A merry flicksmas
Coco and Early Man star in BBC1’s festive films line-up
A FILM about a boy who cheats death so his family can once again enjoy the gift of music will warm hearts on Christmas Day.
Coco, from Toy Story makers Pixar Amination Studios, premieres on BBC1 in the afternoon as families gather for the first time in months.
It tells the story of 12- year- old Miguel, who is banned by his parents and granny from playing the guitar.
Miguel is transported to the Land of the Dead where he seeks the help of a long-departed ancestor, who the family believe abandoned them to pursue his own musical dreams.
A source said: “Miguel’s journey leads him to find out all about love, life, death, betrayal and, most of all, family. It’s an uplifting story, sure to go down well with viewers of all ages.”
The 2017 movie took £605million at the box office worldwide.
It went on to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2018.
A review in Empire raved of it: “Pixar has raised the animation bar again, with its most musical – and arguably most magical – film yet.
“If this is the afterlife we’re all headed to, don’t fear the reaper.” More family fun beckons on Christmas morning as BBC1 screens Early Man.
The stop- motion animation by Wallace and Gromit makers Aardman follows a Stone Age tribe who have to defend their homeland from Bronze Age invaders in a bizarre winner-takes-all football match.
Other titles on the channel for the first time over the holidays include Spider-Man: Homecoming, Cars 3, Dunkirk and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Last year’s special feature How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming, will get another airing as well.
Over on BBC2, highlights include 2018 film The Happy Prince, based on the final days of literary giant Oscar Wilde, Rudolf Nureyev biopic The White Crow and Armando Iannucci’s satire The Death of Stalin.