I shouldn't have been surprised that Pixar's latest film almost made me cry. This is the studio that brought us the ten devastating minutes that is the 'Married Life' segment of Up. To add to this, Coco is from the director of Toy Story 3 which has the emotional rollercoaster ride that is the furnace scene. Still the emotional impact of Coco, a misleadingly simple film, sneaks up on you with the ending gaining an unexpected resonance.

Coco tells the story of Miguel, a young Mexican boy who comes from a long line of shoemakers. Through a charming opening, told using images on bunting, Miguel explains why music is banned in his family. Yet our hero dreams of becoming a musician. To do this he, and his comedy sidekick dog, must travel through the Land of the Dead to confront his family's past.

From the description, Coco seems a minor addition to Pixar's body of work. And initially it feels this way, lightly exploring Mexican culture and focusing in on one family in one village. It lacks some of the mythological sweep of fellow journey to the Land of the Dead, The Book of Life. Yet from humble beginnings the film draws in the audience, giving them a gorgeously rendered exploration of death and the afterlife. There is great fun had here with the design of the world and its inhabitants. The film explores, with surprising complexity, memory and all the complications that come from the aging process. In the final third Coco blossoms, leading to a re-evaluation of one of the comedic characters of the film, who becomes central to the film's emotional resonance. As the final moments played out I found my emotions welling up, as the film explores deeply personal yet universal issues. While I may have almost openly wept in the cinema, I have never seen such a joyful depiction of death. The finale is a powerful mix of sorrow, celebration and hope.

No matter the quality of a Pixar film, you can bet the cast will be exemplary and thankfully free of stunt casting that has plagued other high profile animations. Anthony Gonzalez makes an endearing lead, while there is very good support from Renee Victor, Gael García Bernal and Alanna Ubach. The songs, central to the narrative, are great, with 'Remember Me' proving a particularly soulful number.

The one misstep is nothing to do with the film itself. Bizarrely the usual accompaniment to a Pixar film of an animated short is missing. The lack of this feels strange, especially as this is such a key route for the animation studio to allow talent to flourish. In the past the directors of Ratatouille, Brave and The Good Dinosaur all first directed shorts for Pixar, and this choice to not include one is strange.

We are now past the heyday of Pixar, with the animated giant often bogged down by sequels (does the world really need three Cars films?). But occasionally they produce a gem like Coco. While it might not be as funny as some, nor as imaginative an exploration of an unseen world as others, it successfully pulls at the audience's heartstrings and explores topics that you wouldn't expect in a children's film. I have intense admiration that Pixar believes in the younger audience members and so can explore difficult topics. It is this, beyond the technical proweress on display, that makes Coco a must-see film.