Disney and Pixar’s ‘Coco’ Musicians Made Music With ‘Weird Stuff’ — Not Just Instruments
Miguel Rivera loves music — even if his family doesn’t. As a result, Disney and Pixar’s Coco is filled with music — with some strange instruments used in recording sessions. Here’s what we learned about this animated film and some of the musicians present in the studio.
Disney and Pixar released ‘Coco’ in 2017
The music isn’t just in him — it is him. What is Disney’s Coco about? The animated film tells the story of the only family in Mexico who doesn’t like music. Well, except for the main character Miguel, who was willing to do whatever it took to “seize his moment.”
Since being released in 2017, this feature became a fan favorite, earning two Oscar Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Song. The soundtrack earned millions of Spotify plays, with Disney+ even creating a live concert version celebrating the music of Coco.
The ‘Coco’ soundtrack features the sound of seashells
Even if this movie isn’t a “musical,” music is an important aspect of Coco’s storytelling, especially because of Miguel’s passion. Anthony Gonzalez voiced the main character and lent his voice to “Un Poco Loco,” “Proud Corazón,” “The World Es Mi Familia,” and other originals.
During an interview with Slashfilm, some creators behind Coco elaborated on their music choices. A mariachi performed on some songs, while others used “weird stuff” to make sounds.
“We had the marimba players,” orchestrator Germaine Franco said. “There’s a sound called trío romantico, and it’s three singers doing [the] harmony and playing guitars. We also had música norteña, which is an accordion and drum set. Then we had some female vocalists.
“We even had some musicians play with seashells… weird stuff,” cultural consultant Camilo Lara added.
“And we had solo tuba,” Franco continued. “We had some hybrid ensembles, one ensemble was with a guitar, accordion, trumpet. We basically tried to get as much material as we could. And with Michael’s source cue, I tried to arrange with different ensembles so that we could see which sounded the best.”
This musical knowledge was even exemplified in the Coco animation. Whenever viewers saw Miguel play the guitar, he was actually hitting the notes that people were hearing. The production also focused on Mexican culture, paying special attention to Día de Muertos.
How to watch Disney and Pixar’s ‘Coco’ (and listen to the ‘Coco’ original soundtrack)
Some of the most popular songs from this production include “Remember Me (Ernesto de la Cruz,)” “Un Poco Loco,” and “La Llorona.” With an English and Spanish version of Coco available for streaming, Disney also released a Spanish version of the official soundtrack.
That remains available on most major streaming platforms, with songs like “Recuérdame” earning over 25 million Spotify plays. The feature film is available on Disney+ in Spanish and in English, as well as A Celebration of the Music from Coco.
