I have never cried in a movie before. Maybe it’s because I’ve never found a movie I really connected with before, or maybe its because I’ve never been too emotional, but I can’t remember any time I’ve ever actually shed a tear during a movie. Of course, when Coco first released, the only things I’d hear about are how much people cried at the end. Considering the fact that this is a Pixar film, that’s not surprising. Especially when you take into account that the director, Lee Unkrich, is the same man behind Toy Story 3, extreme tugging at the heart strings is to be expected.
But, what about Coco made it such a tearjerker? On the surface, it simply looks like another colorful, feel good, family Disney/Pixar movie, with the main plot being about a young boy who aspires to be a musician(in a family that hates music), trying to return home from the land of the dead. And it certainly manages to keep a lighthearted tone all the way through. But it’s much more than that. Coco is able to touch upon sensitive subjects such as death and hateful grudges in such an effective and tactful way, giving it an extra layer that not many family movies have. But its key messages, and ultimately what everyone in the audience relates to, is the constant theme of familial bonds and remembrance. Regardless of who you are or where you come from, everyone shares a special bond with their family. Through its 109 min run, Coco continuously builds up this idea through little moments and actions, cementing the importance of family in the mind of the audience. Those themes and ideas finally come to a head in the movie’s finale, making for such a touching and emotional ending that I was thankful that no one was sitting by me in the back row. Because Coco is the first movie to actually make me cry. Everyone should watch this movie at least once in their life, and even more so with their family.
I totally agree with you! Coco took me on an emotional rollercoaster. I am one of those people who recommends watching the movie to everyone I know because it is truly one of the best animated films that I have seen in recent years. There is something in Coco that everyone can relate to. The part that made me cry the most is when they sing “Remember Me”. I watched it in a movie theater with friends and there was not a dry eye in the theater. I definitely recommend watching Coco.
I don’t cry much during movies but Coco really brought it out of me too! The thing that I loved the most about the movie was the theme of an unbreakable bond regardless of how far away you might feel from a loved one.
I find it interesting that you cried in this particular movie. I’m not trying to sound like, “oh look at me super masculine and I never cry at movie,” because I have many times. This movie just did not provoke an emotional response within me. You touch on the importance of family, but I was discouraged by the message that Miguel is in an oppressive family through and through that is borderline abusive with grandmama’s sandals. If it weren’t for the magic, Miguel would still be oppressed as people are in real life.
So I guess I don’t really understand your position of being emotionally triggered by this movie to the point that you would tear up.
I read a book about a young mother giving her baby girl to an adoption family. Years later when the girl grew up to be a successful lawyer, she resented her mother for abandoning her and refused to forgive her mother. I didn’t really understand until I watched Coco, which depicts a picture that all children “abandoned” by parents – although for a good reason – find it hard to get over the pain, and the self-questioning: am I not a good baby that my parents didn’t want me?
Throughout her life, Coco never knew her father was murdered instead of abandoning her. She might have hated him, resented him , which is completely understandable and normal. However, at the end, when she suffers from Alzheimer, when she starts to forget things – she forgets about hate and resentment, and only the beautiful memories of her father singing to her stayed.
Time heals. I think that’s what this story is trying to tell us.
I didn’t watch Coco through this event, but I did go to see it in the theater with a few friends at the end of last semester. To be honest, I didn’t start crying (although all of my friends did), but I can see why it brings emotion by showcasing the heartwarming bond between Coco and her father after all those years. If I hadn’t spoiled the entire movie for myself by reading the Wikipedia summary beforehand, I probably would have teared up too.