Coco (2017)

Oh my goodness, this is maybe the best movie I have seen during this wild and wonderful season of watching all the Oscar nominated films.  I just loved it, and even though I have only seen one of the other nominees in the category of Best Animated film, it will be hard for something else to knock it off my choice it the category.  The story is that Miguel is growing up with his extended family in Santa Cecilia, Mexico.  His family us pathologically anti-music because Miguel's great great grandfather was a musician who went of to pursue his dreams with a band and never returned.  Miguel has inherited his passion for guitar, and he has been secretly practicing and plans to compete in a local contest on the eve of the Day of the Dead.  One thing leads to another, a little magic sweeps him up, and he finds himself on the other side, in the land of the dead, and has to work to get himself back to the land of the living.  There is a plot twist or two, nothing too outrageous, and the whole package is charming, uplifting, and will make you want to plan your next trip to Mexico as soon as possible in order to immerse yourself in it's rich culture.