7 Things You Didn't Know About Coco
Disney and Pixar’s highly anticipated new film Coco hits theatres in the UK and Ireland this week. Fresh from its Golden Globe® win for Best Motion Picture – Animated, we couldn't be more excited to see this film.
To celebrate the release we’ve put together a list of fun facts about the animated film:
1. There are bone-shaped paving stones in the streets of The Land of the Dead
Keep an eye out to see if you can spot them while you watch the movie.
2. Marigolds are the only living plants you will see in The Land of the Dead
The fact that these are the only living plants in the Land of the Dead set it apart from The Land of The Living. During their preliminary research trips to Mexico, the filmmakers learned that marigolds play a huge role in Día de Los Muertos: guiding the spirit of a loved one home. And it doesn’t hurt that they’re beautiful.
3. Dante's breed is Xoloitzcuintli, which is the national dog of Mexico
Dante is Miguel’s loyal pet in the movie … Xolo dogs are nearly hairless, and often have missing teeth, causing their tongues to hang out. Local Xolo dogs visited Pixar, so that animators could study them.
4. When you see anyone play the guitar in Coco, they are actually playing the correct notes
Using videos of musicians who had cameras attached to their guitars as a reference, animators were able to make the guitar-playing in the movie authentic.
5. Ernesto De La Cruz was animated so exactly that even his adam's apple moves when he sings
Thanks to the magic of additional facial rigs, de la Cruz’s throat and cheeks also vibrate when he sings.
6. There were 500 individual pieces of clothing created for crown characters
To get the look right for the characters—from the residents of Santa Cecilia, to the skeleton-attendees of Ernesto de la Cruz’s party in the Land of the Dead—animators spent time drawing in real-life sessions with Mexican folkloric dancers.
7. A cleft on Ernesto De La Cruz's chin is visible in both his living self and his land of the dead self
His pencil-thin mustache is also reminiscent of the mustaches that were popular when he was alive. Pixar animators really think of everything.