How Did Pixar Create the Incredible Journey of 'Coco'?

Pixar has always been known for its extraordinary imagination, vibrant visual effects, passionate musical experiences, and the timeless themes of love and memories conveyed in its films. These qualities have consistently earned praise from audiences.

"Coco," however, goes beyond all expectations. It rekindles our admiration for the creativity of filmmakers, reaffirms our trust in the power of cinematic dreams, and reminds us to cherish the beautiful things in life. Pixar, with its roots in technology, has never forsaken its most precious quality-the ability to touch hearts. Let's take a closer look at how Pixar crafted the world of "Coco."

An Odd Title: Choosing Mystery

In September 2011, Pixar veteran and director of "Monsters, Inc.," "Finding Nemo," and "Toy Story 2 & 3," Lee Unkrich, took to his personal Twitter account to announce a new project, providing little detail. At CinemaCon in 2012, the theme of the film centered around the Mexican Day of the Dead was revealed, but the project remained shrouded in secrecy, with few details disclosed.

It wasn't until the Disney D23 Expo in 2015 that director Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson unveiled the film's title - "Coco." Unkrich explained the somewhat whimsical choice by stating that they selected the name precisely for the air of mystery it carried. When you enter the cinema, you have no idea what "Coco" means or who Coco is, but within moments, you discover that Coco is Miguel's great-grandmother. She is the eldest member of the family, the guardian of family stories and memories, and a central character who connects various themes in the movie.

While Coco's screen time may be limited, those four letters encapsulate the most profound emotional elements of the film. As the bumbling spirit, Hector recalls his beloved daughter, and as Miguel tearfully strums his guitar and sings "Remember Me" in front of his great-grandmother, the audience comes to understand how fitting and moving this title truly is.

Vibrant Exoticism: A Love Letter to Mexico

The Mexican Day of the Dead is a holiday that celebrates family reunions, the joy of life, and the remembrance of departed loved ones. Celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, this festival requires certain ritual items such as sugar skulls and marigolds. It is believed that the strong fragrance of marigolds and the vivid colors of sugar skulls guide the souls of the deceased back home. It's clear that Mexicans approach the Day of the Dead with a sense of joy and festivity rather than somber reflection. It's more of a celebration of life than a solemn remembrance of the departed.

In Mexican culture, marigolds symbolize the path to the family. In "Coco," constructed by marigold petals, the bridge connects the world of the living and the world of the dead. As we join the protagonist, Miguel, on this incredible journey filled with memories, we witness a new world sketched with an extraordinary imagination.

Creating the Land of the Dead: Unprecedented Field Research

To tell the Day of the Dead story vividly, director Unkrich and his team made trips to the Mexican cities of Oaxaca and Guanajuato to gather materials, transforming themselves from novices into semi-experts on the holiday. Pixar even established a cultural consultant group for the film, consisting of artists, playwrights, photographers, and more.

The Land of the Dead in the film is depicted as a splendid Victorian-style metropolis. Designed by Harley Jessup, who worked on "Monsters University," and lit by Danielle Feinberg, the director of photography (responsible for composition, framing, and visual effects in CG animation), using seven million individually coded lights, the Land of the Dead is presented as a dazzling and otherworldly place.

Danielle, the cinematographer, embarked on her first-ever field research for a film. Previously, her work on scenes in "WALL-E" involved a garbage dump and outer space, rendering real-world research irrelevant. "Brave" was set in ancient Scotland, another scenario that didn't require field visits. However, "Coco" was different. It was not a fictional world but needed real-world details to bring it to life.

Emotional Core: Sharing Love, Growing, and Dreaming

During the early stages of the film's development, director Unkrich learned that in the Day of the Dead tradition, the deceased are not completely immune to harm. In Mexican culture, death is multifaceted-there is physical death, the burial of the body, and then there's the moment when no one remembers you anymore. This provided the film with a poignant premise: when there's no one left in the living world who remembers you, you vanish from existence, a concept that carries several heart-wrenching moments in the film.

While the film's geographical setting is distinctively Mexican, audiences from all backgrounds can relate to its universal themes: family, dreams, love, and memories. We, like Miguel, grapple with the conflicts between personal fulfillment and familial expectations, a dilemma that nearly everyone encounters in their journey of growth.

Different viewers may have different takeaways from "Coco," but its core emotions are universal. Life can be filled with disappointments and frustrations, yet for at least 109 minutes, Pixar leads us to escape into a world of love and beauty. Together with the main character, we embark on an adventure of self-discovery and growth.