{"id":6900,"date":"2017-11-30T15:51:25","date_gmt":"2017-11-30T21:51:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/richyrocks.com\/?p=6900"},"modified":"2022-06-07T21:47:02","modified_gmt":"2022-06-08T03:47:02","slug":"coco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/richyrocks.com\/coolenglish\/coco\/","title":{"rendered":"coco: a pixar movie with a powerful mexican plot"},"content":{"rendered":"

the newest pixar movie coco<\/em><\/strong><\/span> is a hit; here in mexico and globally.<\/p>\n

\"coco
in mexico, coco has made more money than any other movie in history.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

an article by paul chi<\/strong> on vanityfair.com<\/strong> calls it<\/a> “a real tearjerker<\/strong><\/em>” (it will make u cry–pronounce<\/a> tear<\/em> like here<\/em>) and…<\/p>\n

a celebration of mexican culture and history, built to tear down<\/em> the walls<\/a> that divide people.<\/h4>\n

tear down<\/strong><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(pronounce<\/a> tear<\/em> like hair<\/em>) means destroy, remove<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"miguel<\/p>\n

miguel doesn’t\u00a0<\/em>fit in<\/u><\/em>\u00a0with his family because they <\/em>have held a grudge<\/u><\/em>\u00a0against musicians for generations.<\/em><\/h5>\n

peter debruge<\/strong> at variety.com <\/strong>says<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

in terms of plot<\/em>, \u201ccoco\u201d boasts<\/em>\u00a0an upbeat<\/em>, follow-your-dreams (ignore-your-parents) message not unlike \u201cratatouille,\u201d where miguel\u2019s obsession with becoming a famous musician \u2014\u00a0in a family that still holds grudges<\/em> after his great-great-grandfather walked out on<\/em> his wife and kids to pursue a similar goal \u2014\u00a0recalls<\/em> that of remy, a sewer<\/em> rat who\u00a0overcame<\/em> the odds<\/em> to become a celebrated french chef. it also bears a strong visual resemblance<\/em> to 2014\u2019s \u201cthe book of life\u201d.<\/h4>\n

plot<\/strong><\/em><\/a> is the story<\/em>. boast<\/strong><\/em><\/a>\u00a0is used to present a positive characteristic. upbeat<\/strong><\/em><\/a> is happy<\/em>. hold a grudge<\/strong><\/em><\/a> means stay angry<\/em>, resent<\/em>. walk out on<\/em><\/strong> is frequently used to describe one person unilaterally ending a relationship by leaving. recall<\/em><\/strong> is similar to remember<\/em>. sewer<\/strong><\/em><\/a> is the underground system that removes water and waste from the sinks and bathrooms in your house<\/em>. overcome<\/strong><\/em><\/a> means beat, defeat<\/em>. odds<\/strong><\/em><\/a> are probabilities<\/em>. bear a resemblance<\/strong><\/em> means be similar to<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"remy<\/a><\/p>\n

miguel’s journey in coco\u00a0<\/em>bears a resemblance<\/u><\/em>\u00a0to remy’s journey in ratatouille.<\/em><\/h5>\n

debruge describes the appeal<\/strong><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(attraction, charm) of hector, a skeleton who<\/p>\n

falls apart whenever<\/em> someone bumps into<\/em> him, sometimes rearranging in completely silly<\/em> new configurations.<\/h4>\n

fall apart<\/strong> <\/em>means break into pieces<\/em>, in this case the individual bones of a skeleton. whenever<\/strong><\/em> means any time<\/em>. bump into<\/em><\/strong> means hit<\/em> or collide with<\/em>, usually accidentally. silly<\/em><\/strong><\/a> means not serious, crazy<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"hector\"<\/a><\/p>\n

hector giving thumbs up<\/a><\/em><\/h5>\n

similarly, mara cirezaru<\/strong> on substream.com<\/strong> calls<\/a> coco’s graphics stunning<\/strong><\/em><\/a> (splendi<\/a>d, tremendous), noting that the creators’ imaginations ran wild<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(had no restraints or limits) designing the land of the dead.<\/p>\n

\"miguel<\/a><\/p>\n

hector and miguel in the land of the dead<\/em><\/h5>\n

she explains that the plot<\/em><\/p>\n

follows disney and pixar’s version of the\u00a0hero’s journey<\/em>\u00a0to a t<\/em>: a child protagonist, who doesn\u2019t fit in<\/em> with their family or community, runs off<\/em> to follow their passion. along the way<\/em>, they meet colorful characters that help or hinder<\/em> them. ultimately, the protagonists learn more about themselves and become closer to their loved ones. it\u2019s a formula that has stood the test of time<\/em>.<\/h4>\n

hero’s journey<\/strong><\/em> is a common storytelling structure. for example, remy in\u00a0ratatoullie<\/strong><\/em> and pinocchio<\/em><\/strong> go on\u00a0journeys<\/strong><\/em> (long trips) similar to miguel’s. to a t<\/i><\/b>\u00a0means perfectly<\/em>. doesn’t<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>fit in<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>means miguel is\u00a0incompatible, different\u00a0<\/em>from his family.\u00a0run off\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>means leave<\/em>, go away<\/em>. along the way<\/em><\/strong> means during the journey<\/em>. hinder<\/strong><\/em><\/a> means obstruct, create problems for<\/em>. stand the test of time<\/strong><\/em> means it has been effective for many years<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"pinocchio<\/a><\/h5>\n
pinocchio, released in 1940, is an example of how the\u00a0<\/em>hero’s journey<\/u><\/em>\u00a0model\u00a0<\/em>has stood the test of time<\/u><\/em>.<\/h5>\n

additionally, cirezaru observes that disney and pixar respected mexico and the d\u00eda de los muertos celebration by showing an<\/p>\n

attention to detail that indicates that the studio spent time researching<\/em> specific cultural traditions and norms<\/h4>\n

and that this attention to detail<\/p>\n

keeps<\/em> the movie from being cheesy<\/em> or relying on<\/em> cultural appropriation<\/em>.<\/h4>\n

research<\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0is investigation<\/em> or\u00a0studying<\/em>.\u00a0 \u00a0keep<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>in this context is protect, preserve<\/em>. cheesy<\/strong><\/em> is fake<\/em>,\u00a0superficial<\/em>.\u00a0rely on<\/em><\/strong> is like\u00a0depend on<\/em>,\u00a0cultural appropration<\/strong><\/em> is adopting elements of a foreign culture without totally understanding them<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"coco<\/p>\n

what did u think of coco<\/strong><\/em>?\u00a0 was it cheesy<\/em>? could pixar be accused of culturally appropriating<\/em> mexico’s traditions? share your opinions under leave a reply<\/strong><\/p>\n