Movie Review

Coco uses the power of family to craft another winner for Pixar

While the masters at Pixar have rightly been lauded for their technical and storytelling prowess over the past 20+ years, they had fallen down on the job in portraying any significant minority characters. That is no longer the case, as they have jumped in with both feet with the Mexican tale Coco.

Set amid the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration, the main character is not Coco, but Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez), the youngest member of the Rivera clan. He loves music, especially that of his hero, the late Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). But a longstanding family bias against music means he must hide his passion.

Like many Pixar films, Coco leans heavily into the theme of family. Miguel’s family is loving but constricting, and he chafes at what he thinks are unnecessary restrictions. The family is ruled by the iron fist of Abuelita (Renee Victor), but it revolves around her mother, Mama Coco (Ana Ofelia Murguia). Coco’s musician-father left when she was young, thus beginning the family’s ban on music.

While trying to find a way to play his music in public, Miguel accidentally gets transported to the Land of the Dead. He receives help in getting back to the land of the living from a variety of long-dead family members; Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), a kind-if-desperate soul on the verge of being forgotten; and even de la Cruz himself.

Co-directors Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, working from a script written by Molina and Matthew Aldrich, do their best to educate the masses about the Day of the Dead tradition without getting bogged down in details. Still, they could have defined many of the elements more clearly, as only those already in the know will truly understand the meanings of certain things.

However, while Day of the Dead is an integral part of the plot, it’s not necessary to know all of its ins and outs to enjoy the film immensely. Miguel is the driving force, and his desire and determination are infectious. His interactions with other characters run the gamut from hilarious to melancholy, and they rarely strike a false note.

The visuals within the Land of the Dead are eye-popping — almost overwhelming, even. The animators let their imaginations run wild on this project, and that creativity shows up in everything from the shockingly different varieties of skeletons to the innumerable structures the world contains.

Due to the specificity of the plot, a connection to Coco likely will be felt more strongly by some than others. But its general story about the power of family is universal and fits right in with every other great movie Pixar has ever made.

Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) and Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) in Coco.

Anthony Gonzalez and Gael Garcia Bernal in Coco

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) and Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) in Coco.

Blending cultures

Dallas Matcha Club brings community together over trendy green tea

Matcha

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

Matcha

Members of a unique Dallas social club are bonding over the world's trendiest drink: matcha. The Dallas Matcha Club (DMC) aims to foster a community through a shared love of matcha, while supporting local businesses and making new friends.

Matcha is rapidly growing in popularity worldwide, with the global market projected to reach $6.35 billion by 2029. The tea has its origins in China, but it was developed and refined in Japan; tea leaves are ground into the green powder that's used for matcha lattes and smoothies, whose appeal has skyrocketed in recent years — especially among Gen-Z.

DMC Founder Aaliyah Iwamoto created the social club in October 2024 after moving to Texas from Hawaii.

“Since I'd just moved, I wanted to get to explore the city,” Iwamoto says. “I figured trying new cafes was the perfect way to do it ... I was hoping to meet new people."

Iwamoto, who is of Japanese heritage, says matcha had been a part of her life long before it became buzzy. Whenever she visits Japan, she brings back matcha tins from Nishio — and on a previous trip, even toured a matcha farm.

“When I first started [DMC], I didn't know that [matcha] was going to get as big as it did and have such a global impact,” Iwamoto says.

Now she is parlaying her love of matcha into a social experience with dozens of other matcha enthusiasts in North Texas.

On "matcha meetups," club members visit local coffee shops and matcha hot spots together, from downtown Dallas to Fort Worth to McKinney.

The group also hosts events at which members can gain new skills and hobbies. Matcha-specific activities have included classes where they've made chawans, or “matcha bowls,” as well as matcha-whisking workshops. They've also hosted more general-interest events such as paint and sips, Pilates classes, bracelet making, picnics, yoga sessions, and more.

Their most recent event was a Matcha Winter Market with La Maison Bleue Cafe, which included a Christmas toy drive for Children’s Health Plano.

The Dallas Matcha Club on one of their meetups.Photo courtesy of Dallas Matcha Club

While some events have drawn as many as 150 attendees, most see about 30 to 50 people. Members are a diverse group of primarily 20- and 30-somethings at various stages of life — from parents who come with their kids to college students.

“I feel like there's a good mix of people from all different places, too, not just Texas," Iwamoto says.

What makes matcha such a community connector is its ties to a culture, she says.

“'It’s not just a drink. There's a whole process that goes into making the matcha, and a whole process into making your latte at home,” Iwatmoto says. “People are learning about the different tools that you use to make matcha, which are all Japanese ... people are learning through enjoying matcha."

The club’s Instagram page, which has nearly 5,500 followers, proclaims, "Whether you’re an avid matcha lover or matcha newbie, the Dallas Matcha Club is the community for you!"

Iwamoto underscores that DMC is a welcoming group for anyone.

“Most of the people that attend like matcha, but there are some people who are new to it," she says. "There's also some people who just tag along with their friends and they're more of a coffee person. Anyone's welcome."

Anyone interested in joining the Dallas Matcha Club can follow their Instagram @dallasmatcha and fill out the membership form, which is linked in their Instagram bio. There is no fee to become a member of the DMC.

club matcha tea coffee

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