2017 was a year of two Pixars.
Cars 3 showed that the franchise is running on fumes, but thankfully, they also treated us to
Coco. Set in Mexico and revolving around Dia de los Muertos, director Lee Unkrich proves that
Toy Story 3 was no fluke. Together with co-director/co-writer Adrian Molina,
Coco
made a moving love letter to our Mexican neighbors and showed that
emotion runs deep no matter which side of the border you’re on.
Coco
was a critical/box office smash and is being released on 4K UHD and
Blu-ray with its evident Best Animated Feature win right around the
corner.
Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) is living in Mexico, dealing with
a family “curse.” His great-great-grandmother has forbidden the Riveras
from indulging in music after her husband left the family with dreams
of becoming a huge star. Now shoemakers, Miguel just wants to sing. He’s
convinced his great-great-grandfather is the sensational Ernesto de la
Cruz (voiced by Benjamin Bratt) and steals his guitar during the Day of
the Dead festivities. When he’s whisked away to the Land of the Dead, he
must earn his past family’s blessing in order to return to the land of
the living. He’s joined by Hector (voiced by Gael García Bernal) who
also wants to take a trip to the living before he’s forgotten forever
and suffers the “final death.”
Disney/Pixar delivers
Coco in a 4K/Blu-ray combo pack, framed
in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio on respective BD-66 (4K) and BD-50
(Blu-ray) discs. While the 1080p presentation certainly shines as much
as you’d hope, the 4K disc really gives
Coco the extra pop you’d
expect. Upscaled from a 2K Digital Intermediate — Unkrich says that they
can’t see a significant difference to finish their films in native 4K —
anyone who can’t see the jump in resolution may need to check their
settings.
Coco in 4K almost looks 3D — something Disney seems to
be wishy-washy on these days — and offers a marked improvement, even
more so than their
Cars 3 UHD debut. It’s definitely photo realistic. I can only imagine how spectacular
The Good Dinosaur
could benefit from a 4K upgrade. Unfortunately, the HDR enhancement
doesn’t deliver too much of a difference, but the uptick in resolution
sure makes up for it. On the bright side, blacks are expectedly deeper,
shadows more revealing, colors better balanced, and contrast still super
toasty without feeling blown out.
On the audio front, the Blu-ray comes armed with a decent 7.1 Dolby
TrueHD track which forces viewers to pump up the volume well above
reference settings. The 4K disc comes with an upgraded Dolby Atmos track
that feels like a completely different mix. Surround heights provide
the spacious soundscape you’d expect whether it’s Dia de los Muertos
family activities, the bustling Land of the Dead city streets, or the De
la Cruz concert finale. Dialogue is always clean and clear.
Directionality is improved to pinpoint precision, but the most obvious
improvement is during the end credits. The DTS track blares the vocals
from the rear speakers, something I found odd and wondered if it would
be handled better on the Dolby Atmos, and I was completely right.
Dialogue is front and center as it should be.
As engaging as most of the track is, it’s surprisingly front heavy,
rears themselves are rarely engaged. Additional audio tracks include
English and Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 and English Dolby Digital
5.1/2.0 tracks. Subtitles include English, Spanish, and French.
If you’re looking for special features, don’t worry,
Coco has
you covered! The 4K disc doesn’t have any, so you’ll have to start with
the Blu-ray. Disc One contains the film and the following extras: “Audio
Commentary” featuring co-directors Unkrich and Molina, and producer
Darla Anderson who sort through a collection of stories discussing the
plot, characters, visual effects, voice work, and research. “Welcome to
the Fiesta” (2:16) is a short and sweet “proof of concept” short with
optional audio commentary. “Mi Familia” (10:00) features the filmmakers
discussing the rules enforced upon them growing up and what they think
about them as adults. “Dante” (6:14) examines the Xoloitzcuintli and its
influence as Miguel’s trusty companion in the Land of the Dead. “How to
Draw a Skeleton” (3:18) a quick, self-explanatory tutorial.
Disc Two features: “A Thousand Pictures a Day” (20:03) is a trip to
Mexico with the crew to get up close and personal with the people and
locations for optimum authenticity. “The Music of
Coco” (13:12)
covers the different genres and styles composer Michael Giacchino worked
into the score to help tell the story. “Land of Our Ancestors” (6:19)
feels like an expansion of “A Thousand Pictures” but focuses on the land
of the dead. “Fashion Through the Ages” (8:39) explores the various
costumes from different time periods. “The Real Guitar” (3:08) shows how
they created De la Cruz’s guitar in real life before animating it.
“Paths to Pixar:
Coco” (11:44) is a fantastic look at the
Latino crew who worked on the project and how they came to work for the
animation giant. “How to Make Papel Picado” (2:19) is another short
tutorial showing to make the colorful decorations. “You Got the Part!”
(2:12) is video footage of Unkrich delivering the best Christmas present
ever to Gonzalez (Miguel). “Deleted Scenes” (33:07) features
introductory scenes with Unkrich and Molina: “Dia de los Muertos” (an
excised opening number when
Coco was going to be a full-blown
musical), “The Way of the Riveras” (another musical sequence),
“Celebrity Tour,” “The Bus Escape,” “Alebrije Attack,” “The Family Fix,”
and “To the Bridge.” And finally, the film’s “Trailers & Promos”
include “Feeling — United States Trailer #1” (2:12), “Dante’s Lunch —
Web Exclusive” (1:56), “Destiny — Mexico Trailer” (2:34), “Journey —
Brazil Trailer” (2:01), “Belong — Australian Trailer” (2:13), and “Un
Poco
Coco” (3:05).
Coco was a true return to form for Pixar after a little bit of
a slump and being overshadowed by Disney — who is on fire these days.
But with a huge heart and jaw-dropping animation,
Coco proves
that Pixar can still deliver — not that I ever doubted them. The 4K disc
provides the uptick in resolution you’d expect crafting and almost 3D
appearance. Unfortunately, while the Dolby Atmos track is better mixed
than the 7.1 DTS, it continues Disney’s underwhelming audio record. If
only they could get their 4K discs to sound as spectacular as they look.
Needless to say, the 4K UltraHD Blu-ray is the best way to watch
Coco at home, but the Blu-ray disc continues to show there’s still some life in the format.
Article first
published on Blogcritics.
