After years and years of can't miss critical and commercial hits, Pixar has lost its way of late. That doesn't make it unique. Apple, Steve Jobs' other pet project, has become a confusing morass of products that are individually beautiful but lack the definitive vision of the late great technocrat. Similarly, Pixar has found itself on a sequel treadmill that's seen some critical praise, some commercial success, but has been a far cry from when the studio churned out hit after hit after hit.
Coco, at least, looks like a step in the right direction. The film will feature Pixar's first all-Latino cast and take a setting that should be rich for animated exploration. To wit: The first real look we have at the movie looks incredible. "Dante's Lunch" is a short about Dante, the dog of Coco protagonist Max. He's quite literally a dog with a bone, as the short sees the extremely good boy dragged all around town by this dang bone. The final twist is pretty shocking.
You ought to watch this if you enjoy dogs, goth stuff, Dia de los Muertos, and good animation. This is extremely good.