flowing.

During this scene in the theater, a remarkable hush fell upon the audience; everyone held their breath, their eyes glued to the movie screen, unwilling to miss a single detail. I could sense that everyone was immersed in the emotions of love and longing, experiencing a beautiful moment.

Eliciting emotion without excessive sentimentality, narrating a story without preaching, and halting at precisely the right moment—these are the qualities that render a film endearing. We need stories like this to remind and inform most people about the meaning of their existence.

Death is not eternal separation; forgetting is. If someone remembers you and you still carry a place in their heart, that is the profound happiness and meaning of being alive.