COCO

Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colourful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
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A delightful, vibrant story from Pixar — their best for some time — which strongly pushes the principle that family is more important than anything else. There are lots of other themes, too — culture, life, death, and the seductive nature of celebrity. The characters are rich, the animation is superb, and the story, drawing on themes from Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations, is engaging even if it is pretty much a template plot — until the climax which is unexpected. It’s also excellent to see a non-white character front and centre in a Pixar movie. A movie for the whole family. (Given some of the themes, I’d recommend for ages 7+.)