Disney and Pixar released a first look at their very first “musical” named Coco, about a young boy who is breaking all of the rules…
However if you ask the Director Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) he says the film isn’t “a break-out-into-song musical,” but rather, one “set against the backdrop of musical performance.”
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Unkrich went on to explain the the story is about an entire culture rather than just one family:
“The day John Lasseter gave the thumbs up for this movie, I immediately felt this huge weight drop onto my shoulders because I knew that we were doing something different than we had ever made at the studio and that for the first time, we were going to have this enormous responsibility to do right by this culture and not lapse into stereotype or clichรฉ.”
Back in 2013, Disney tried to trademark to the holiday name for this film, which created quite the fiasco, but the director explains:
“It reinforced our desire to make sure that we reached out to as many experts as we could and to involve as many people in telling this story accurately. This is a story we want to share with the world, but it’s also been particularly important to us that when the Latino community sees the film, that it resonates and it feels like we got it right, and that’s what we’re really trying to do. We all feel the gravity.”
In the photo below, Coco has accidentally stolen a guitar and is playing it to his relatives on Dia de Los Muertos in hopes of breaking an old ban on music.
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colourful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael Garcรญa Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history. Character actress Renรฉe Victor also joins the cast as Abuelita, Miguel’s grandmother.”
Coco, described as ‘a love letter to Mexico, will be directed by Lee Unkrich, the man behind Toy Story 3, alongside scriptwriter Adrian Molina.
The all-Latino voice cast will be comprised of Benjamin Bratt, Gael Garcรญa Bernal and Renรฉe Victor. The film’s protagonist will be voiced by newcomer Anthony Gonzales.
Coco arrives in theaters November 22, 2017.
