Coco (franchise)

Last updated

Coco
Disney's Coco logo.png
Created by Lee Unkrich
Jason Katz
Matthew Aldrich
Adrian Molina
Developed by
  • Adrian Molina
    Matthew Aldrich
Original work Coco (2017)
Owner
Years2017–present
Films and television
Film(s)
Short film(s)
  • Dante's Lunch (2017)
  • A Day in the Life of the Dead (2021)
Games
Video game(s)
Audio
Soundtrack(s)
  • * Work where this franchise's characters or settings appeared as part of a crossover.

Coco is an American media franchise created by Lee Unkrich, Jason Katz, Matthew Aldrich and Adrian Molina. It follows a 12-year-old boy in Mexico named Miguel (Gonzalez) who is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead. The franchise is produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by its parent company Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It began with the 2017 film of the same name, and will be followed by Coco 2 (TBA). The franchise also includes two short films, several video games, and a future theme park attraction.

Contents

Films

FilmU.S. release dateDirected byScreenplay byStory byProduced by
Coco November 22, 2017 Lee Unkrich Adrian Molina & Matthew AldrichLee Unkrich & Jason Katz & Matthew Aldrich & Adrian Molina Darla K. Anderson
Coco 2 TBATBAMark Nielsen

Coco (2017)

The story follows a 12-year-old boy in Mexico 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.

Coco 2 (TBA)

In March 2025, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that a sequel, titled Coco 2, is in development. Unkrich and Molina will return as director and co-director, respectively, while Mark Nielsen will serve as producer. [1] [2] The announcement included a release year, [3] [4] which was subsequently removed. [5]

Short films

Dante's Lunch (2017)

A two-minute short film, titled Dante's Lunch – A Short Tail, was released online on March 29, 2017. It introduces the film's supporting character, a Xoloitzcuintle named Dante. The short was created early in the animation process by Unkrich and his team to have a better sense of the character. [6]

The short follows Dante trying to catch an Héctor's bone.

A Day in the Life of the Dead (2021)

This short is from Pixar Popcorn series and its about the average day in the afterlife. [7]

Video games

Miguel, Dante, and Héctor appear as playable characters in the fighting game Disney Heroes: Battle Mode.

In 2019, the video game Disney Magic Kingdoms included a limited-time event based on Coco, with a storyline that takes place after the events of the film, including Miguel Rivera, Dante, Abuelita, Héctor Rivera, Mamá Imelda, Mamá Coco, and Ernesto de la Cruz as playable characters, as well as attractions based on locations of the film, including Land of the Dead, Musical Celebration, Rivera Familia Home, and Santa Cecilia Market Shop. After the event, the content of the film returning in limited-time promotions. [8]

Cast and characters

List indicator

This section includes characters who have appeared in the franchise.

CharactersTheatrical filmsShort films
Coco Coco 2 Dante's LunchA Day in the Life of the Dead
Miguel Anthony Gonzalez TBAAnthony Gonzalez
Héctor Gael García Bernal Gael García BernalCharacter is mute
Ernesto de la Cruz Benjamin Bratt
Mamá Imelda Alanna Ubach Character is mute
Abuelita Renée Victor Character is mute
Mamá Coco Ana Ofelia Murguía
Chicharrón Edward James Olmos
Papá Julio Alfonso Arau
Tía Rosita Selene Luna
Tía VictoriaDyana Ortellí
Tíos Oscar and Felipe Herbert Sigüenza Character is mute
Papá Jaime Camil
Mamá Sofía Espinosa
Tío Berto Luis Valdez
Gloria Carla Medina
AbelPolo Rojas
RosaMontse Hernandez
Plaza Mariachi Lombardo Boyar
Arrival Agent Octavio Solis Character is mute
Clerk Gabriel Iglesias
Corrections Officer Cheech Marin
EmceeBlanca AraceliCharacter is mute
Security GuardSalvador ReyesCharacter is mute
Juan Ortodoncia John Ratzenberger

Crew

FilmDirector(s)WritersProducer(s)Executive Producer(s)ComposerEditor(s)
Coco Lee Unkrich
co-directed by:
Adrian Molina 		Original Story by:
Lee Unkrich
Jason Katz
Matthew Aldrich
Adrian Molina
Screenplay by:
Adrian Molina
Matthew Aldrich		 Darla K. Anderson John Lasseter Michael Giacchino Steve Bloom
Coco 2 Lee Unkrich
co-directed by:
Adrian Molina 		TBAMark NielsenTBATBATBA

Reception

Box office performance

The first film was the eleventh highest-grossing film of 2017, [9] and is the 24th highest grossing animated film of all time.

FilmU.S. release dateBox office grossBudgetRef.
U.S. and CanadaOther territoriesWorldwide
Coco November 22, 2017$210,460,015$604,181,157$814,641,172$175 million [10] [11]
Total$210,460,015$604,181,157$814,641,172$175 million

Critical and public response

FilmCriticalPublic
Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore PostTrak
Coco 97% (357 reviews) [12] 81 (48 reviews) [13] A+ [14] —

Accolades

Coco received awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, [15] the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, [16] the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature, [17] and the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film. [18]

Future theme park attraction

In August 2024, it was announced that a ride themed to the film is in development for Disney California Adventure. [19] Construction is scheduled to start in fall 2025. [20]

Other media

Other animated media

In The Simpsons short Plusaversary (2021), Miguel appears as one of the attendees at the party in Moe's Tavern. [21] In the series of shorts Lego Pixar: Bricktoons (2024), the episode "Coco: Family Bands Together" is focused on a story with Lego versions of the characters of the film.

Broadway adaptation

On January 24, 2023, during Epcot's annual Disney on Broadway concert, The Lion King actor Steven Taylor announced that a live stage show adaptation of the film is currently in development at Disney Theatrical Productions. [22]

Theme parks

Miguel appears in Frontierland at Disneyland as a meet and greet character. [23] The 3D show Mickey's PhilharMagic contains a scene featuring Miguel and Héctor singing "Un Poco Loco".[ citation needed ] In May 2025, figures of Miguel and Dante were added in the It's a Small World attraction at Disneyland in the section portraying Mexico. [24] [25]

References

  1. ↑ "'Coco 2' in Development at Pixar". TheWaltDisneyCompany.com. March 20, 2025. Archived from the original on June 21, 2025. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  2. ↑ @Pixar (March 20, 2025). "Disney and Pixar's Coco 2 is officially in the works!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 21, 2025– via Twitter.
  3. ↑ Dalton, Norman (March 22, 2025). "Coco 2: Confirmation & Everything We Know". Screen Rant . Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Remember Me? Miguel is coming back for a second Coco movie". BBC . March 24, 2025. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  5. ↑ McDonough, Annie (April 4, 2025). "Disney Takes Action Following Coco 2 Announcement Mistake". The Direct. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  6. ↑ Watkins, Gwynne (March 29, 2017). "New Pixar Short 'Dante's Lunch' Introduces 'Coco' Dog, Plus Director Lee Unkrich on Whether 'Coco' Will Make You Cry (Exclusive)". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Watch Pixar Popcorn | Full episodes | Disney+". www.disneyplus.com. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  8. ↑ Disney Magic Kingdoms (Gameloft) (October 11, 2019). "Update 34: Coco | Livestream". YouTube.
  9. ↑ "2017 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on August 24, 2025. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Coco (2017)". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  11. ↑ FilmL.A. (August 8, 2018). "2017 Feature Film Study" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Coco". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Coco". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  14. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 26, 2017). "Thanksgiving B.O. At $268M, +3% Over 2016 Spurred By 'Coco' & Holdovers – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Oscars: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter . March 4, 2018. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  16. ↑ Gettell, Oliver (February 18, 2018). "Three Billboards triumphs at BAFTA Awards: See the full winners list". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Critics' Choice Awards: The Shape of Water, Big Little Lies Top Winners". The Hollywood Reporter . January 11, 2018. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  18. ↑ Berg, Madeline (January 7, 2018). "Golden Globes 2018: The Full List Of Winners" . Forbes . Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  19. ↑ Schlepp, Travis (August 12, 2024). "Disney announces 'Coco' ride' other major expansion plans for Disneyland Resort". ktla.com. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  20. ↑ Gustin, Scott (June 5, 2025). "Disneyland is closing a beloved ride, adding 2 new attractions". ktla.com. Retrieved June 5, 2025.
  21. ↑ Celestino, Mike (November 12, 2021). "TV Review: "The Simpsons in Plusaversary" Pays Irreverent Homage to the House of Mouse On Disney+ Day". LaughingPlace.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  22. ↑ Newsdesk, Laughing Place Disney (January 25, 2023). "Disney on Broadway Developing Stage Adaptation of "Coco"". LaughingPlace.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  23. ↑ Abell, Bailee (September 8, 2021). "Miguel Has Two DIFFERENT Appearances in the Disney Parks!". Inside the Magic. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  24. ↑ Tuttle, Brit (March 6, 2025). "Disneyland Adding 'Coco' to "it's a small world" and 70th Anniversary Decor to Toy Story Mania". WDW News Today. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  25. ↑ Tuttle, Brit (May 13, 2025). "PHOTOS, VIDEO: "it's a small world" Debuts New 'Coco' Figures, New Verse for Disneyland 70th". WDW News Today. Retrieved May 13, 2025.