Coco is Pixar's next hit - but you can't see it till Boxing Day

A scene from Coco, Pixar's new animated hit. Photo/AP

It's received rave reviews from critics and is a box office hit overseas.

But you can't see Pixar's new film Coco until after Christmas.

Coco, an animated comedy-musical, sang its way to the fourth best Thanksgiving weekend ever with an estimated $71.2 million over the five-day weekend, nabbing the No. 1 spot and beating Justice League by some margin.

Centered on the Mexican holiday Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Coco has already set box office records in Mexico.

Miguel, voiced by Anthony Gonzalez, in a scene from the animated film Coco. Photo/AP

It's not set to be released in New Zealand until December 26, but critics have raved about the film and it has a 96 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Pixar's Day-of-the-Dead gem pays loving tribute to Mexican culture with animation that brims over with visual pleasures, comic energy and emotional wallop," wrote Peter Travers for Rolling Stone.

The Hollywood Reporter agreed: "At every imaginative juncture, the filmmakers (the screenplay is credited to Pixar veteran Molina and Matthew Aldrich) create a richly woven tapestry of comprehensively researched storytelling, fully dimensional characters, clever touches both tender and amusingly macabre, and vivid, beautifully textured visuals."

The Seattle Times said it was "overflowing with love, poignancy, humour, colour and music".

Coco hits New Zealand theatres on December 26.

- NZ Herald with AP