[Upbeat mariachi music]
Pixar’s Coco was in development for 6 years
before being released on November 22nd 2017,
and during that time
the story went through several revisions,
Miguel’s original voice actor had to be replaced,
and the animators had to figure out
how to avoid skeleton wedgies.
[whiplash sound effect]
Stick around to hear about these behind the scenes stories and MORE
as we take a look at
10 fun facts about how Coco was made.
[swelling music]
[guitar strum]
[soft guitar music]
One of Coco’s revisions changed how
the story would begin.
It was originally going to start with a song to explain the significance
of Dia de Los Muertos.
[Percussion beating]
The scene was eventually scrapped though because the filmmakers found out
that the song was entertaining,
but wasn’t helping test audiences
understand the holiday any better.
[“Remember me….]
However, there was one part of the intro that was kept,
which was when Ernesto de la Cruz
sings Remember Me.
[“Remember me….]
[Upbeat marimba music]
Pixar has lots of easter eggs hidden throughout all their movies,
and in Coco there is a scene
when Miguel runs through a market and a pile of Buzz and Woody piñatas
can be seen in the background.
The real reason for this easter egg though
was to pay homage to the many Pixar-themed piñatas
the animators saw during their research trips in Mexico.
If you know about any more easter eggs in Coco,
share them by leaving a comment below.
[“So get free footwear (clap, clap)”]
Coco was first planned to be a full-out musical
[“Riveras, Riveras”]
and was even going to have Miguel’s family involved in the songs too.
But the whole idea was eventually scrapped
because the animators realized it didn’t make sense
that a family who forbids music
would break out into song throughout the movie.
[“We’re tethered together forever, and ever,
and ever, and ever, and whether we like it or not!”]
[Upbeat trumpet music]
The six year development cycle for Coco ended up affecting who would
be providing Miguel’s voice.
In the film his voice was performed by Anthony Gonzales,
but the role initially went to Emilio Fuentes,
but over six years his voice changed so he had to be replaced.
The directors still wanted him to play a role in the movie,
so he was cast as the stagehand
who Ernesto pushes aside during the climax of the film.
“Places señor!"
You’re on in 30 seconds!”
Early on Abuelita was going to use a wooden spoon
to whack anyone that was out of line,
but eventually the spoon was changed to be a chancla, or sandle,
to be more authentic to Mexican culture.
[Miguel: “It’s just Dante!”
Abuelita: Never name a street dog!
They’ll follow you forever.”]
Part of Dante’s character was inspired by a dog the filmmakers saw
during a dinner visit with a family in Oaxaca.
During dinner the family’s basset hound kept sneaking into the room
to take bites of a muffin on the ofrenda,
and someone from the family would always rush over to try and stop him.
The filmmakers thought it was a pretty funny sight
and decided it would be a perfect fit
for Dante’s character.
[Glass shatters]
Another one of Coco’s story revisions
was about how Miguel would return home.
Originally when Miguel was introduced to his dead relatives
he would find out they were cursed by having to sing
whenever they opened their mouths
[Singing ”The guitar! Give it to me!”]
and the only way to break the curse
would’ve been to destroy Ernesto’s guitar,
which Miguel needed to get back home.
However, this plot line was abandoned once the characters Hector and Ernesto
were further developed.
[Upbeat trumpet music continues]
The city Guanajuato inspired the design
for the Land of the Dead
with the way its buildings are stacked on top of one another.
The animators wanted their city to have of a congested design as well,
and to also tell a story about Mexico’s architectural heritage.
You’ll see Aztec pyramids at the base of the towers
and then the architecture becomes more and more modern
with metropolis scaffolding at the top.
Some of the most challenging effects in CG animated films
aren’t big explosions, or extravagant action set pieces,
but instead can come from much more subtle areas
such as the way fabric interacts with the characters.
For example, in The Incredibles
shirt grabs were some of the most difficult effects of
the whole movie.
Click the YouTube card on the screen
if you’d like to learn more facts about how The Incredibles was made.
On Coco, however,
the problems with fabric were a huge challenge because the clothing
was interacting with skeletons,
which meant costumes would often get stuck between the character’s bones
and would sometimes create some skeleton wedgies.
To solve the issue they had to create a technique
called continuous collision detection,
which as the name suggests, meant they programmed the fabric
to know where the characters were,
even when they moved at a fast pace.
[“My family always,
ALWAYS puts my photo on the ofrenda.
That “devil box” tells you nothing but lies!”]
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