10 Details From the Film, “Coco” That Make It One of the Best Animated Films in History

In 2017, Pixar released Coco, an intelligent and sophisticated tribute to Mexican culture. Not only does this film tell a very moving story, but it makes many people rethink their relationship with their family, so you might want to be wary of anyone who hasn’t shed at least one tear while watching this film!

Bright Side found some curious facts about this work of art that will likely make you fall even more in love with it. Check it out!

10. Things that will make you cry even more than the movie did

For example, co-director and screenwriter Adrian Molina revealed that the idea of showing Miguel watching Ernesto de la Cruz’s films to learn to play the guitar was inspired by his own experience as a child.

In fact, during his childhood in the 1990s, he recorded episodes of a television program that motivated him to strive for a better life.

9. The title changed in Brazil.

The original title of the film is Coco (which is the name of Miguel’s beautiful grandmother, the protagonist of the film), but in Portuguese, it can be translated as “coconut” or “the fruit” or — believe it or not — “excrement.” So, to avoid confusion and to express the joyful spirit of the film, it was decided to change the title to Viva.

8. The appearance of Frida Kahlo reminds us a little of her story.

The house Frida Kahlo owned in Coyoacán was home to several exotic animals such as monkeys, which played an important role in its history. According to the artist, the monkeys in her paintings were like a portrait of the children she could never have.

7. The characters that inspired Ernesto de la Cruz

The character of Ernesto de la Cruz came to be thanks to the idea that he was a contemporary of Jorge Negrete and Pedro Infante, venerable idols of the Golden Age in Mexico. Ironically, both figures can be seen attending de la Cruz’s party in the film.

6. Dante is a Xoloitzcuintle

The Xoloitzcuintle, also known as the “Mexican bald dog,” is an ancient dog breed. Nowadays, it’s very common, and even Frida Kahlo herself had several of these dogs. If you walk through the streets of Mexico, you will see many people with these pets.

5. Aztec marigolds

The Aztec marigold, also known as the African or Mexican marigold, which appears several times in the film, only grows in November. It’s one of the many decorations intended to welcome visiting spirits.

4. The guitar has a gold tooth, just like Héctor.

In quick scenes and in small details, the film shows that the guitar Miguel thought belonged to Ernesto de la Cruz had a gold tooth in its neck. This allows us to understand that, in reality, the instrument always belonged to Héctor.

3. The mariachis

Declared an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, the mariachis are one of Mexico’s great sources of pride: it’s the cultural result of a mixture of religion and music. The tunes are always present at birthdays, public parties, weddings, serenades, and at almost all celebrations.

And guess what? They’re also in the movie!

2. Emiliano Zapata

Emiliano Zapata Salazar was one of the most important military and peasant leaders of the Mexican Revolution who symbolized peasant resistance. He and other personalities of Mexican culture make small appearances in different scenes of the animated film.

1. Originally, the Land of the Dead had skyscrapers everywhere, as the idea was to represent Mexico’s current era.

In the final design, the buildings were eliminated, as it was thought that they took away much of the charm of the Land of the Dead. The story of the film has a lot to do with tradition, so they decided to focus on early 20th century Mexico.

The buildings were designed to represent history, with the pyramids at the base, the large houses and villas in the middle, colorful houses that look like small favelas, and finally, the most modern buildings. They spiral upward, and many of them are connected to each other by cableways.

Did you like this article? Did you notice these details before? Feel free to share your opinion with us in the comment section! ?