‘Andor’ Star Diego Luna Sings in an Animated Movie Everyone Compares to Disney
Star Wars fans have had an embarrassment of riches in the past few years. Although the galaxy far, far away continues to take a break from the big screen, Disney+ subscribers have enjoyed many hours of Star Wars content since The Mandalorian debuted in 2019. Most recently, Andor gives new life to Diego Luna’s Rebel hero. But the show’s fans might not know Diego Luna also sings in an animated film compared to a beloved Disney movie.
Diego Luna was a breakout star of 2016’s ‘Rogue One’
After acquiring Lucasfilm — and, by extension, Star Wars — in 2012, Disney quickly announced a five-year plan to bring new movies to the saga George Lucas created. Among those plans was an outline for a sequel trilogy featuring new and legacy characters. But more curious was news of standalone anthology movies set in the Star Wars universe. The first, 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, also took a wild creative risk.
Rogue One tells the untold story that leads directly into the original Star Wars film. But in doing so, the movie introduces audiences to a team of rebels destined to meet dark ends. Luna plays Cassian Andor, who teams with Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). Rogue One‘s ending left little room for a sequel. So Andor takes Luna down the prequel route that Star Wars helped popularize when the prequel trilogy hit theaters.
Diego Luna starred in an animated film many people mistake for a Disney movie
Rogue One might be Luna’s best-known project. But the actor had more than 15 years of experience in film before joining the Star Wars saga. One such movie is the animated musical The Book of Life, which Fox released in 2014. In a video for Wired, the movie came up when the question arose whether Luna could sing.
“Yes, I do sing beautifully. I sang in the film The Book of Life. But there was a lot of tweaking,” he admitted.
Likely, the “tweaking” he refers to is the post-production done to his voice. Such alterations are common practice behind the scenes. Since its release, The Book of Life has essentially become a Disney film, thanks to the entertainment giant’s acquisition of Fox. The movie is even streaming on Disney+ alongside a similar Disney production.
Fans compare ‘The Book of Life’ to Disney’s ‘Coco’
In 2017, Disney and Pixar released Coco. And like The Book of Life, the Disney musical centers on the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. However, Coco achieved greater commercial and critical success, winning two Academy Awards in 2018.
Another connection between the two films lies in the cast. Gael García Bernal — Luna’s co-star in 2001’s Y Tu Mamá También and real-life friend — voices one of the main characters in Coco and even sings several times throughout the movie. Now fans of both actors can enjoy The Book of Life and Coco on Disney+.
