Guys, we need to talk about the impossibly delightful voice cast Pixar has assembled for its latest, Coco. We already knew the Día de muertos film, which was written and directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, was going to feature newcomer Anthony Gonzalez as the young boy Miguel, who finds himself visiting the Land of the Dead. We also knew our beloved Gael García Bernal would be lending his voice to a trickster and Benjamin Bratt to Miguel’s charro idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. But Disney·Pixar finally revealed who else will be joining the Coco cast and, oh man, it’s a beauty of a list. Anyone worrying the film might end up being just a watered down Anglo take on this most colorful of Mexican holidays should rest assured that, at least when it comes to the accented voices you’ll be hearing, Coco is aiming for authenticity.
But don’t take my word for it. Just look at who’s playing Miguel’s family. Legendary Mexican actress Ana Ofelia Murguía (Escrito en el cuerpo de la noche, La reina de la noche) who’s been working since the late 1960s will be voicing Miguel’s bisabuela, while Weeds‘ Lupita, Renée Victor, plays his abuela. Since much of Miguel’s story revolves around his love of music, it makes sense that they’d recruit Sofía Espinosa, who played Gloria Trevi in the 2014 biopic Gloria, to play his mom. Oh, and for his dad? Let’s just say #Rogelifans have found their new favorite animated film, as Jaime Camil plays the young boy’s father.
You want more Latino cred? The guys who have given us Finding Nemo and Toy Story got Luis “I directed La Bamba” Valdes to voice Miguel’s uncle Berto, and Alfonso “I directed Como agua para chocolate” Arau to voice the late bisabuelo he meets in the Land of the Dead. They even got your favorite Battlestar Galactica admiral (looking at you pioneer of Latino talent, Edward James Olmos!) to give life to a friend of Bernal’s Hector called Chicharrón.
And we haven’t even gotten to the two funniest additions to the film, who are surely to garner the most laughs. Proving that we should follow Guillermo del Toro’s example and not pit Coco against the similarly-themed animated flick The Book of Life, the Disney·Pixar has recruited one of del Toro’s own Book of Life voice actors (the very funny Gabriel Iglesias) to play the part of Head Clerk in the Land of the Dead’s “Department of Family Reunions.” And then there’s Cheech Marin—who’s also lending his voice to this summer’s Cars 3. He’s also playing an authority figure in the ghostly Land of the Dead as a Corrections Officer. The rest of the voice cast is rounded out by Herbert Siguenza, Selene Luna, Octavio Solis, Lombardo Boyar, Alanna Ubach, and Blanca Araceli.
Are you excited, yet? Because we sure are.
Coco hits theaters November 22, 2017