Pixar's Coco Blends Mexican Culture with Memory Themes

Released in late 2017, Pixar's 19th feature film Coco, co-directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, has already won a Golden Globe on January 8 and is a strong Oscar contender for Best Animated Feature. The story follows 12-year-old Miguel Rivera, who dreams of becoming a musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz, but his family has banned music for generations after his great-great-grandfather abandoned his wife Coco. During Día de Muertos, Miguel steals a guitar from de la Cruz's tomb and is transported to the Land of the Dead, a vibrant, colorful realm inspired by Mexican culture, including references to Frida Kahlo, Dolores del Río, Cantinflas, María Félix, and Pedro Infante. The film emphasizes memory as a life-or-death theme, echoing earlier Pixar works like Inside Out, Up, and Toy Story. The article was published on Artribune Magazine #41.