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September 19, 2017 //

The story of COCO Shares the Importance of Family and Dia de los Muertos #PixarCocoEvent

Coco will be in theaters this November.  Coco is about the holiday Dia de Los Muertos and while in Pixar Studios in San Francisco, I had the opportunity to learn more about the significance of the holiday and more about how the movie was created.

Coco movie poster

Two men standing in front of Coco art

Dean Kelly and Adrian Molina present at “Coco” Long Lead Press Day, which included a filmmaker roundtable, presentations about the music, story, characters and set designs of the film, on August 4, 2017 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Marc Flores / Pixar)

 

Coco – A Universal Story of Family

Story artist Dean Kelly and Writer/Co-director Adrian Molina took us on the journey of how the story of Coco came to be.

In 2011, they had a rough story pitch set in Mexico around Dia de Los Muertos.  We learned that at the beginning of the movie journey, it always comes down to research so they traveled to Mexico to learn more.

The movie Coco looks to answer this question, What does it mean to be a part of the family?

Dia de Los Muertos, Day of the Dead has origins from pre-colonial times.  During this holiday celebration, it is like a grand family reunion where everyone is getting out into the streets and having fun.  Molina shared that Dia de Los Muertos is a time to celebrate and be joyful.

Two men standing next to a projectgion screen

Dean Kelly and Adrian Molina present at “Coco” Long Lead Press Day, which included a filmmaker roundtable, presentations about the music, story, characters and set designs of the film, on August 4, 2017 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Marc Flores / Pixar

Dia de Los Muertos Customs:

  • The ofrenda is a special altar where offerings or gifts are placed to honor the dead.

 

  • Food and drink are placed there so that the dead will have something to eat and drink after their long journey,

 

  • Photos are displayed on the ofrenda to remember faces of loved ones  and to inspire stories of them
Art of boy standing on a flowered bridge

COCO – Concept art by Robert Kondo. ©2017 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

To help the dead on their journey, a marigold path of flowers create a bridge to help guide them home and to the cemetery.  This bridge connects The Land of the Dead with The Land of the Living.  The vigil takes place all night long with music, parades, and candles to light the night. During this time, it is a moment of togetherness and reunion.

Boy sitting on his grandmother's lap

COCO – Concept art by Sharon Calahan. ©2017 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Tradition Makes the Story in Coco

Coco is a film that uses traditions to create the story.  In addition the ofrenda for the family, we learn that Miguel has his own special ofrenda for Ernesto de la Cruz.  Miguel has a passion for music but his family has banned music ( I can’t wait to learn more about why when I see more of the movie!)

Ernesto de la Cruz concept art

COCO – Ernesto de la Cruz concept art by Daniel Arriaga. ©2017 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Miguel struggles with following his family legacy and becoming a shoemaker. He wants to play his guitar and share his music with others but his family will not allow this.   In his special hiding place, Miguel has his own ofrenda and it is where we learn many secrets and how he has a connection to Ernesto de la Cruz.

de la Cruz’s movie lines resonate with Miguel and his love for music and open up the storyline for what is to come:

“I have to sing. I have to play. The music is not just in me. It is me.”

“Never underestimate the power of music.”

“I had to have faith in my dream. If I want to be a musician, I have to seize my moment.”

Miguel concept art

COCO – Concept art by Zaruhi Galstyan. ©2017 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

The Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead

.

Two men and a woman standing in front of Coco concept art

Danielle Feinberg, Harley Jessup and Chris Bernardi speak at “Coco” Long Lead Press Day,  Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Marc Flores / Pixar)

Production Designer Harley Jessup shared how 5 years of research inspiration and design helped to create the concept of what places in Coco would look like. During their visits to Mexico, it was evident that candles created a magical feeling at night.  One can see how this lighting inspired the style of The Land of the Dead.

Creating the City of The Dead

Once crossing over the marigold bridge to the Land of the Dead, it is as if one has entered a Grand Central Station.

The design of Land of the Dead has inspiration from the ancient city Tenochtitlan.

The Land of the Dead concept art

COCO – Concept art by Ernesto Nemesio. ©2017 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved

Set supervisor Chris Bernardo shared that creating the city of the dead was a unique visual challenge.  They wanted it to be as exciting and appealing as possible.

To create the tower, they paired artists from variety of departments to create and feed off of each other. They even created software to create a helicopter like movement around the tower.

The lower levels  are built like a Mayan structure. The idea is that they always building as people are always dying.  To develop, they went back and looked at photos from Mexico They wanted to formed a neighborhood like village to capture what they needed.

A fun fact about the Land of the Dead! The cobblestone is shaped like bones and when they pan out to a broad scene of Land of Dead, you see skull shapes hidden.

Boy and skeleton dancing together

Danielle Feinberg shared about how cinematography and lighting come together. Fun fact – There are 7 million lights in a shot of The Land of the Dead.

Adding the stages of lights is a process to create the final vibrant city.   Light can also highlight and create depth in images.

She also shared the use of Boca lighting to create a magical sense in the movie.

Using cool colors in The Land of the Dead and warm tones in The Land of the Living, one can differentiate from each of the lands and see how powerful color can be when using it wisely in the film.

This lighting technology helped to bring the world to life and created the backdrop for Miguel chasing after his dream and learning more about his family from the past.

Take a look at the official trailer of Disney Pixar’s Coco. 

 

Follow Pixar Coco on Social Media to find the latest information

Facebook      Twitter  (#PixarCoco)     Instagram          YouTube DisneyPixar

Stay tuned in the next few months to learn more about the movie Coco!

COCO opens in theaters everywhere on November 22nd!

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Filed Under: Movies

Comments

  1. Edye says

    September 19, 2017 at 10:49 am

    This movie is one I cannot wait to see! The graphics are awesome!

  2. Kristin C says

    September 19, 2017 at 12:32 pm

    I’m so excited to take my kids to this – we love all the Pixar movies!

  3. Cynthia R says

    September 19, 2017 at 12:49 pm

    This looks like a great movie, I love all the colors and designs for the background. Pixar can do no wrong!

  4. Sarah L says

    September 19, 2017 at 11:48 pm

    Looks like a great movie. Will be watching for it.

  5. Janet W. says

    September 20, 2017 at 8:25 am

    I’m really excited to see this movie with my grandsons! Looks fantastic!

  6. Julie Wood says

    September 20, 2017 at 8:52 am

    This looks like such a good movie! I would love to see such a colorful movie with the kids!

  7. Dana Rodriguez says

    September 21, 2017 at 12:48 pm

    I think this movie looks so good! Pixar movies are the best!

  8. Eva D says

    September 21, 2017 at 2:08 pm

    looks like a fun movie

  9. Laurajj says

    September 21, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    Oh this looks so good! I cannot wait to take the family to see this! I love the movies that teach the kids good values!

  10. Eva D says

    September 22, 2017 at 12:44 pm

    my kids are going to love this movie

  11. Kari Lorz says

    September 22, 2017 at 4:49 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing info about the history and significance of the holiday. I enjoyed learning!

  12. Sarah L says

    September 23, 2017 at 11:27 pm

    Celebrate and be joyful. I like that.

  13. Dandi D says

    September 26, 2017 at 8:06 am

    This sounds like a great movie and I know I’d enjoy watching it with my son!

  14. Becky Kinard says

    September 30, 2017 at 1:18 am

    I also can’t wait to see why the family has banned music when the movie comes out I do love all the colors used when they created the movie.

  15. Tamra Phelps says

    September 30, 2017 at 2:27 pm

    This really looks like another Disney classic. Visually, it looks like it will be stunning, & the story sounds good, too.

  16. Claudia D says

    September 30, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    It seems like such a great movie I can’t wait to see it!

  17. Jana Leah says

    October 1, 2017 at 1:52 pm

    The detail is incredible & so pretty.

  18. Jessica Salazar says

    November 12, 2017 at 11:29 pm

    So much detail and loving all the great animation. Can’t wait to see this !

Kerri has been blogging for over 9 years. Since Raising 3 Savvy Ladies has grown, her sister, Lauren joins her in sharing the latest trends. Raising 3 Savvy Ladies is a NYC lifestyle blog where we share our travel adventures, what life is like over 40 and our favorite movies and theater experiences.

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So happy to kick off the holiday season with @macy So happy to kick off the holiday season with @macys and Santa! Last night, we took the train into the city to preview #Macys #Santaland I have to say it was quite magical. Although my youngest was 12, Santa was able to connect to her and put us all in the holiday spirit. 

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