Cartoon Study: A Thrilling Tour Through The History of Wild Takes in Animation

Disney-Pixar has released a new trailer for its Day of the Dead-themed Coco, revealing a broader range of characters and locales than previously seen.

Coco follows the story of Miguel, who dreams of becoming a famous musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz, despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music. The trailer above reveals a spoiler that I don’t recall being part of earlier trailers, which is that de la Cruz is actually Miguel’s great-great-grandfather.

The new trailer also sets up the basic conflict, which is that Miguel has until sunrise to find his great-great-grandpa or he permanently becomes part of the Land of the Dead. He finds him in the trailer, but whether he makes it out of the Land of the Dead appears to be the film’s big question. The last shot of the trailer, which lasts for less than a second, shows Miguel playing the guitar in full skeleton form, so perhaps he doesn’t make it out.

Disney’s corporate “fansite” Oh My Disney revealed even more plot details that aren’t evident in the trailer:

Coco tells the story of aspiring musician Miguel, a boy who is magically sent to the Land of the Dead on Dia de los Muertos, and needs to find his family members in order to be sent back to the Land of the Living. To return to the Land of the Living, Miguel will need a magical marigold petal and the blessing of a family member. However, the family member can include any condition she likes—even forbidding music forever.

It’s somewhat uncommon for Disney to reveal so much of a film’s key plot points months before its release, but perhaps there’s a concern that American audiences won’t understand the Mexican mythology without advance knowledge of the film’s story.

Directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and co-directed by Adrian Molina, Coco opens in U.S. theaters on November 22.

Read More:    

Amid Amidi

Amid Amidi is Cartoon Brew's Publisher and Editor-at-large.

Latest News from Cartoon Brew