We all know that music is a universal language and it can bring people together. Disney and Pixar always have the best musical songs when it comes to creating their movies. Having the opportunity to learn about The Music of COCO and Fun Facts directly from some of the musicians involved in the movie was a way to understand the story of COCO in more detail.
Thank you, Disney, for hosting me at the COCO Event in San Fransisco. All pixie dusted opinions are my own.
The Music of COCO and Fun Facts #PixarCOCOEvent
Adrienne Molina, Co-Director, and Writer of COCO started off by sharing some fun facts about the film. “COCO is about a kid who is a passion and desire for music. So, music was crucial to the storytelling in COCO”. If you haven’t had a chance to see the movie, we highly recommend it. If you haven’t seen it yet, then maybe learning a bit more about the music will entice you to go!
Details About The Music of COCO
The music of COCO was one of the details spoken early on in the production of COCO because it is so crucial in the film. That is why it’s embedded into the film in every possible way. Adrienne Molina said that it’s probably the only Pixar film where music was spoken about so early in the production of the film.
“Music of COCO” Featurette released just a few minutes ago!
The music in COCO was created using three different ways of music, which helped to blend with each other.
- Source music, which would create a world where Miguel lives to be filled with music and inspires him along his journey.
- Score music, to hold up the emotions of the film and to play the themes of the characters by exploring their environment and quirkiness.
- Original music, most of the music in the film is performative, so they wanted to create unique songs to develop each characters individual performance.
Songwriter and arranger Germaine Franco wanted to focus on accuracy as possible with the sounds and rhythms of Mexico.
Music consultant and musical artist Camilo Lara shared that they wanted to create a sound that you might hear in the plaza in Mexico. “We wanted something that you didn’t buy in the record store, but something that is played throughout Mexico because of the different types of genres. We wanted to go beyond just Mariachi music”.
During the interviews, we had the pleasure to listen to Composer Michael Giacchino play some of the film’s music for us. Being able to listen to some of the music with the guitar that is so famous in COCO a very fortunate experience. He also created the themes score music for each of the characters in COCO.
Fun Facts About Creating The Music of COCO
We were also lucky enough to watch some of the clips recorded when the musicians were recording music, sounds, and instruments in Mexico for COCO. Some of these musicians are very famous in Mexico and others local musicians. We learned that some didn’t even read music, but they wanted them to play to get a sense of realism in the music.
The movements you see in the movie by some of the musician characters were recorded to help animators create the actions created by the real-life musicians. They wanted to be as precise as possible when it came to not just the music, but the way these instruments were played.
While watching some parts of the movie you can feel the changes of scenes from the land of the living to the land of the dead. While also creating specific emotions throughout the scenes, so don’t forget your tissues!
Ernesto De La Cruz guitar was an essential aspect of his music in the movie COCO. It becomes an iconic piece because of the beautiful details created by guitar designer, German Vazquez Rubio. He built the replica of Ernesto’s guitar and not only did we get a chance to see it first hand, but Michael Giacchino played the guitar for us during scenes of the movie.
My family and I loved COCO and can’t wait to watch it again! The music, the colors, and the characters are something that Disney and Pixar haven’t done before. Creating a culturally vibrant film that both adult and kids will enjoy! If you want to check out what we thought of the film make sure to read our COCO Family Movie Review.
About COCO
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.
COCO now playing everywhere in theaters!!!
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Have you seen COCO in theaters yet?
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