It was a magical night at the 2018 Oscars for the cast and creators of Pixar’s animated film, Coco. The film won multiple awards including Best Animated Feature. The competition for this coveted award included the popular films The Boss Baby and Ferdinand, as well as two smaller studio productions called The Breadwinner and Loving Vincent. Coco also took home the prize for Best Original Song for Remember Me. Coco’s wins at the Oscars comes as no surprise to most people. This movie truly had it all – a great storyline, fantastic music, and incredible animation – which was created in part by an Academy of Art University graduate named Daniel Arriaga. He spoke to students recently about his experience working as a Senior Director at Pixar.
The Story
Coco is about a 12-year-old boy by the name of Miguel Rivera who lives in Mexico. He has a deep passion for music and idolizes the town legend, Ernesto de la Cruz, who became a famous performer. Unfortunately, music is not allowed in his home. His great-great-grandmother was left by her husband, a musician. She became a successful shoe-maker and banned music from the home. Each generation that followed went into the family business of making shoes.
Despite his family’s strict policy against music, Miguel secretly plays the guitar until his grandmother catches him and destroys it. During the Día de los Muertos holiday, which honors deceased family members, Miguel “borrows” the guitar of de la Cruz for a music competition. When he strums the guitar, he is transported from his home to the Land of the Dead.
In the Land of the Dead, Miguel meets deceased members of his family, who try to help him return to the land of the living. But Miguel really wants to meet de la Cruz, who he believes could be his relative. Along the way, he also encounters a scraggly fellow named Héctor – who helps him to meet de la Cruz.
As the story unfolds, it is full of twists, turns, and truly heartfelt moments. It may be a big-budget production with dynamic effects, sound, and animation, but it starts with a heart-warming story, Academy of Art University graduate, Daniel Arriaga, truly cherished about the movie.
The Music
Naturally, since the storyline is about music, Coco is filled with great songs. In fact, it is the most musical feature that Pixar has created to date. Remember Me won the Oscar for Best Original Song. This song, along with others, was co-written by husband and wife songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. Robert Lopez is best known for his music in Frozen, The Book of Mormon, and Avenue Q.
The music is entertaining, lively, and deeply rooted in Mexican culture. According to Daniel Arriaga, Senior Director at Pixar and graduate of Academy of Art University, the makers of Coco wanted the film to be as authentic to the traditions of Día de los Muertos as possible.
The Animation
The animation involved in Pixar’s Coco was complex and visually stunning with vibrant hues of blue, green, yellow, and orange. And the skeletons who live in the Land of the Dead are anything but dull and lifeless. However, bringing these characters to life as relatable characters was a challenge.
Academy of Art University alumni, Daniel Arriaga, recently visited the school to discuss his role in creating the animation for Coco. He shared with current students details of the design process.
According to Daniel, “there were a ton of challenges that came with designing the skeletons”. Daniel shared details of the animation process from the earliest rough drafts to the final versions where the skeletons spring to life. The inspiration for the skeletons of Coco were the calaveras. Calaveras are the painted skulls that have become a symbolic part of the Día de los Muertos holiday.
Since Daniel’s family is Mexican-American, this film was very close to him. It was important to him that Coco was both respectful and true to the holiday. He shared stories with the audience about how he and others involved in the animation process found inspiration for the various skeletons, spirit animals, and other characters in the movie. He discussed how they brought each one to life and also gave animation students valuable tips that they could use in their own animation designs.
Academy of Art University
Daniel was appreciative of the opportunity to be back at the school where he learned his craft to share his success story with other aspiring animators. When asked about how to get a job in the world of animation, Daniel suggested that students be open-minded and work on building a solid and strong portfolio.
The Academy of Art University, in the great city of San Francisco, has been preparing students for professional careers in the fields of design, communications and the arts since 1929.
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Dil Bole Oberoi
