Thanksgiving is right around the corner, time for families to come together and celebrate everything they have to be grateful for. In perfect timing, Pixar’s new movie Coco is opening in theaters everywhere on Wednesday, November 22nd, the day before Thanksgiving. We had lovely contributor Devon Biroczky attend the Coco press conference for this incredibly fun and colorful film! She had a wonderful time and now she is sharing her experience with us!
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Hi it’s Devon here! I had the opportunity to watch the premiere of this film just recently, and also got the chance to interview the cast of this incredible film. Disney Pixar Coco is an amazing film about young boy Miguel whom despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
Initially coming to the junket, they had tons of cute props from the movie set up everywhere alongside a buffet with taco fillings and churros. Everything was absolutely delicious while we had the chance to eat before being invited to guitar lessons! We were taught how to play “The World Es Mi Familia,” one of the many songs featured in the movie.
After the guitar lessons and the fun video opportunity, we were led to the room where the interviews were held. Before anything, some beautiful musicians and dancers came out and put on a beautiful performance for all of us. And look at that dress!
Then came time for the interviews – out of all of the press junkets I’ve attended, this cast seemed like they had a genuine bond with each other. The entire time, they were joking around and all seemed so sincere with not only their answers, but the way they acted when together. The entire cast we interviewed consisted of:
- Benjamin Bratt (voice of “Ernesto de la Cruz”)
- Gael Garcia Bernal (voice of “Hector”)
- Anthony Gonzalez (voice of “Miguel”)
- Edward James Olmos (voice of “Chicharron”)
- Alanna Ubach (voice of “Mama Imelda”)
- Director Lee Unkrich
- Co-Director Adrian Molina
- Producer Darla K. Anderson
One question came up about what the creators of this movie wanted people, especially kids, to take away from Coco. Darla explained that what she really wanted is for people to “think about their ancestors and think about where they came from,” and Adrian added that he hopes everyone will pick up a musical instrument.
At one point, the host had asked Anthony, who voiced Miguel, to tell the story of his first audition. The cast explained to us that at his first audition, he had already blown them away with his audition, and then told them he wanted to sing to them. Apparently, they didn’t have a CD player with them, because they weren’t entirely sure if Miguel would be singing or not by that point. Anthony shrugged it off and told them, “Oh, well, whatever – I’ll just sing it a cappella.”
Later on in the junket, somebody referred back to this story by asking when music became a factor of this movie. Lee went on to tell us that they always knew he was going to be a musician and play guitar, but once they heard him sing in the audition, they “tried to take full advantage of his talents.” Boy, did that decision pay off!
One character that may have only had a small appearance, but an impactful one at that, was Chicharron, voiced by Edward James Olmos. I don’t want to tell you exactly what part it is, because I want you to find out for yourself, but make sure you bring tissues when you see this. Edward explained how he had seem it just before he started doing press for it, and by the end of the movie, he was sobbing; “I mean, harsh, heaving sobs,” in his own words. I can agree with that, there was not a dry eye in the theater.
Overall, this entire junket was an absolute blast. The entire junket brought so much energy and liveliness into the process, and the cast had so much to talk about – but I’d be going on for days if I said everything. However, come check back on Wednesday, November 22nd, to read my review of this amazing movie, and of course, be sure to go see this movie in theaters!
If you haven’t seen it yet, watch the trailer below!
