character
Inhabiting the Land of the Dead is a rich and vibrant community. But these characters had to be built without many of the usual traits because they are all skeletons. “We had to figure out how to give them personality without skin, muscles, noses or even lips,” says character art director Daniel Arriaga. “We played with shapes and did a lot of paintings. We sculpted and studied skulls from every angle to figure out where we could add appeal and charm.”
-
Miguel
Miguel is a 12-year-old who struggles against his family’s generations-old ban on music. “Miguel secretly nurtures this love of music,” says director Lee Unkrich. “He’s constructed a guitar and designed it to mimic Ernesto’s iconic skull guitar. And he’s taught himself to play.”
-
Héctor
Héctor, a charming trickster in the Land of the Dead, enlists Miguel’s help to visit the Land of the Living. “He desperately wants to cross the marigold bridge on Día de los Muertos,” says co-director Adrian Molina. “But there's a rule that if no one in the Land of the Living is actively remembering you—if no one has put your photo up on an Ofrenda—then there's no one in the Land of the Living to receive you and you cannot cross over.”
-
Ernesto de la Cruz
Miguel’s idol Ernesto de la Cruz, is the most famous musician in the history of Mexico. Revered by fans worldwide until his untimely death, the charming and charismatic musician is even more beloved in the Land of the Dead. “Ernesto de la Cruz’s catchphrase was ‘Seize your moment,’” says director Lee Unkrich. “And Miguel takes that to heart.”
-
Dante
Dante is a Xolo dog—short for Xoloitzcuintli—the national dog of Mexico. Nearly hairless, Dante has trouble keeping his tongue in his mouth due to his missing teeth—but he’s a loyal companion to Miguel. “Dante is Miguel’s confidant, the only character he shares his music with,” says screenwriter Matthew Aldrich.
-
Abuelita
Abuelita is Miguel’s grandmother and the ultimate enforcer of the Rivera family rules. She loves her family very much and will do anything to protect them. But when she gets angry, she wields a mean shoe. “Abuelita is the torchbearer when it comes to the family’s rule where music is concerned,” says director Lee Unkrich. “She can be warm and loving one moment and sharp-tongued and strict the next. That’s what’s so entertaining about her—you never know what you’re going to get.”
-
Pepita
Pepita is an alebrije who fills the role of Mamá Imelda’s spirit guide. Brightly colored and fiercely loyal, Pepita is a formidable presence in the Land of the Dead. An imposing wildcat with eagle talons and impressive wings, Pepita is an alebrije brought-to-life. “Alebrijes are traditional brightly colored and handcrafted Mexican folk art,” says story supervisor Jason Katz. “They’re dreamlike animals—lizards with rabbit ears, elephants with butterfly wings—beautifully rendered with striking colors, and we knew from the moment we saw them that they needed to have a place in our story.”
-
Mamá Imelda
Mamá Imelda, Miguel’s great-great-grandmother, is the matriarch of the Rivera family and the founder of their successful shoemaking business. Miguel meets Mamá Imelda in the Land of the Dead and discovers she really does not share his passion for music. “Imelda is the source of the family’s ban on music,” says director Lee Unkrich. “Long ago, she was married to a musician, but she found that he had very different priorities in life. She wanted to raise a family, but he couldn’t let go of his love of music.”
-
Frida
Frida, a ground breaking artistic figure in Mexican culture, continues her expressive vision in the Land Of The Dead and is one of Miguel’s first artistic allies, helping him to see that a life of an artist could actually be more than just a dream.
-
Mamá Coco
Miguel’s cherished great-grandmother Mamá Coco is very old and fragile, but that doesn’t stop Miguel from sharing his daily adventures with her. According to Director Lee Unkrich, filmmakers were touched by so many of the Mexican homes they visited in which multiple generations lived under the same roof. “Babies were at home alongside their great-grandmothers,” says Unkrich. “We wanted to embrace that. Even as her own memory is slipping away, Mamá Coco will always be surrounded by people who love her.”
-
Chicharrón
Chicharrón is a curmudgeonly friend of Héctor’s who is sadly being forgotten—an unfortunate condition in the Land of the Dead.
-
The Rivera Family
Papá, Miguel’s supportive father, hopes that someday Miguel will join him in the family shoemaking business. After all, a Rivera is a shoemaker through and through. Miguel’s loving Mamá gently encourages her son to embrace their family’s traditions. She and Papá are expecting a new little brother or sister for Miguel. Miguel’s ancestors also include his late aunt Tía Rosita, his great-grandfather Papá Julio and his identical twin uncles Tío Oscar and Tío Felipe.
-
The Rivera Family
Papá, Miguel’s supportive father, hopes that someday Miguel will join him in the family shoemaking business. After all, a Rivera is a shoemaker through and through. Miguel’s loving Mamá gently encourages her son to embrace their family’s traditions. She and Papá are expecting a new little brother or sister for Miguel. Miguel’s ancestors also include his late aunt Tía Rosita, his great-grandfather Papá Julio and his identical twin uncles Tío Oscar and Tío Felipe.
-
Skeletons
Global technology supervisor J.D. Northrup came on board early in the production to address potential issues for “Coco”—and creating skeletons certainly qualified. “The skeletons can detach their bones and do little gags. Even their vertebrae comes apart,” says Northrup. “Each piece had to be independent so the complexity of the rig and the stress that it puts on the pipeline were something like we've never seen before.”