Coco is an American media franchise created by Lee Unkrich, Jason Katz, Matthew Aldrich and Adrian Molina. The series takes place in Mexico around the holiday Dia de Muertos and follows Miguel Rivera and his family, the former of whom discovers a link between the living and 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 (2029). The franchise also includes three short films, several video games, and a future theme park ride.
Films Film U.S. release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Coco Lee Unkrich Adrian Molina & Matthew Aldrich Lee Unkrich & Jason Katz & Matthew Aldrich & Adrian Molina Darla K. Anderson Coco 2 colspan="2" Mark 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.
(2029) In March 2025, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that a sequel, titled Coco 2 is in development. Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina will return as director and co-director, respectively, while Mark Nielsen will serve as producer. The announcement gave a release window of 2029, which was subsequently removed. Pixar's chief creative officer Pete Docter revealed that Incredibles 3 and Coco 2 were set to be released in "2028 and beyond". On August 14, 2026, it was announced during the D23 Fan Event that the film would be released on November 21, 2029, and that Benjamin Bratt would reprise his role as Ernesto de la Cruz.
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.
The short follows Dante trying to catch a mysterious moving bone.
A Day in the Life of the Dead (2021) This short is from the Pixar Popcorn series; it is about an average day in the afterlife.
Family Bands Together (2024) Included as the fifth and final episode of Lego: Pixar Bricktoons, the short follows Miguel returning to the Land of the Dead, and trying to sing a winning song in a Battle of the Bands contest with the help of his family.
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, Héctor Rivera, Dante, Abuelita, Mamá Coco, Ernesto de la Cruz and Mamá Imelda, 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 returned in limited-time promotions.
A world based on Coco and its characters will be included in the video game Kingdom Hearts IV.
Cast and characters
Characters Theatrical films Short films Coco Coco 2 Dante's Lunch Family Bands Together Miguel Anthony Gonzalez Anthony Gonzalez Ryan LopezAnthony Gonzalez Papá Héctor Gael García Bernal Gael Garcia Bernal Ernesto de la Cruz Benjamin Bratt Mamá Imelda Alanna Ubach Alanna Ubach Abuelita Elena Renée Victor Renée Victor Mamá Coco Ana Ofelia Murguía rowspan="5" Tía Rosita Selene Luna Tía Victoria Dyana Ortellí Tíos Oscar and Felipe Herbert Sigüenza Papá Julio Alfonso Arau Papá Enrique Jaime Camil rowspan="6" Mamá Luisa Sofía Espinosa Tío Berto Luis Valdez Tía Gloria Carla Medina Abel Polo Rojas Rosa Montse Hernandez Chicharrón Edward James Olmos colspan="2" Plaza Mariachi Lombardo Boyar colspan="2" Arrival Agent Octavio Solis colspan="2" Clerk Gabriel Iglesias colspan="2" Corrections Officer Cheech Marin colspan="2" Emcee Blanca Araceli Blanca Araceli Security Guard Salvador Reyes colspan="2" Juan Ortodoncia John Ratzenberger colspan="2"
Crew Film Release date(s) Director(s) Writers Producer(s) Executive Producer(s) Composer Editor(s) Runtimes Coco November 22, 2017 Lee UnkrichAdrian Molina Lee UnkrichJason KatzMatthew AldrichAdrian MolinaAdrian MolinaMatthew Aldrich Darla K. Anderson John Lasseter Michael Giacchino Steve Bloom 105 Minutes Coco 2 November 21, 2029 Lee UnkrichAdrian Molina Mark Nielsen
Reception Box office performance The first film was the eleventh highest-grossing film of 2017, and is the 24th highest grossing animated film of all time. Film U.S. release date Box office gross Budget U.S. and Canada Other territories Worldwide Coco November 22, 2017 $210,460,015 $604,181,157 $814,641,172 $175 million Total $ $ $ $ million
Critical and public response
Film Critical Public Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScorePostTrak Coco 81 (48 reviews)
Accolades Coco received awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
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.
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.
Theme parks Miguel appears in Frontierland at Disneyland as a meet and greet character. The 3D show Mickey's PhilharMagic contains a scene featuring Miguel and Héctor singing "Un Poco Loco". 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.
Unnamed Coco attraction In August 2024, it was announced that a ride themed to the film is in development for Disney California Adventure. Construction began in 2026.
References