Coco is a 2017 American animated
fantasy film produced by
Pixar Animation Studios and released by
Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by
Lee Unkrich, co-directed by
Adrian Molina, and produced by
Darla K. Anderson, from a screenplay written by Molina and Matthew Aldrich, and a story by Unkrich, Molina, Aldrich, and Jason Katz, based on an original idea conceived by Unkrich. The film stars the voices of
Anthony Gonzalez,
Gael García Bernal,
Benjamin Bratt,
Alanna Ubach,
Renée Victor,
Ana Ofelia Murguía, and
Edward James Olmos. The story follows a 12-year-old boy named Miguel (Gonzalez) who is accidentally transported to the
Land of the Dead, where he seeks the help of his deceased musician great-great-grandfather to return him to his family and reverse their ban on music.
The concept for
Coco is inspired by the Mexican holiday
Day of the Dead. Pixar began developing the animation in 2016. Unkrich, Molina, and some of the film's crew visited Mexico for research. Composer
Michael Giacchino, who had worked on prior Pixar animated features, composed the score. With a cost of $175–225
million,
Coco is the first film with a nine-figure budget to feature an all-Latino principal cast.
Coco premiered on October 20, 2017, during the
Morelia International Film Festival in
Morelia, Mexico.
It was theatrically released in Mexico the following week, the weekend before
Día de Muertos, and in the United States on November 22, 2017. The film received acclaim for its animation, voice acting, music, visuals, emotional story, and respect for
Mexican culture. It grossed over $814
million worldwide, becoming
the 16th highest-grossing animated film ever at the time of its release.
Coco received two awards at the
90th Academy Awards and
numerous other accolades. The film was chosen by the
National Board of Review as the
Best Animated Film of 2017.