In Pixar COCO coming to theaters in November, one of the key characters who impacts our leading man or should I say boy, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) is his great-great-grandmother, Mama Imelda.
How does Mama Imelda fit into Miguel’s life? He actually meets her in the colorful Land of the Dead where he learns she is the reason why the family and he can not play music.
THE LAND OF THE DEAD – In Disney•Pixar’s “Coco,” aspiring musician Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez) finds himself in the Land of the Dead—a rich and vibrant community featuring bridges of marigold petals. ©2017 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
But Miguel doesn’t just encounter his great-great-grandmother but “Pepita,” Mama Imelda’s spirit guide.
Learning how Alonso Martinez (Character/Rigging Artist), Nick Rosario (Directing Animator), Christian Hoffman (Characters Supervisor) brought PEPITA AND DANTE to life offered up a truly eye-opening behind the scenes look of how those two characters enhanced the story.
©2016 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved
Pepita may be Mama Imelda’s spirit guide but what does that mean exactly? Pepita is a wildcat with birdlike wings, an “Alebrijes” brought to life in the movie.
I learned that an “Alebrijes” is a traditional, brightly colored and handcrafted Mexican folk art created in 1936 by Pedro Linare. “Alebrijes” are dreamlike animals and can be lizards with rabbit ears or elephants with butterfly wings or every imaginable variation as you can see below.
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As you can see, the “Alebrijes” are intricately designed and painted and my attempt was pretty sad but it made me have a greater appreciation of the work.
In the Land of the Dead, Miguel not only encounters the loyal guardian Pepita but his faithful companion Dante. The team discussed their design of Miguel’s faithful companion, a Xolo dog, short for Xoloitzcuinti and the national dog of Mexico. As you can see, they ended up giving Dante patchy skin and a broken ear. But most noticeable is Dante’s tongue is always hanging out due to his missing teeth. I think Dante is going to be one of those unforgettable characters from the movie.
©2017 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
About Disney Pixar’s COCO– 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 magically transported to the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
Learn more about the making of Pixar COCO:
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- “Behind the Scenes” article featuring 2010’s Oscar®- and Golden Globe® for “Toy Story 3, Director Lee Unkrich and Producer Darla K. Anderson.
- Fun Facts About the Making of Disney Pixar featuring the Adrian Molina (Writer and Co-Director); Dean Kelly (Story Artist); Harley Jessup (Production Designer), Danielle Feinberg (DP-Lighting) and Chris Bernardi (Sets Supervisor.)
- Bringing the Skeletons to Live featuring Daniel Arriaga (Character Art Director), Gini Santos (Supervising Animator), Byron Bashforth (Character Shading Lead), Emron Grover (Simulation Technical Director)
Visit the official COCO website // Facebook // Twitter / Instagram
COCO opens in theatres everywhere on November 22nd!
Disclosure: NYC Single Mom was provided a trip to the San Francisco for the Disney/Pixar’s COCO Press Event. Opinions are 100% my own.
