Disclosure: I was invited to this special event and got tickets for the movie. All opinions are always 100% honest and our own.

I got invited to a sneak pick of behind the scenes of COCO and attend a Q&Q  ith co-director Adrian Molina.

When he spoke of the product you could see how much it meant to him.  It was such a delight to listen to him explain all the parts of the film, and how they were able to make it as authentic as possible. Having researched Disney films for over five years, I knew that authenticity was of the utmost importance, I love listening to the stories of how deep the research goes for each detail in all of these wonderful movies!

Here is a brief synopsis of the movie

Twelve-year old Miguel Rivera (Anthony Gonzalez) is descendant from a family of shoemakers, but has not desire to partake in the family business. Instead, Miguel desire of becoming a musician, following in the footsteps of his idol, the widely celebrated musical performer, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). Unfortunately, Miguel’s dreams are quickly silenced by his family’s long-standing ban on music that has been passed down through the generations; a story that began when Miguel’s great, great grandfather (a musician) abandoned his family to follow his dreams, leaving his wife, Mama Imelda (Alanna Ubach) to raise Miguel’s great grandmother, Mama Coco (Ana Ofelia Murguia), on her own.  As the Dia de los Muertos Festival arrives, Miguel’s family, with his grandmother Abuelita (Renee Victor) as the head of the Rivera family, soon discovers that he’s been secretly idolizing Ernesto and teaching himself how to play the guitar, forbidding the young boy from pursuing a career as a musician. In an attempt to prove himself to them (and to the world), Miguel steals the Ernesto’s famous guitar and accidentally transports himself to the Land of the Dead. Though Miguel meets his deceased ancestors, they too still don’t understand Miguel passion for music, and he sets out to search for Ernesto with the help of the charming con man Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), who needs the boy’s help in order to visit the Land of the Living. However, Miguel, who comes face-to-face with the hard truth about his family’s grudge for music, must find a way home before sunrise, which makes the end of Dia de los Muertos, or else he’ll be trapped in the Land of the Dead forever

I found it so interesting on how comfortable they were with the dead, and wished we sort of had a festival like that here. I would love to be transported there to see my family that has passed on.

There was interest in a film dealing with Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, a holiday celebrated across Spanish countries in one way or another. The story would center around families, ancestors, and memories. The story grew slowly over the years and began to take shape using much of the real traditions of the holiday:

The Ofrenda is an altar built in the home with offerings to the departed ancestors, and pictures to remember them. This inspires families to share stories about the individuals who have passed on. There is a cemetery vigil, as also illustrated in the movie.

The music in this movie is incredible, and some of the lyrics were written by Mr. Molina! It transport you to that time and makes you feel like you are right there with Migel and you find yourself just singing along.

Everything in this movie was researched and shows the authenticity of the subject. I loved and your family will also.