From the very beginning, the movie Coco has received harsh criticisms. Before the film was even released to theaters, people were in an uproar. Audiences were pointing out, and rightfully so, that this movie came out at an awkward time. Coco, a movie centering on the Hispanic culture and the Day of Dead, came on the heels of the 2014 Day of the Dead movie, The Book of Life. People were quick to acknowledge that these movies with suspiciously similar topics and storylines were coming out within three years of each other. So people waited with dread and anticipation as the day Coco would be released to theaters.

As a person who as seen both movies now, I can whole-heartedly state that Coco is not a Book of Life ripoff.

Coco is a wonderful movie that centers on the trials of Miguel Rivera, a music loving boy who is the member of a music hating family. Desperate to pursue his love of music, Miguel attempts to borrow the guitar of his idol Ernesto de la Cruz, but finds himself transported to the Land of the Dead where the spirits of loved ones live together. Now it's a race to find a way back to the Land of the Living with new friends and family.

This movie was an absolute delight to watch; it was visually pleasing and absolutely gorgeous. The animation was wonderful, as to be expected from the combination of Disney and Pixar. The amount of detail that went into this movie was absolutely astounding; it was especially satisfying to watch the detail in the movements of the skeleton characters. When it comes to the visual experience of this movie, my absolute favorite thing about this film is the color choices. This movie really pops with vibrant and beautiful colors and it is so satisfying to watch.

The story and the characters of this movie are absolutely wonderful and prove that this is not a Book of Life ripoff. Though both stories center on a character trying to make it back to the Land of the Living with a love of music, they branch off when it comes to focus. Book of Life may focus a lot on family and self-discovery, but it also places an emphasis on the power of romance and doing what is right. On the other hand, Coco reminds audiences the absolute importance in the strength of family ties and memory while emphasizing the importance of family history. Both have wonderful stories that excel in different ways. Be warned however, Coco did make me cry and I am hard pressed to cry at movies. Make sure you bring tissues.

If I had to say anything negative related to this experience, it would have to be about the Frozen short that played at the beginning of the movie. However, don't get me wrong, I actually liked the short. The short was fun, had wonderful songs, and a heartfelt message. The problem with this Frozen short wasn't the quality, it's because the short wasn't exactly short. In fact, it pushed almost 25-30 minutes. This felt more like a special that played on TV and not before a movie that most definitely did not need help drawing in crowds.

Overall, this movie was an absolute delight and definitely stands on its own apart from Book of Life. Definitely go give it a watch!