FOLLOW your dreams – but do not forget who you are or where you come from.

That is the message in Disney Pixar’s beautiful and deeply moving Coco.

Directors Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina use the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday – where the country honours the memory of those who have died – as a jumping off point for an animated film about finding your place under the weight of family expectations and customs.

Newcomer Anthony Gonzalez stars as Miguel, a budding musician who dreams of following in the footsteps of his great-great-grandfather.

But due to a terrible, unspoken moment in the family’s past they have put a ban on music and Miguel is expected to be a shoemaker.

In his desperate attempts to escape his fate, the youngster finds himself in the ‘Land of the Dead’ where he has the opportunity to learn from his ancestors, meet his musical hero Ernesto de la Cruz and discover the truth about what happened many generations ago.

Coco is one of Pixar’s most vibrant, colourful films. Not bad going for the studio behind Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo/Dory.

There are great little flourishes like a path of autumn leaves bridging the worlds between the living and dead while colourful spirit animals roam the skies.

Never before have ‘living skeletons’ had so much, well, life and Pixar’s work on the mannerisms of charming mutt Dante show the leading animation studio at its best.

But that is not what makes Coco so special – it is the emotional journey it takes you on.

For a family film, it packs quite a punch in terms of its message to audiences that life is short and that we should cherish and honour our family while we can.

Writers Unkrich, Molina, Jason Katz and Matthew Aldrich remind us that our bonds with those we love is fragile.

Not just because our time together is finite but because, with the passage of time, memories fade too.

The movie also explores legacy and sacrifice in a way that will give adults more pause for thought than younger viewers.

So why is a movie about a boy, his great-great grandfather and a guitar called Coco?

I would not want to spoil that here but expect a story that everyone can relate to that is beautifully told and incredibly touching.

This is a story for anyone who has followed their soul.

RATING: 9/10

DAVID MORGAN