If you have been considering getting a 4K player and TV, now is the time. Disney/Pixar Coco is absolutely stunning on 4K. The story of young Miguel and his family comes to life on Ultra HD.

Miguel is a sweet little boy living with his extended family in a small town in Mexico. The family and the community are enriched with their culture and values, which include paying respect to your elders. Miguel desperately wants to be a musician, but his family has prohibited any music in their home. Miguels great-grandfather was a musician and abandoned his great-grandmother and their daughter for a life of music. From then on music has been banned for everyone in his family. The bitterness of the past never wans.

The story unfolds during the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. This is the one time of year when departed family can cross back into the land of the living and visit their relatives. Due to a strange set of circumstances, Miguel finds himself in the Land of the Dead, but he is not dead – at least not yet.

It takes all his energy, cunning, and spirit (no pun intended) to take on the challenges he faces in order to return to his family. While in the Land of the Dead, the young boy encounters all his departed relatives, who want to help him return to his family. But they insist he never plays music again. This is unconscionable for the boy. So he vows to find another way home.

Miguel meets Hector who befriends him with ulterior motives. While on this extraordinary journey, Miguels family history is uncovered with surprises for all.

Included in the box is an entire disc of bonus features looking at the research the filmmakers did in order to portray the Mexican culture with respect. The film is described as a love letter to Mexico. The research trips to Mexico helped the animators and storywriters depict the accuracy of the holiday and the family dynamics that exist in small Mexican towns. The holiday is a celebration of the memories of the people you loved and viewers are treated to the sights and culture of Mexico from the perspective of the filmmakers.

Another bonus looks at the wonderful music that plays a large part in the story. An interesting bonus shows how the fictional guitar from the film was created as a real instrument.

The colorful flags in the film and throughout the towns in the country are called Papal Picados, and viewers learn how to create their own to hang in and around their own home. There are deleted scenes, segments with the people behind the film, and a look at the fashion and how the animators researched the attire through the ages. After all, when Miguel travels to the Land of the Dead there are many generations of people there, and they are each depicted to represent their own time on earth. And finally, young Anthony Gonzales was hired to supply the temporary voice of Miguel when the movie was being created. An adorable bonus looks at the surprise he got when he was told he was hired to be the real voice of this new Disney/Pixar character.

I had the opportunity to watch Coco on Blu-ray. I thought it was a wonderful movie. But then the 4K disc arrived and while I couldnt see how it could be any better, it was. The 4K is sharper and the colors are more vivid, which is remarkable in this very colorful film. The petals on the flowers and all the imagery are clearer than on the Blu-ray, although the Blu-ray is still wonderful. There is a definite difference in the visual aspect of the film, however. Watching the 4K film, it was like stepping into the screen and becoming part of the film. This is a gorgeous animated film for the whole family.

With over two hours of bonus features, Coco is a light-hearted and enjoyable movie. The 4K set includes a 4K disc, a Blu-ray disc, a Digital code, and a Blu-ray bonus disc. Even if you dont have a 4K setup at home, definitely get the Blu-ray set (which comes with a DVD, Digital, and bonus disc), however, if you are thinking about a 4K setup, then by all means, get the 4K set.

The Art of Coco

And to gain more insight into the movie and the scenes, The Art of Coco is a colorful book that will be enjoyed by all ages. The pages show the drawings and story of the film. The images throughout the book add greatly to this newest mega-hit.

John Lasseter wrote the forward to this coffee-table book. He acknowledged, A story rooted in Mexican tradition, Coco with its themes of music, family, and the power of remembrance, was made to resonate with the world. The book shows the creativity of the filmmakers and the beauty of the story and movie through the 160 pages that put Coco in your hands. As producer Darla K. Anderson writes, “Even though Coco is a film that has a male protagonist and several male main characters, in a lot of ways, there’s a strong matriarchal balance.” This is a story that is beloved by boys, girls, men, women, old, young, and everyone in between.

Flipping through the pages the story of Miguel is depicted from cover to cover and all the colorful images are right there in front of the reader. This makes a great companion to the movie.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 20 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books.

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