Mel Rodriguez to Star in CBS’ Upcoming Series “CSI: Vegas”

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Mel Rodriguez is joining the force…

The 47-year-old Latino actor has been cast as one of the leads in CSI: Vegas, which Deadline.com reports is nearing a formal straight-to-series order at CBS.

Rodriguez will star opposite Paula Newsome and Matt Lauria in CSI: Vegas, which serves as a sequel to the mothership CSI series, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

William Petersen and Jorja Fox are reportedly finalizing their deals to star in CSI: Vegas, reprising their roles as Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle, respectively.

While billed as an event series, CSI: Vegas, from writer Jason Tracey, CBS Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer Television, could become an ongoing series running for multiple seasons.

With CSI: Vegas, the most watched drama series of the 21st century, CSI, opens a new chapter in Las Vegas, the city where it all began. Facing an existential threat that could bring down the Crime Lab, a brilliant team of forensic investigators must welcome back old friends and deploy new techniques to preserve and serve justice in Sin City.

Rodriguez is said to be playing Hugo, who took over as Head Medical Examiner three years ago. He has an endless fascination with the bodies that find their way onto his slab, and the morgue is his happy place. Rodrigues previously guest starred in an episode of CSI: NY (character name: Al McGrath).

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation bowed out in 2015 after 15 seasons, having launched a $1 billion franchise for CBS that spanned four series; CSI and spinoffs CSI: Miami, CSI: New York and CSI: Cyber.

Rodriguez was most recently a series regular on the Showtime series On Becoming a God In Central Florida opposite Kirsten Dunst. He was also seen opposite Anne Hathaway in Dee Rees’ The Last Thing He Wanted for Netflix. Additionally, Rodriguez recently voiced Officer Colt Bronco in the Disney–Pixar animated feature Onward.

CIC Media Teams Up with Frida Kahlo Corporation & Carlos Baute to Develop Drama Series About Iconic Mexican Artist

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Frida Kahlo’s life story is headed to the small screen…

CIC Media is partnering with the Frida Kahlo Corporation and Venezuelan composer/singer Carlos Baute to create a drama series following the life of the iconic Mexican artist who has influenced, inspired and had a significant impact on the Latinx diaspora, the art world, feminism and culture as a whole.

The writing team of Joel Novoa and Marilu Godinez are set to create the series. Novoa is attached to direct.

The partnership will create a slate of content to celebrate the life of Frida Kahlo in different genres.

Novoa and Godinez said that they are developing a “high concept series” that’ll blend the new wave of international content with their experience in the American studio system.

“The idea is to talk about what the books don’t,” said the writing duo in a joint statement. “The subtext behind each painting, the richness of Mexico’s 20th century and the revolution. Themes that are incredibly relevant at this unprecedented time.”

“We are currently developing and writing the basis of the series and expect to be ready to present the project in the upcoming weeks. Joel and Marilu are doing a superb job,” said Marlon Quintero, CIC Media’s Managing Director and project leader. “Working with the Frida Kahlo Corporation has been phenomenal, it has given us the ultimate blessing to work on what we can call the one and only official series about the iconic artist”.

Carlos Dorado of the Frida Kahlo Corporation added, “Frida Kahlo Corporation is always looking for talented people who know how to exalt the life of an icon like Frida Kahlo. In this case the professional team that has been formed is distinguished by its great professionalism, experience and most importantly the sensitivity to be able to approach a project as important and transcendental as Frida Kahlo. This high professional team will always have the support of Frida Kahlo Corporation”.

The team expects to start production of the series during the second half of 2021. A studio has already shown interest and the presentation of the project to the market is expected to occur in February.

This collaboration also marks the first fiction venture for Baute, who said, “Since Carlos Dorado told me about his newly acquired brand, I was mesmerized by all the possibilities in terms of music, theatre and content. It then took a few seconds to push this possibility through when I spoke to Marlon a couple of years ago and from there, we started working together on this incredible project.”

He continued, “Today we are about to turn the dream of three into a reality for millions of people through this historic project. I am very excited to create music to dress and accompany the story of the great Frida Kahlo, a character that I am sure millions of people want to know more about”

This will mark the first drama series focusing on Kahlo in recent history. In 2002, Julie Taymor directed Frida starring Salma Hayek, who also co-produced the film. Frida was based on the biography written by Hayden Herrera. It went on to earn six Oscar nominations, winning for Best Makeup and Best Original Score. More recently, Kahlo was voiced by Natalia Cordova-Buckley in the Oscar-winning Pixar pic Coco.

In May, Deadline exclusively reported that Kartemquin Films selected Reveca Torres’ Tres Fridas as one of two projects for the inaugural Hulu/Kartemquin Accelerator Program for filmmakers of color. The film follows two artists paralyzed by spinal injuries. The two discover a shared connection to Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and decide to recreate her painting, “Dos Fridas,” using themselves as models.

Jonas Rivera Makes History at the Academy Awards

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Jonas Riverahas entered the Oscars history books…

The 48-year-old Mexican American film producer picked up the second Academy Award of his career on Sunday night, making him the first U.S.-born Latino to win multiple Oscars.

Rivera won an Oscar as one of the producers of Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4, which was named Best Animated Feature.

Rivera had previously won an Oscar for the 2015 film Disney/Pixar’s animated film Inside Out.

“As if my mind couldn’t be more blown about the last five minutes, thank you for that,” Rivera said during a backstage interview, after interviewers informed him that he had made history. “I’m a little bit out of my body right now. It means the world to me. I can’t even really put it into words.”

While Rivera doesn’t speak Spanish fluently, he said he feels connected to his Latino identity and that he tries to bring his culture into his work as he did in Toy Story 4by hiring Jay Hernandezto play Bonnie’s father in the movie. Rivera was particularly close to his Mexican grandfather, to whom he dedicated the animated feature Up.

“The only Spanish I learned was when my grandparents would fight,” Rivera said. “You work hard, you put your guts into it … and it does happen.”

Here are the winners at the 92nd annual Academy Awards:

Best Picture Parasite
Actress in a Leading Role Renée Zellweger, Judy
Actor in a Leading Role Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Directing Parasite, Bong Joon Ho
Original Song “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Rocketman, Music by Elton John, Lyric by Bernie Taupin
Original Score Joker, Hildur Guðnadóttir
International Feature Parasite, South Korea
Makeup and Hairstyling Bombshell, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker
Visual Effects 1917, Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler and Dominic Tuohy
Film Editing Ford v Ferrari, Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland
Cinematography 1917, Roger Deakins
Sound Mixing 1917, Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson
Sound Editing Ford v Ferrari, Donald Sylvester
Actress in a Supporting Role Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Documentary Short Subject Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl), Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva
Documentary Feature American Factory, Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert and Jeff Reichert
Costume Design Little Women, Jacqueline Durran
Production Design Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Production Design: Barbara Ling, Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
Live Action Short Film The Neighbors’ Window, Marshall Curry
Adapted Screenplay Jojo Rabbit, Screenplay by Taika Waititi
Original Screenplay Parasite, Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won, Story by Bong Joon Ho
Animated Short Film Hair Love, Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver
Animated Feature Film Toy Story 4, Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen and Jonas Rivera
Actor in a Supporting Role Brad Pitt, Once upon a Time in Hollywood

Sergio Pablos’ “Klaus” Sweeps This Year’s Annie Awards

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a clean sweep for Sergio Pablos’ acclaimed animated film…

The Spanish animator and screenwriter’s Netflix holiday tale Klaus picked up seven trophies at the 47th annual Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature.

Pablos, who’d previously earned nods for his work on Treasure Planetand Rio, earned three awards. In addition to Best Animated Feature, he won the awards for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production andDirecting in an Animated Feature Production.

Starring Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmonsand Rashida Jones, Klaus is the story of a selfish postman and a reclusive toymaker who form an unlikely friendship, delivering joy to a cold, dark town that desperately needs it.

The Klaus wipeout throws the Academy Awards racefor a loop, as Netflix’s first original animated feature won all seven categories for which it was nominated.

Pablos’ film dominated over the Big 3 studio mega-grossing sequels — Disney’s Frozen 2, DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 4.

Here’s a look at this year’s Annie Awards winners:

Best Animated Feature: Klaus
Best Animated Feature-Independent: I Lost My Body
Best Animated Special Production: How to Train Your Dragon Homecoming
Best Animated Short Subject: Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days
Best Virtual Reality Production: Bonfire
Best Animated Television/Media Commercial: The Mystical Journey of Jimmy Page’s ‘59 Telecaster
Best Animated Television/Media Production For Preschool Children: Ask The Storybots
Episode: Why Do We Have To Recycle?
Best Animated Television/Media Production For Children: Disney Mickey Mouse
Episode: Carried Away
Best General Audience Animated Television/Media Production: BoJack Horseman
Episode: The New Client
Best Student Film: The Fox & The Pigeon
Michelle Chua, Sheridan College
Animated Effects in an Animated Television/Media Production: Love, Death & Robots
Episode: The Secret War
Animated Effects in an Animated Feature Production: Frozen 2
Character Animation in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production: His Dark Materials
Aulo Licinio (Character: lorek)
Character Animation In An Animated Feature Production: Klaus
Sergio Martins (Character: Alva)
Character Animation in a Live Action Production: Avengers: Endgame
Character Animation in a Video Game: Unruly Heroes
Character Design in an Animated Television/Media Production: Carmen Sandiego
Keiko Murayama
Episode: The Chasing Paper Caper
Character Design in an Animated Feature Production: Klaus
Torsten Schrank
Directing in an Animated Television/Media Production: Disney Mickey Mouse
Alonso Ramirez Ramos
Episode: For Whom the Booth Tolls
Directing in an Animated Feature Production: Klaus
Sergio Pablos
Music in an Animated Television/Media Production: Love, Death & Robots
Rob Cairns
Episode: Sonnie’s Edge
Music in an Animated Feature Production:I Lost My Body
Dan Levy
Production Design in an Animated Television/Media Production:Love, Death & Robots
Alberto Mielgo
Episode: The Witness
Production Design In An Animated Feature Production: Klaus
Szymon Biernacki, Marcin Jakubowski
Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Media Production:Carmen Sandiego
Kenny Park
Episode: Becoming Carmen Sandiego, Part 1
Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production:Klaus
Sergio Pablos
Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Media Production: Bob’s Burgers
H. Jon Benjamin (Character: Bob)
Episode: Roamin’ Bob-iday
Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production: Frozen 2
Josh Gad (Character: Olaf)
Writing in an Animated Television/Media Production:Tuca & Bertie
Shauna McGarry
Episode: The Jelly Lakes
Writing in an Animated Feature Production: I Lost My Body
Jérémy Clapin, Guillaume Laurant
Editorial in an Animated Television/Media Production: Love, Death & Robots
Bo Juhl, Stacy Auckland, Valerian Zamel
Episode: Alternate Histories
Editorial in an Animated Feature Production: Klaus
Pablo García Revert

Justina Machado Wins Imagen Award for Best Actress – Television

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Justina Machado is celebrating her big Day…

The 33rd annual Imagen Awards were announced over the weekend, with the 45-year-old Puerto Rican actress taking home one of the big prizes.

Machado was named Best Actress – Television for her starring role on Netflix’s One Day at a Time, which earned the award for Best Primetime Program.

It’s her second consecutive award for portraying Penelope Alvarez on the series.

The Imagen Awards are presented by the Imagen Foundation, an organization that encourages and champions the positive portrayal of Latinos in entertainment.

Pixar’s Coco took the trophy for Best Feature Film and Best Director for Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina.

Other winners included Overboard stars Eugenio Derbez and Eva Longoria, as well as a tie for Best Supporting Actress in television for Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Stephanie Beatriz and Suits actress Gina Torres.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

Best Feature Film: Coco(Disney Pixar)
Best Director: Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, Coco(Disney Pixar)
Best Actor – Feature Film: Eugenio Derbez, Overboard (3Pas Studios and Pantelion, Lionsgate MGM)
Best Actress – Feature Film: Eva Longoria, Overboard(3Pas Studios and Pantelion, Lionsgate MGM)
Best Primetime Program – Drama: Station 19(ABC; ABC Studios)
Best Primetime Program – Comedy: One Day at a Time(Netflix)
Best Primetime Program – Specials, Movies & Mini-Series: The Long Road Home(National Geographic; Phoenix Pictures, Finngate Television, and Fuzzy Door for National Geographic)
Best Actor – Television: E.J. Bonilla, The Long Road Home(National Geographic; Phoenix Pictures, Finngate Television, and Fuzzy Door for National Geographic)
Best Actress – Television: Justina Machado, One Day at a Time(Netflix)
Best Supporting Actor – Television: Jorge Diaz, The Long Road Home(National Geographic; Phoenix Pictures, Finngate Television, and Fuzzy Door for National Geographic)
Best Supporting Actress – Television (TIE):  Stephanie Beatriz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine(Fox; Universal Television, Fremulon, Dr. Goor Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment)
Gina Torres, Suits(USA Network; Universal Cable Productions)
Best Young Actor – Television: Jenna Ortega, Stuck in the Middle(Disney Channel; Horizon Productions, Inc.)
Best Variety or Reality Show: Pati’s Mexican Table(WETA/American Public Television; Co-production of Mexican Table LLC, WETA Washington DC, and FRANK)
Best Children’s Programming: Elena of Avalor(Disney Junior; Disney Television Animation)
Best Documentary: The Pushouts(Curious Matters, LLC)
Best Informational Program (Local or National): Noticias Telemundo: “Nuestra Gente Extraordinaria” (Telemundo Network)
Best Short-Form Non-Fiction Program: ESPN Features – SC Reportajes – “Hoops Sagrado” (ESPN Deportes; ESPN)
Best On-Air Advertising: Broken Crayons (brokencrayons.us; Republica

Guillermo del Toro Wins Best Director and Best Picture Oscars for “The Shape of Water”

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

It’s turned out to be a monster night for Guillermo del Toro…

The 53-year-old Mexican filmmaker had a nearly perfect night, picking up his first-ever Academy Awards for his romantic fantasy drama The Shape of Water.

del Toro, who co-wrote, directed and produced the film, was named Best Director, an award he was predicted to win throughout awards season.

Additionally, del Toro’s The Shape of Water took home the night’s top prize, Best Picture.

The romantic fable was conceived by del Toro as a tribute to the monster movies he loved as a child, updated to tell a story about tolerance and compassion that could speak to a contemporary audience.The film ultimately took home four Oscars, the most of any nominee.

“As a kid enamored of movies growing up in Mexico, I thought it would never happened, but it happened,” said del Toro, in accepting the Best Picture award.

del Toro, who missed out on being 3-for-3 when he lost in the Best Original Screenplay category, urged other young filmmakers to take inspiration from his win, and “use the power of fantasy to tell stories about things that are real in the world.”

The award was presented by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, who famously announced the wrong Best Picture winner last year, naming La La Land instead of actual winner Moonlight.

He’s the latest Mexican filmmaker to take home multiple awards in the same night… Alejandro González Iñárritu previously scored three Oscar wins in 2015 for Birdman: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

One year earlier, Alfonso Cuaron took home two Oscars for his film Gravity: Best Director. and Best Film Editing.

Meanwhile, Disney/Pixar’s Dia de los Muertos-themed animated film Coco won best animated feature and its featured tune, “Remember Me,” won Best Original Song.

And, the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film went to A Fantastic Woman, from Chile, the story of a transgender person struggling in the aftermath of the death of a lover.

The film edged out Ruben Östlund’s Swedish satire The Square and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Russian fable Loveless.

Directed by Sebastián Lelio and written by Lelio and Gonzalo Maza, the film marks the first Chilean entry for the foreign language Oscar since Pablo Larraín’s No, and the first ever Academy award for Lelio, in his follow-up to the acclaimed film Gloria.

At Sunday’s ceremony, the film’s star Daniela Vega became the first openly transgender person to present an award at the Oscars.

Here’s a look at all of this year’s Academy Award winners.

BEST PICTURE
The Shape of Water

ACTRESS
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

ACTOR
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

DIRECTOR
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Allison Janney, I, Tonya

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

ORIGINAL SONG (PRESENTED TO SONGWRITERS)
Remember Me, from Coco (Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez)

ORIGINAL SCORE
The Shape of Water, Alexandre Desplat

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Blade Runner 2049, Roger A. Deakins

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Get Out, Jordan Peele

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Call Me By Your Name, James Ivory

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
The Silent Child

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405

FILM EDITING
Dunkirk, Lee Smith

VISUAL EFFECTS
Blade Runner 2049

ANIMATED FEATURE
Coco

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Dear Basketball

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A Fantastic Woman (Chile)

PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Shape of Water

SOUND MIXING
Dunkirk

SOUND EDITING
Dunkirk, Richard King and Alex Gibson

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
Icarus

COSTUME DESIGN
Phantom Thread, Mark Bridges

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Darkest Hour, Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

Gael García Bernal to Perform at This Year’s Oscars

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Gael García Bernal has a date with Oscar…

The 39-year-old Mexican actor/filmmaker will perform at this year’s Academy Awards, according to the show’s producers.

Garcia Bernal will be among the artists tackling this year’s Oscar nominated songs.

Garcia Bernal will be joined by Natalia LaFourcade and Miguel to sing “Remember Me” from Disney/Pixar’s Coco; with music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Garcia Bernal voiced the character of deceased songwriter Héctor Rivera in the animated film, and his character wrote the song.

Other performers include Mary J. Blige, Andra Day, Keala Settle, Sufjan Stevens and Common.

Blige will perform “Mighty River.” Blige performed the song for Mudbound, and she’s nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category. Blige wrote the Oscar-nominated song with Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson.

Common and Andra Day will perform his Oscar-nominated song “Stand Up For Something” from Marshall, his collaboration with Diane Warren.

Settle will perform the Oscar-nominated song “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman.

Stevens will perform his Oscar-nominated song “Mystery of Love,” written for Call Me by Your Name.

“We’re excited to have these talented artists showcase the powerful contribution music makes to film making,” said De Luca and Todd. “It’s a privilege to welcome them to the 90th Oscars stage.”

The Jimmy Kimmel-hosted show is set for Sunday, March 4.

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

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

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 January 11, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

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.

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

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

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

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.

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, 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.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

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