[1] Don’t let that scare you away. There is a murder and
a fatal church-bell-related accident, but the afterlife in Coco is
a warm and hectic place, more comical than creepy. The story
[4] happens during the Day of the Dead, when the border controls
between life and death relax and the departed are allowed
temporary passage to the land of the living. A boy named
[7] Miguel makes the trip in reverse, which is not to say that he
dies, but rather that his living self, through one of several
metaphysical loopholes that the movie explains, is transported
[10] into a fantastical world of specters and skeletons, who hold
fabulous parties and raucous outdoor concerts.
Nearly as enchanting as that magical realm is the
[13] Mexican village of Santa Cecilia, Miguel’s hometown, where
he is part of a prosperous clan of shoemakers. The cultural vibe
of Coco is inclusive rather than exoticizing, pre-empting
[16] inevitable concerns about authenticity and appropriation with
the mixture of charm and sensitivity that has become something
of a 21st-century Disney hallmark. Here, the importance of
[19] family — the multigenerational household that sustains and
constrains the hero — is both specific and universal. It’s what
explains the particular beats of Miguel’s story and what
[22] connects him to viewers regardless of background.
He shows a certain kinship with other well-known
recent cartoon characters. A gifted musician in a family that
[25] forbids music, he is a bit like Remy, the “Ratatouille” rat whose
kin were hostile to his artistic ambition, and like Mumble, the
misfit penguin in “Happy Feet.” Miguel’s quest — a search for
[28] roots, lost ancestors and information that might explain who he
is — resembles Dory’s journey in Finding Dory. The
sidekicks who accompany him, animal and (formerly) human,
[31] are drawn from a familiar well of archetypes, and the final
round of lesson-learning and reconciliation hits notes we have
heard many times before.
Internet: (adapted)
Based on the text above, judge the following item
In the film, the use of the strange and picturesque features of the Mexican culture is exploitative.