Life and death, according to Pixar

There is controversy surrounding the temporary axing of John Lasseter, creative director of Pixar, the subsidiary of Walt Disney, with the release of Coco, his new movie. Set in Mexico around the celebration of the Day of the Dead, it is a fantasy concerning the family and death .

Coco is largely the story Miguel, a young and aspiring Mexican singer who idolizes Ernesto de la Cruz, the most famous musician in his country. But, in previous generations Miguel’s family has forbidden music, which places the protagonist at a sentimental crossroads.

In a surprising twist in the plot of Coco, Miguel is only visible to those who, on the Day of the Dead, have come to visit the land of mortals. In a conversation with El Punt Today, Molina explained that “the beginning of the creative process is as if we were opening a door that gives onto the sky...It’s very useful to have a team that you can close inside a room and exchange ideas while having a laugh.“

The box office success that Coco is having in the U. S. – and in Mexico, where it has become a phenomenon – could lead to a greater public conversation about a delicate issue such as death in a family. For Molina, “what is interesting about the Day of the Dead is that it is a celebration from the perspective of bringing together the family and finding connections with past generations. The viewers will see it is a story about optimism and power.”