It's not a surprise that most of the attention on Pixar has been focused on Cars 3. It's possibly their most lucrative franchise and should make a splash when it arrives this summer. But the animator has a second movie coming out later this year, an original film titled Coco, and with its Mexican "Day of the Dead" setting it promises to be a real departure. Let's just hope it can stand out from the excellent Book of Life from a couple of years ago.
A story of family lineage and history, Coco follows 12-year-old Miguel, a gifted musician who hopes to prove his talent by embarking on a journey to the colorful Land of the Dead. Here's the synopsis:
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 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.
While music is at the root of Miguel's story, director Lee Unkrich tells EW that it's not "a break-out-into-song musical.", which I have to admit is kind of disappointing.
Coco opens November 22nd.
