In July, Pixar announced that their upcoming film, Coco, would be the first animated movie to kick off the 15th annual Morelia International Film Festival (on October 20). The Coco team of Lee Unkrich (Director), Darla K. Anderson (Producer), and Adrian Molina (Co-Director) were honored to take part in the opening night of the film festival, sharing how deeply inspired they were by the culture and traditions of the people of Mexico.
After the premiere, initial reviews started to filter in on Twitter and the overall audience reaction to the film has ranged from notes of “Pixar at its best — Laughs and tears guaranteed” to “in my top 5 Pixar movies“. In addition to film festival attendee feedback, the initial press reviews have started coming in from Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Screen Daily, and The Wrap as well.
Favorable reviews note that Coco is among the most emotionally resonant films from the studio and that Pixar’s art department makes stunning use of the holiday’s signature elements.
As you can see from the introductory Metacritic score, the film is well received — but as Pixar Post Forum Users Reptile Patrol and Luis504170 note, ScreenDaily is usually more critical (the mixed review above) while The Hollywood Reporter and Variety tend to mirror the average critical review. If that holds true to history, their reviews would average out to a 90.
We’re thrilled with the initial positive reaction and can’t wait to see what the broad audience reaction will be after the October 27 release in Mexico and November 22 release in the United States.
The next big premiere will take place this upcoming Tuesday (October 24) where Unkrich, Molina, and Anderson will join the Latin American/Spanish-dub voice cast in Mexico City at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
