‘Coco 2’ logo. Photo: Disney/Pixar.
Preview:
- Pixar is developing a ‘Coco’ sequel.
- Disney CEO Bob Iger made the announcement to shareholders.
- Directors Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina are back.
It seems to be the way of things these days that for every big Disney announcement spree targeted at fans –– at a Comic-Con, say, or especially the company’s D23 events –– there’s at least one with business entirely on the studio’s mind.
So it was with the news that Pixar –– an arm of the Disney empire alongside sibling production companies Lucasfilm and Marvel –– is developing a sequel to tear-jerking 2017 hit ‘Coco,’ as the overall CEO Bob Iger made first mention of it at a shareholders’ meeting.
Here’s what Iger told shareholders about the status of the new movie:
“While the film is just in the initial stages, we know it will be full of humor, heart and adventure. And we can’t wait to share more soon.”
It’s hardly shocking that Pixar might look to score again with the sequel to one of its popular titles –– after all, last year’s ‘Inside Out 2’ was a gigantic success and while the animated team is testing original waters again with this year’s ‘Elio,’ the strategy still seems to be leaning on catalogue titles with built-in audiences.
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What was the story of ‘Coco’?
A scene from ‘Coco’. Photo: Disney/Pixar.
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (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 (Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
The voice cast also included the likes of Alanna Ubach, Renee Victor, Jamie Camil, Alfonso Arau, Herbert Siguenza, Gabriel Iglesias and Edward James Olmos.
The movie made $210.4M at the domestic box office, and $814.6M worldwide, with $189.2M of that offshore cash from cinemagoers in China.
On the kudos front, it won two Academy Awards for best animated feature and best original song (‘Remember Me’). The movie also won a Golden Globe for best motion picture, animated, a BAFTA for best animated film, and Critics’ Choice awards for best animated feature and best song (‘Remember Me’).
It’s perhaps not surprising as to why Disney and Pixar decided to start work on a follow-up.
Who is working on the ‘Coco’ sequel?
A scene from ‘Coco’. Photo: Disney/Pixar.
‘Coco 2’ reunites the team behind the original film, including Oscar-winning director Lee Unkrich and co-director Adrian Molina.
Oscar-winning producer Mark Nielsen (who also worked on the likes of ‘Toy Story 4’ and the aforementioned ‘Inside Out 2’) will produce.
What will the story be for the ‘Coco’ sequel?
A scene from ‘Coco’. Photo: Disney/Pixar.
We do have to take our cynical glasses off for a moment; after all, it’s entirely possible that Unkrich and Molina had cracked a solid story for a follow-up before ‘Inside Out 2’ tore through the box office and weren’t simply ordered to find something that worked so as to serve up an exciting corporate announcement.
Yet it’s tough to figure out where the narrative might go and how Miguel would feature. Of course, the team can cast a new youngster if the character is still boy, and the majority of the adult cast would be fine to return.
But ‘Coco’ itself wrapped up wonderfully with the revelation about Miguel’s family (and the news that de la Cruz wasn’t quite the heroic idol he always made himself out to be), plus a heartfelt, lovely send-off for Ana Ofelia Murguía’s Mamá Coco that left few eyes dry.
So will Miguel learn more lessons from the Land of the Dead? Might the place where spirits go come under threat? That’s all a big question mark for now.
What else is happening with Disney and Pixar?
‘Zootopia 2’ Photo: Disney.
On the movie front, Disney’s live-action take on ‘Snow White’ is now in theaters, though suffering from some very mixed reviews.
Next up is straight-to-Disney+ title ‘Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip,’ due out on March 28th.
That’s followed on the big screen by live-action remake ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ due on May 23rd.
After that, we have Pixar’s aforementioned animated ‘Elio’ (also directed by Adrian Molina), which lands on June 20th.
Sequel ‘Zootopia 2’ lands on November 26th in the prime Thanksgiving slot, while ‘Freakier Friday’ is out on August 8th.
And this list doesn’t even encompass the Lucasfilm (just ‘Andor’s second season this year) or Marvel efforts headed our way.
When will ‘Coco 2’ be on screens?
As Iger said, it’s very early days, and nothing else has been announced about this new movie. Given the usual production time of animated movies, we doubt it’ll be out much before 2027, and even that seems ambitious (but you’ve got to think that 10 years after the original is a good shout).
A scene from ‘Coco’. Photo: Disney/Pixar.
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