Tag Archives: Coco

“Coco” Co-Director Adrian Molina Picks Up Three Trophies at the Annie Awards

Posted on by
Reply

Adrian Molina has plenty of reason to celebrate…

The 32-year-old Mexican American filmmaker, screenwriter and storyboard artist’s Coco was the big winner at the 45th annual Annie Awards.

Adrian Molina

The Day of the Dead-themed Disney/Pixar film pummeled the competition, going 11-for-13 in its nominated categories including Best Animated Feature.

Molina, Coco’s co-director, screenplay writer and lyricist, picked up three awards, sharing the trophies for Outstanding Achievement, Directing – Animated Feature Production, Outstanding Achievement, Writing – Feature Production and Outstanding Achievement, Music – Feature Production.

Presented by ASIFA-Hollywood, the Annie Awards honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in a total of 36 categories including Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements.

 

“Coco” Co-Director Adrian Molina Named as a Finalist for This Year’s Humanitas Prize

Posted on by
Reply

Adrian Molina is in the running for a special prize…

The 32-year-old Mexican American screenwriter and storyboard artist has been named a finalist for this year’s Humanitas Prize.

Adrian Molina

Nine films from a combined 21 screenwriters will compete in three categories, a first this year. The award was created to honor film and TV writers whose work inspires compassion, hope and understanding in the human family.

The finalists are vying in the categories of drama, comedy, and family films, with three nominated films competing for each prize.

Molina, who served a co-director, screenplay writer, and lyricist on the Disney/Pixar hit animated film Coco, is nominated alongside his Coco colleagiues Lee Unkrich, Jason Katz and Matthew Aldrich.

Molina and company are nominated in the Feature – Family category, facing off against the people behind Ferdinand and The Breadwinner.

The Humanitas Prize winners will be announced February 16 during a gala at the Beverly Hilton.

Here are the 2018 Humanitas Prize finalists:

Feature – Drama

MUDBOUND
Screenplay by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

THE POST
Written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
Written by Martin McDonagh

Feature – Comedy

LADY BIRD
Written by Greta Gerwig

THE BIG SICK
Written by Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani

THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (NEW AND SELECTED)
Written by Noah Baumbach

Feature – Family

COCO
Story by Lee Unkrich, Jason Katz, Matthew Aldrich, Adrian Molina, Screenplay by Adrian Molina and Matthew Aldrich

FERDINAND
Story by Ron Burch & David Kidd and Don Rhymer, Screenplay by Robert L. Baird and Tim Federle and Brad Copeland

THE BREADWINNER
Screenplay by Anita Doron, Story by Deborah Ellis

Guillermo del Toro Named Best Director at This Year’s Golden Globes

Posted on by
Reply

It’s a long overdue first for Guillermo del Toro…

The 53-year-old Mexican filmmaker picked up his first Golden Globe trophy at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards.

Guillermo del Toro

del Toro, who’d never been nominated before this year, took home the trophy for Best Director, for his inspired work on The Shape of Water.

Known for his work on monster movies like Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth and Blade, del Toro is considered a master of the genre.

In The Shape of Water, he continues in that same world, telling the story of a lonely janitor who forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held captive. It was originally conceived with 1960s monster movies in mind, but transformed into something quite different as the deep relationship between its characters evolved.

“Since childhood, I’ve been faithful to monsters,” said del Toro in his acceptance speech, calling them “patron saints of imperfection.” del Toro noted that he has spent 25 years handcrafting “very strange little tales” that ultimately “have saved my life.”  He closed by noting, “My monsters thank you.”

Meanwhile, Disney/Pixar’s hit Coco was named Best Animated Feature. The film’s director Lee Unkrich gave a shout-out “to the incredible people of Mexico” without whom he said the film would not exist.

The win follows best animated film honors from the National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle.

Coco takes place during the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos. Directed by Unkrich and Adrian Molina, Coco follows a young boy, Miguel, who wishes to be a star-studded crooner of standards, just like his grandfather, the legendary singer Ernesto de la Cruz. However, music is of the devil in Miguel’s family, and de la Cruz is largely to blame for the curse. In order to make generational events correct, Miguel finds himself on the other side of life with relatives he’s only heard stories about.

The 75th anniversary Golden Globe Awards were handed out at the Beverly Hilton..

Here’s the full list of winners:

Best Motion Picture, Drama: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Actress, Motion Picture Drama
: Frances Mcdormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Actor, Motion Picture Drama
: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Best Motion Picture, Musical/Comedy
: Lady Bird, Iac Films; A24
Best Actress, Motion Picture – Comedy
: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Best Direction, Film
: Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape Of Water
Best Limited TV Series/Made For TV Movie
: Big Little Lies, HBO, HBO Entertainment / David E. Kelly Productions / Pacific Standard / Blossom Films
Best TV Series, Comedy/Musical
: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon, Amazon Studios
Best Actor, Limited Tv Series/Made For TV Movie: 
Ewan Mcgregor, Fargo
Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
: Martin Mcdonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture
: Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Best Animated Film
: Coco, Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Best Supporting Actress TV Series/Limited Series/Tv Movie
: Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Best Actor Motion Picture, Musical/Comedy
: James Franco, The Disaster Artist
Best Original Song, Film
: “This Is Me” — The Greatest Showman, Music By: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Lyrics By: Benj Pasek, Justin Paul
Best Original Score, Film
: Alexandre Desplat, The Shape Of Water
Best Supporting Actor, TV Series/Limited Series/Made For TV Movie
: Alexander Skarsgård, Big Little Lies
Best TV Series, Drama: 
The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu, MGM
Best Actor, TV Series – Drama
: Sterling K. Brown This Is Us
Best Actress TV Series, Drama
: Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Best Actress TV, Musical/Comedy:
 Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Best Supporting Actor, Film:
 Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Actress Limited Series TV:
 Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies

Anthony Gonzalez’s Disney-Pixar Film “Coco” Wins Thanksgiving Holiday Box Office

Posted on by
Reply

He’s nowhere near voting age, but Anthony Gonzalez is beating superheroes at the box office…

The 13-year-old Latino actor voices the character of Miguel, a young Mexican boy with musical dreams who has a wondrous adventure in the Land of the Dead in Disney–Pixar’s animated film Coco, which won the Thanksgiving holiday box office.

Anthony Gonzalez

Gonzalez’s Coco earned $71.2 million at 3,987 North American sites during the Wednesday-Sunday period, while Warner Bros.–DC Entertainment’s Justice League pulled in $60 million at 4,051 locations during the same timeframe in its second weekend in theaters.

Coco posted for the fourth-best Thanksgiving holiday opening ever, trailing three other Disney titles — Frozen with $93 million in 2013, Moana with $82 million in 2017 and Toy Story 3 with $80 million in 2010.

Audiences surveyed by comScore’s PostTrak gave Coco strong ratings with 66% calling it “excellent,” and another 23% rating it “very good.”  Surveys also showed 77% of viewers saying they would “definitely recommend” the movie to friends and 20% saying they would watch it again in a theater.

Coco

Coco, directed by Lee Unkrich and co-directed by Adrian Molina, is based on the traditions surrounding the Day of the Dead holiday in Mexico and centers on a 12-year-old boy who dreams of becoming a musician and explores his family history in the Land of the Dead. The studio hasn’t released a price for the movie. Disney-Pixar titles are usually budgeted in the $175 million to $200 million range.

In addition to Gonzalez, in his breakout role, Coco’s ensemble voice cast includes Benjamin Bratt, Gael Garcia Bernal, Renee Victor, Edward James Olmos, Ana Ofelia Murguia, Jaime Camil, Sofia Espinosa, Gabriel Iglesias, Cheech Marin and Lombardo Boyar.

The holiday weekend is one of the busiest moviegoing periods of the year. According to comScore, this year’s five-day Thanksgiving weekend saw total grosses his $268 million — $7.5 million better than last year’s when Moana opened with $82 million, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them taking in $65 million in its second weekend.

The strong holiday performance left the 2017 overall domestic total at $9.71 billion, or 4% behind the same point last year, according to comScore. The industry fell behind last year’s record-setting total due to downbeat performances in August and October — so much so that the much-anticipated Dec. 15 opening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi will probably not be enough to pulled this year even.

Miguel Sings the Disney-Pixar “Coco” Track “Remember Me (Dúo)”

Posted on by
Reply

Miguel is making his Disney debut…

The 32-year-old half-Mexican American singer-songwriter appears on the single “Remember Me (Dúo).”

Miguel

The track appears on the soundtrack for Coco, the new Día de Los Muertos-themed Disney-Pixar production that hit theaters. (

Check out the animated lyric video.

Natalia Cordova-Buckley to Voice Frida Kahlo in Disney/Pixar’s “Coco”

Posted on by
Reply

Natalia Cordova-Buckley is getting her Frida on…

The 34-year-old Mexican actress makes a cameo appearance as the voice of legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in the English language-version of Disney/Pixar’s animated film Coco.

Natalia Cordova-Buckley

The film, which features Benjamin Bratt, Gael Garcia Bernal, Edward James Olmos, and Anthony Gonzalez, follows Miguel, who through a mysterious and otherworldly chain of events, meets charming trickster Héctor (Bernal), and, together, they set off on an adventure of music and mystery, resulting in the most unusual family reunion.

The pic is directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3), co-directed by Adrian Molina and produced by Darla K. Anderson.

It screened at the Morelia Film Festival in Mexico and will open in U.S. theaters November 22.

Cordova-Buckley is best known in the U.S. for her role on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Gael García Bernal’s “Coco” to Have Sneak Peek at This Year’s Animation is Film Festival

Posted on by
Reply

Gael García Bernal is celebrating animantion…

The Animation is Film Festival has announced its full slate of films for their upcoming event, with a sneak peek of the 38-year-old Mexican actor’s upcoming film Coco scheduled for the week.

Coco

The sneak peek of Coco will take place at 11:00 am on Sunday, October 22nd

The story follows a 12-year-old boy named Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) who sets off a chain of events relating to a century-old mystery, leading to an extraordinary family reunion.  Garcia Bernal voices the character of Hector, a charming trickster in the Land of the Dead who must enlist Miguel’s help to visit the Land of the Living.

The fest will feature 12 films in competition and will include director Q&As, special events, short film programs, and a VR lounge.

Animation is Film aims to fill a gap in the market by establishing the world-class animation festival in the country, with its home in the world capital of filmmaking.  The festival embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form on par with live action filmmaking and will be vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of their work to the fullest range of expression that the medium is capable of.

Films set to screen premieres include The Breadwinner, Mary and the Witch’s Flower, Big Fish and Begonia, as well as special screenings of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pixar’s The Incredibles.

Here’s the full slate of programming below.

AIF 2017 FILMS IN COMPETITION

The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales
 US Premiere
Saturday, October 21st at 1:30PM
Followed by Q&A with directors Patrick Imbert and Benjamin Renner, Patrick Imbert, Benjamin Renner, France, 2017
Recommended for ages 8+

Big Fish and Begonia
World Premiere – English Language Version
Sunday, October 22nd at 11:00AM Liang Xua, Zhang Chun, China, 2016
Recommended for ages 8+ 

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children
 West Coast Premiere
Saturday, October 21st at 4:15PM
Followed by Q&A with directors Alberto Vázquez and Pedro Rivero
Alberto Vázquez, Pedro Rivero, Spain, 2015
Recommended for ages 14+

The Breadwinner
 US Premiere – Opening Night Film
Friday, October 20th at 7:00PM
Followed by Q&A with director Nora Twomeyd. Nora Twomey, Ireland/Canada/Luxembourg, 2017
Recommended for ages 11+

Fireworks, Should We See it From the Side or the Bottom
 North American Premiere – Opening Night Film
Friday, October 20th at 9:30PM
Noboyuki Takeuchi, Akiyuki Shinbo, Japan, 2017
Recommended for ages 8+ 

Lu Over the Wall 
US Premiere
Sunday, October 22nd at 2:15PM
Masaaki Yuasa, Japan, 2017
Recommended for ages 8+

Mary and the Witch’s Flower
 North American Premiere – English Language Version
Sunday, October 22nd at 5:15PM
Followed by Q&A with director Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Japan, 2017
Recommended for ages 6+

Mutafukaz
West Coast Premiere
Saturday, October 21st at 7:00PM
Guillaume Renard and Shoujirou Nishimi, France/Japan, 2017
Recommended for ages 17+ 

Night is Short, Walk on Girl
 US Premiere
Sunday, October 22nd at 8:00PM
Masaaki Yuasa, Japan, 2017
Recommended for ages 14+ 

Tehran Taboo
 North American Premiere
Sunday, October 22nd at 5:15PM
Followed by Q&A with director Ali Soozandeh
Ali Soozandeh, Germany, 2017
Recommended for ages 17+ 

Tropical Virus
 World Premiere
Saturday, October 21st at 7:00PM
Followed by Q&A with director Santiago Caicedo
Santiago Caicedo, Colombia, 2017
Recommended for ages 14+

Zombillenium
 North American Premiere
Saturday, October 21st at 4:15PM
Followed by Q&A with director Alexis Ducord
Arthur de Pins & Alexis Ducord, France, 2017
Recommended for ages 8+ 

AIF SPECIAL SCREENINGS AND EVENTS

OUTLANDISH LANDS: SURREAL STUDIO SHORTS FROM THE 1930s
Saturday, October 21st at 11:00AM
Various Directors, USA, 75 min
Recommended for ages 8+ 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 80th Anniversary Screening
Saturday, October 21st at 11:00AM
David Hand, USA, 1937
Recommended for ages 5+ 

Mind Game
Saturday, October 21st at 9:30PM
Masaaki Yuasa, Japan, 2004
Recommended for ages 17+

Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles plus a sneak peek of the upcoming Coco
Sunday, October 22nd at 11:00AM
Followed by Q&A with Producer John Walker
Brad Bird, USA, 2004
Recommended for ages 5+ 

The Lego Batman Movie
Sunday, October 22nd at 2:15PM
Followed by Q&A with Filmmakers
Chris McKay, USA, 2017
Recommended for ages 5+ 

VR FLICKER LOUNGE

Saturday & Sunday, October 21st & 22nd from 12:00pm to 7:00pm

Various titles including the LA premieres of the latest Google Spotlights Stories, Jorge Gutierrez’s Son of Jaguar and Scot Stafford and Chromosphere’s Sonaria
Programmed and presented by Animation is Film and Google Spotlight Stories
Recommended for all ages

Pixar to Release the Dia de los Muertos-Themed Animated Film “Coco”

Posted on by
Reply

Mexico’s El Dia de los Muertos celebration is getting the Pixar treatment.

Pixar has revealed plans to release a new film, Coco, about Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration, helmed by Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla Anderson.

Pixar's Coco

The duo unveiled a first look at the film’s protagonist, a teen named Miguel, and showed a film clip of a musical celebration at Disney’s D23.

Unkrich learned more about Dia De Los Muertos through the artwork for the holiday, which begins on October 31 and ends of November 2. His appreciation for the colorful skeleton folk art led to his emotional investment in the holiday, which Unkrich described as a sort of “big family reunion between the living and the dead.”

The premise of the story comes from a simple question: “What if you could meet your long dead family members?” For research, Unkrich traveled to Mexico to see how the holiday was celebrated in different places, meeting many families and experiencing the traditions with them.

Pixar's Coco

Described as “breathtaking, beautiful, and fun” by John Lasseter and “emotional” by Unkrich, Coco follows Miguel, who sets off a chain of events relating to a century-old mystery.

The official story description is: “Coco is the celebration of a lifetime, where the discovery of a generations-old mystery leads to a most extraordinary and surprising family reunion.”

Pixar has not set a release date for Coco yet.