Pixar’s Set Supervisor Chris Bernardi Talks About Bringing the World of Coco to Life #coco #pixarcoco

One of the biggest was scale. We are still getting our feet wet with a new renderer. It’s a full blown path tracer. Its a bit of a shift for a lot of us who have used the same software for twenty years. We ran into problems with light, because the movie takes place at night. We had millions of street lamps. We had to figure out a lot of ways to light everything up.

We thought our biggest challenge was going to be when we were doing the graveyard shot when each of the tombs was dressed with offerings, candles. We thought that was a lot lights. But when we moved onto the Land of the Dead, we kicked it up a notch.

Amazing, I got to learn a lot about artwork, the culture and music. we had musicians out to Pixar who played for us and explained the meaning behind it. There’s always research into the food, things we don’t about. Most of the stuff on the Ofrenda is stuff you’d normally see. We wanted to do all of the appropriate things. I think we had full time locals at our disposal to answer our questions.

There is a Pizza Planet truck that goes by in one of the clips. There is the A113 that is in a lot of them. There’s always a scene with something from the next movie in every Pixar film – so look for a poster for the Incredibles but as skeletons in the Land of the Dead. I wont point them out specifically but there are a couple of references to The Shining in the sets.

A lot of the movie is about remembrance and our ancestors. So from the film standpoint it’s a plot device because at the end you know she’s going to die. At the end there is a transition, and that’s not the sad part. She provides a role for that transition between family that were around and the family we live with, the remembrance of the people that are gone.

It was a holiday that we were always fascinated with. We dug into it a little bit after Toy Story and found such a richness there. There’s so much you can say about that. We have no similar holiday where we think of that. The closest we have is Thanksgiving where we give thanks for what we have. But the idea of remembering your ancestors in a way like that, is such a wonderful sentiment. I think that really drew us all in.

At the end of the film there is a statement “To All of those who inspired us” and all of these pictures unfold and it’s from everyone on the crew and everyone they thought of when they were working on the film.

In Mexico I could feel the love gushing around the theater. I think we try to do the film with a light touch, and there’s a bit of that in the celebration itself. It’s not a sad thing, it’s the idea that people come back to us and we remember the things they loved. It’s the idea of spending some time thinking about them that is really beautiful.

Definitely the skeletons. When you’re animating a person, there are a lot of things you can cheat with because it’s covered in skin. But when you have all the vertebrae – it’s such a part of the charter. So for the animators it was really hard. It took a lot of work. When we did our first movie – Nemo it took a lot of work to pull expression out.

I think a lot of us have dogs. There’s a lot of serious stuff in our team meetings, then we had updates with new puppies or pets. I think a lot of us can relate to it. From an animation stand point they can be ridiculous how they act in the real world, so we try to put that into our films. It’s kind of one of those amazing moments we like to include.

BONUS FEATURES*

Blu-ray & Digital:

• Deleted Scenes with Introductions – Director Lee Unkrich and co-director Adrian Molina talk about the deleted scenes and the part they played in the development of “Coco.”
  • Día de los Muertos – In this musical extravaganza, the colors and excitement of Día de los Muertos come to life as we meet superstar Ernesto de la Cruz.
  • The Way of the Riveras – A musical number in which Abuelita and Miguel prepare their Día de los Muertos celebration while she teaches him Rivera family history and traditions.
  • Celebrity Tour – Héctor, a Land of the Dead tour bus guide, agrees to help Miguel, revealed to be a living boy, on his quest to find de la Cruz.
  • The Bus Escape – The Rivera family catches up to Miguel and Héctor and attempts to halt their mission to find de la Cruz.
  • Alebrije Attack – Miguel and Héctor are interrupted on their journey to find de la Cruz by a fierce alebrije.
  • The Family Fix – After de la Cruz reveals his true colors, the Rivera family puts their dismay aside and comes together to repair the smashed guitar needed to send Miguel home.
  • To the Bridge – As the Land of the Dead counts down to the end of Día de los Muertos, Miguel and de la Cruz come head-to-head on the marigold bridge.
• Filmmaker Commentary – Presented by Lee Unkrich (director), Adrian Molina (co-director) and Darla K. Anderson (producer).
• The Music of “Coco” – Collaborating with musicians of Mexico and some unique instrumentation, this documentary explores the beautiful fusion of music essential to the story of “Coco.”
• Paths to Pixar: “Coco” – Explore how the film crew’s personal stories resonate with the themes of the movie itself.
• Welcome to the Fiesta – A musical exploration of the skeletons that make the Land of the Dead in “Coco” so wondrous and intriguing.
• How to Draw a Skeleton – Pixar artist Daniel Arriaga gives a lesson on the quick and easy way to draw skeletons using simple shapes.
• A Thousand Pictures a Day – Join the “Coco” crew on an immersive travelogue through Mexico, visiting families, artisans, cemeteries, and small villages during the Día de los Muertos holiday.
• Mi Familia – Developing the Riveras was a labor of love that took the cast and crew on a deep dive into the meaning of family.
• Land of Our Ancestors – Watch Pixar artists lovingly construct layer upon layer of architecture from many eras of Mexican history, bringing the Land of the Dead to life.
• Fashion Through the Ages – The cast of characters in “Coco” are from many different eras, making for some magnificent costuming opportunities.
• The Real Guitar – The majestic guitar that spurs Miguel on his journey through the Land of the Dead is a unique creation. Watch as it is initially designed by a Pixar artist and ultimately realized as a real instrument by a master luthier in this poetic ode to craftsmanship.
• Dante – How the crew fell in love with the uniquely Mexican breed of Xoloitzcuintli (or “Xolo”) dogs that inspired Dante.
• How to Make Papel Picado – Join Pixar artist Ana Ramírez González as we learn how papel picado is made traditionally, and then try your own approach to this beautiful art form.
• Un Poco “Coco” – A montage of original animated pieces used to promote “Coco.”
• “Coco Trailers” – Trailers include “Feeling,” “Dante’s Lunch,” “Destiny,” “Journey” and “Belong.”

DVD:

• Filmmaker Commentary
• Dante

About “Coco”

Directed by Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 3”) and co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist “Monsters University”) from a script by Molina and Matthew Aldrich (“Spinning Man”). Darla K. Anderson (“Toy Story 3”) produces, and John Lasseter is executive producer. “Coco” features an original score from Oscar®-winning composer Michael Giacchino (“Up,” “Rogue One”), a song by Oscar winners Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (“Frozen”), and additional songs co-written by Germaine Franco (“Dope,” “Shovel Buddies”) and Molina. Also part of the team is musical consultant Camilo Lara of the music project Mexican Institute of Sound, as well as cultural consultants Lalo Alcaraz, Marcela Davison Avilés and Octavio Solis.

Becky

Becky is Content Creator in metro-Detroit. She is also an interior designer, a former adjunct professor, a gluten free foodie, and world traveler. Week99er is a lifestyle site featuring real life reviews of the latest in entertainment, technology, travel destinations and even set visits. Her Youtube channel gives in depth reviews and travel videos. Contact her at becky@week99er.com

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