Pixar are about to have a party. A gargantuan, musical party. The only catch? It revolves around the dead. But don’t let that warn you off. As Pixar legend Lee Unkrich informs Empire in our new issue, Coco is “colourful, musical and celebratory” – and we have some exclusive concept art by Sharon Calahan to share with you below:
Miguel – the young hero of the tale, voiced by newcomer Anthony Gonzalez – is in a bit of a Footloose situation. He loves music, his parents hate music. So, he heads to the shrine of his musical idol (Benjamin Bratt) in an act of desperation, only to accidentally open a path to the afterlife and the Land Of The Dead. Thankfully, he has skeleton Hector (Gael García Bernal) and dog (or ‘Xolo’) Dante to keep him company and help him find his way back home.
“It’s not about wallowing in the negativity of death,” Unkrich continues, his first Pixar directing gig since Toy Story 3. “We don’t often think about the people who were in our family long ago and who still, in subtle ways, influence who we are. What would we ask them? That was one of my early notions [for this story].”
Pixar’s Coco arrives in cinemas on 19 January. And don’t worry, John Ratzenberger will make an appearance. “He’ll be the only non-Latino in the entire film,” according to Unkrich.
For more on this film and much more besides, be sure to pick up a copy of our brand new issue, available in all Land Of The Dead and non-Land Of The Dead-based newsagents from today.