How Do They Bring the Skeletons to Life in Coco?

Character Shading Lead Byron Bashforth, Simulation Technical Director Emron Grover, Supervising Animator Gini Santos and Character Art Director Daniel Arriaga 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 3, 2017 at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)

Simulation Technical Director Emron Grover, Supervising Animator Gini Santos and Character Art Director Daniel Arriaga 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 Deborah Coleman / Pixar)
Design questions when thinking about how to create the skeletons:

COCO – Concept art by John Nevarez. ©2017 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Animation Process of Creating Skeletons


COCO – Mamá Imelda concept art by Daniela Strijleva. ©2017 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.


Character Shading Lead Byron Bashforth, Simulation Technical Director Emron Grover, Supervising Animator Gini Santos and Character Art Director Daniel Arriaga 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 Deborah Coleman / Pixar)
Now that you have learned all about the skeletons, take a look at the trailer to see how the skeletons will look in the upcoming movie!
What a lot of thought at work went into these skeletons. I want to see the movie.
Fascinating! I want to see it 🙂
This is so interesting! I love the skeletons they came up with! They are all so unique!
This is such a creative and well made movie! I need to take the kids to see it! I see that it comes out next month!
I have always thought these animation cartoonist creators are so cool, probably the coolest job out there, looks so fun and how talented are these people!
This looks like a movie that my niece and nephew would really enjoy!
I cannot wait to see this one! I actually visited Disney Pixar Studios last year and I was just AMAZED at the work that went into each and every film! It’s an amazing place!
How fascinating. I would have loved to be able to go to this event.
I am amazed at how this is done. Takes lots of talent.
I love that Disney/Pixar animators pay so much attention to detail, like how the clothes will fit on the skeletons without bodies. Also that they study so much anatomy to get realistic movement on the skeletons. I am so excited to see this movie!
This looks like it will be a fun movie. The characters remind me of Day of the Dead.
Wow these people are amazingly talented!
I’m really looking forward to this movie. It seems like the animation is going to be gorgeous. And Pixar pretty much never lets me down.
I love Skeletons can’t wait!
Animation has come so far — it’s unreal what they can do now. I remember watching Roger Rabbit years ago and it was the first animated movie that showed the characters shadow and was deemed a great feat at the time. Now with technology, it is just amazing what they can do.. This was very interesting post. Thanks.
I am amazed by Pixar. It really has taken animation to a whole new level. To me, it is almost 3D compared to the old fashioned cartoons. So lifelike and the movements so smooth and natural.