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 colorful 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.

I'm starting to think I should just go ahead and take the chance to see movies in the theater instead of waiting until they come to DVD or Netflix, especially if it doesn't really grab my attention at first, because the last maybe 3-5 movies I've seen where that's happened turned out to be really good. Coco continues that trend. From all of the reviews, I was expecting an emotional experience at least close to, if not exactly on the level of Up or Toy Story 3, but holy crap - I wasn't prepared for how it hit me. Coco is filled with wonderful performances - both musically and acting. I absolutely loved the messages of both the power of a family's love, and that of the power of music.

Speaking of the music, I'm not one to cry when it comes to emotional movies. At best, I get a little bit misty-eyed at certain things. I can only think of maybe 3-5 movies tops where I outright lost it. I managed to get through about 95% of Coco unscathed...until the final song. Once Miguel picked up that guitar one final time and started singing, I'm not ashamed to admit I lost it. I finally see why Coco won the Oscar for both Animated Film and Best Original Song. It definitely deserved it. I also loved the humor in the movie. Some of it was cheesy, obviously aimed towards younger kids, but it still made me bust out laughing.

If you haven't taken the chance to see it, it's currently on Netflix - though I'm not sure how long that will last considering Disney's about to start their own streaming service. I highly, HIGHLY recommend it. Also, don't forget to have a box (or two) of tissues on hand as you watch it. Trust me, you're going to need it.