Loyalties Beyond Life: An Essay on the Film Coco From a Transgenerational Perspective

Abstract

Abstract The animated film Coco tells the story of the web of relationships of a multigenerational family that faces its history, myths, and loyalties. Miguel, the film’s protagonist, is confronted with his family history when he expresses his dream of being a musician, and he goes through an adventure of finding himself in the midst of his family’s loyalties to the past and its history with music, spanning several generations. The aim of this article is to analyze the film from a transgenerational approach, conversing with systemic theory as well, taking into consideration questions about the characters of the Rivera multigenerational family, the dynamics of their relationships, and the invisible loyalties that present themselves in the movie. Thus, the film was analysed as a case study, using also as instrument simplified genogram. The film reveals the loyalties that are passed on from generation to generation, derived from a myth and a family secret, unveiled in the plot, which will explain inter- and transgenerational relationships in the film’s family. The role of the great-grandmother stands out as a hidden protagonist in the movie.