Bringing Coco to life

SHE is one of the most prolific animated feature producers in the world, and Darla K. Anderson shows no signs of slowing down.
Anderson has been with Pixar since 1993 (she is currently a film producer for Pixar Animation Studios), and has produced iconic animated films such as A Bug’s Life (1998), Monsters, Inc (2001), Cars (2006), Toy Story 3 (2010), and the latest, Coco (2017).
As a producer, she won the Academy award for best animated feature for Toy Story 3 in 2011, and has been nominated for the same category again this year for Coco.
The movie is a frontrunner, after having scooped up both a Bafta award and an Annie award recently.
During a tele-conference interview organised by HBO (Astro channels 411/431, which will be telecasting the 90th Academy Awards live on Monday from 7am onwards), Anderson talks about making Coco, and Pixar’s legacy.
It is well known that many of Pixar’s animated movies undergo a process of evolution.
Asked how many changes were made to Coco’s original storyline, Anderson says: “On this film, the initial concept was our character going down to the land of the dead to unlock a mystery to his past, and then going on a great adventure.”
She explains that the initial treatment was about a boy with an American father and a Mexican mother. When his mother dies, the boy travels down to Mexico to be with his grandparents.
“So this character had to let go of his grief, and let go of everything, which was a western point of view, and it wasn’t working.
“We realised that the real core of this cultural celebration was about never letting go, and to never stop remembering our ancestors. Once we centred on that, the story became much more of what you see on the screen today.”
It was director Lee Unkrich’s idea to centre the story around the Mexican Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebration, and Anderson herself was attracted to this concept.
“It is nice to do a film when the physical place doesn’t exist. You have to use your imagination.
“The hardest things is getting story right. We have many amazing artists who can do almost anything. There were lots of characters, many sets. It is a big journey film.
“There are many visual complexities in the film. This film is set in a specific culture and celebration so it is important to get everything correct.”
Cultural consultants were brought into the project, and the filmmakers also travelled into Mexico and spoke to families.
“From what we could tell, we got it right, and we are happy about that,” says Anderson.
She is also happy and grateful that Coco moved many people all around the world.
As for the film’s chances at winning an Oscar, Anderson says: “You never know what will happen ... I am hopeful. There are so many people on this team whom I would like to celebrate with.”
She feels Coco’s universal message about family, and wanting to be remembered by relatives, is something that inspires.
Animated films have been nominated for best picture at the Academy awards in the past.
Anderson hopes that one will eventually win the big prize in the near future.
“Toy Story 3 was nominated for best picture. I thought that maybe it might win,” she says.
“We certainly put everything in our movies, and we appreciate it when our peers and audiences watch our movies along [with] other live action films. We feel our films are as important in every way.”
As to concerns that Coco looked a lot like The Book of Life (2014), produced by Reel FX Creative Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation, Anderson says: “There are so many Christmas films, but they all tell different stories.
“Why can’t there be more movies on the Day of the Dead?”
However, she clarifies that her team was not aware of The Book of Life when they were making Coco, and only realised that when other filmmakers pointed out the similarities.
“[We] are friends with Jorge R. Gutierrez, the director of The Book of Life and we invited him to Coco’s premiere,” she adds. “We really respected his vision and the film he made.”