Disney Pixar “Coco” – 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Review

Disney Pixar’s Coco has finally been released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and DVD, allowing you to revisit The Land of the Dead and watching Miguel understand the true meaning of family. Also, the accompanying bonus features just make everything all the more fun!

I was provided a copy of Coco for review. The opinions are my own.

All of you must’ve already watched Coco by now. If not, then you should definitely pick it up on the home release of your choice. The Disney Pixar film tells the story of Miguel, who is from a long line of shoemakers. He dreams of playing music (like Ernesto de la Cruz, his idol). However, music is banned in his family due to a rift that occurred generations ago. But Miguel doesn’t stop chasing his dreams, even going against his family’s wishes to perform at a show during the eve of Dia de los Muertos. Thinking that he’s related to Ernesto, Miguel steals the famous musician’s guitar and is transported to the afterworld.

What follows is a fun and emotional journey as Miguel tries to find a way to return to the land of the living on his terms. Secrets are revealed and our young hero finds the true meaning of family. I love how Disney Pixar decided to showcase Mexican culture with a Latino voice cast. Coco ended up being a huge hit in Mexico. So, you can tell the cultural depiction was done right. Also, this animated film is gorgeous to look at even though Miguel is surrounded by skeletons for the majority of it.

One of the reasons you should consider picking up a copy of Coco is the numerous bonus features in the Combo Pack.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Welcome to the Fiesta (2:16) – this is a musical presentation reel that moves through the streets of the Land of the Dead. This featurette originally debuted during D23 Expo back in 2015.
• Commentary (2:16) – Director Lee Unkrich, Co-Director Adrian Molina, and Producer Darla K. Anderson discuss a proof of concept which was produced to get the project approved.
• Mi Familia (10:00) – Pixar artists are seen discussing their family rules as well as how learning about traditional family dynamics in Mexico helped played a key role in the story.
• Dante (6:14) – Focused on Dante, Miguel’s canine companion, and how Xolo dogs became part of this film.
• How to Draw a Skeleton (3:18) – Danny Arriaga, Character Art Director on Coco, teaches you how to draw a skeleton, Pixar-style.
• Feature Commentary (1:45:02) – I loved this bonus content! We have director Lee Unkrich, co-director Adrian Molina, and producer Darla K. Anderson offering an enjoyable commentary, covering the production process, the changes made in the story, and Easter eggs.
• A Thousand Pictures a Day (20:03) – The creative team how they embraced Mexican culture in Coco and how Mexico also embraced Pixar films.
• The Music of Coco (13:12) – The songwriters and products talk about the instruments and musical styles used in the film.
• Land of our Ancestors (6:19) – The creative team share information about how they created The Land of the Dead (celebrating Dia de los Muertos) and the world-building rules they come up with.
• Fashion Through the Ages (8:39) – A look at the different costumes shown in Coco.
• The Real Guitar (3:08) – German Vasquez Rubio created a real version of Ernesto de la Cruz’s guitar.
• Paths to Pixar: Coco (11:44) – Pixar artists talk about they started working for Pixar on Coco and the infusion of Latin identity in the film.
• How to Make Papel Picado (2:19) – Pixar Artist Anna Ramirez shows how to make Papel Picado.
• You Get the Part! (2:12) – Footage of Anthony Gonzales, the voice of Miguel, being offered the role.
• Deleted Scenes (33:07) – Seven deleted scenes (in storyboard form) are presented by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina:
  • Introduction (1:07)
  • Dia de los Muertos (5:25)
  • The Way of the Riveras (5:55)
  • Celebrity Tour (5:09)
  • The Bus Escape (4:38)
  • Alebrije Attack (3:12)
  • The Family Fix (4:31)
  • To the Bridge (3:08)
• Trailers – A look at the five trailers that were used to promote Coco. It’s a nice look at how films are promoted differently around the world.
  • Feeling – United States Trailer (2:11)
  • Dante’s Lunch – Web Exclusive Trailer (1:57)
  • Destiny – Mexico Trailer (2:32)
  • Journey – Brazil Trailer (1:59)
  • Belong – Australia Trailer (2:11)
• Un Poco Coco (3:05) – A little sizzle reel of character animation for the film’s promotion.

Digital Exclusives

• “Remember Me” Music Video (2:51) – We have Miguel performing the Oscar-nominated song along with Natalie Lafourcade in candlelit rooms set against clips from the film.

The only bonus features on the DVD are “Dante” and the audio commentary.

Coming to the visual presentation, Coco looks stunning on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. There’s a lot of color in this animated film, and the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release does it justice, ensuring everything looks bright. The DVD has impressive visuals too, but the intricate details and some colors appear to be missing. For example, on the DVD, I couldn’t make out the individual hair strands like I could in the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release. Also, wide shots on the DVD made the architecture in the background appear blurry. Coco has so much animated detail, it’s better to opt for a home release through which you can clearly see everything.

I didn’t find any faults in the audio. Here are some Disc Specifications:

Product SKUs:
Digital = 4K UHD with HDR (HDR-10 or Dolby Vision), HD, SD
Physical = 4K UHD Combo Pack (4K UHD+Blu-ray+Digital HD/SD), Multi-screen Edition (Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD/SD) and DVD
Feature Run Time: Approximately 109 minutes
Rating: PG in U.S., G in CE, and G in CF
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Resolution: 4K UHD = 3840 x 2160, HD = 1920 x 1080, SD = 720 x 480
Audio:
4K UHD Blu-ray = English Dolby Atmos, English, Spanish and French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio;
4K UHD Digital = English Dolby Atmos (platform dependent), English 5.1, English 2.0;
Blu-ray = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, English 5.1 DTS-HDHR, English 2.0 Dolby Digital, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio;
DVD = English, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks, English 2.0 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio
Subtitles: Blu-ray = English SDH, Spanish and French Subtitles
Closed Captions: Digital = English; DVD = English

Disney Pixar’s Coco being nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Song at this year’s Academy Awards makes sense. You should definitely consider supporting and watching Coco by picking it up on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray or any other home entertainment option (if you haven’t already).

Feel free to share your thoughts about Coco with us.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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