The next Pixar release headed our way might be the darkly-tinged Cars 3, but for fans of the animation team's original work, there is good news: Lee Unkrich's Coco is also out in 2017, and the director has just announced Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renée Victor and newcomer Anthony Gonzalez as four of the main voices.
Directed by Unkrich alongside Adrian Molina (who also wrote the script and scored the promotion on the strength of his work), Coco tells the tale of Miguel (Gonzalez), who chafes against his family's confusing, generations-long ban on music. Dreaming of emulating his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (Bratt) and becoming an accomplished musician, Miguel's efforts somehow land him in the mysterious and colourful Land Of The Dead. As he tries to find his way, he teams up with charming trickster Hector (Bernal), who helps him unlock the truth behind Miguel's family history, including that of his Abuelita (or Granny, voiced by Victor).
According to Unkrich, keeping the film both relevant and culturally sensitive was foremost on the filmmakers' minds. "It was important to us from day one that we had an all-Latino cast,” he tells EW. “It focused us, and we ended up with a fantastic mix of people — some from Mexico and some from Los Angeles."
Coco will be out in the US on 22 November next year, with the UK release set for a couple of weeks later, 8 December.