"the whole family, brought together by a song"

Color palette of Pixar’s Coco

“Día de Muertos” has begun, it is the one night of the year our ancestors can come visit us.

I just wanted her to know… that I loved her.

We all feel for Hector and the pain & shame he went through all of those years in the land of the dead, separated from his beloved daughter and shunned by his family.  

We all tear up over the climax scene where Miguel sings with Coco.

But no sooner have I wiped away the tears from that scene that I start bawling again.  The end of the movie in general is touching, but for me it boils down to one shot…

THEY MADE HIM A PAIR OF SHOES!!!!!

This is a family who’s identity and pride lie in their shoe making.  It’s how they show love to one another and how they pass on their values to the next generation.  Their very family identity is now in shoe making.  This all came about because of Hector’s “betrayal”.  

All throughout the movie, Hector was noticeably barefoot.  One of the only skeletons who was without footwear.  You can also see how damaged and threadbare his clothes are.  

My point is, what is the ultimate way a family of shoemakers can express their forgiveness, acceptance, and love for someone?  

They used the very thing they’d used separate themselves from his memory to show their forgiveness and love!  They used shoe making to heal/bring their family back together after he “broke” it. Shoes are a symbol of them as a family.  By making him shoes, they’ve publicly welcomed and marked him as part of their family in a very visible/tangible way.  

You’ll also notice that his clothes are mended and in much better repair as well.  But it’s the shoes that always make me start crying all over again.  

They couldn’t have chosen a better way to show their acceptance and love to someone who’d been without either for nearly a hundred years.  This utter act of tender forgiveness goes straight to my tear ducts every time!!