On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, we went to see Coco- on opening day! We had planned on going the day after Thanksgiving as a great way to rest after the craziness of Thanksgiving, but I talked Justin into going early because after having seen it at the premiere I just couldn’t wait any longer for my family to see it! Apparently I wasn’t alone- Coco opened with the 4th highest Thanksgiving opening weekend of all time!!
The success of Coco is due to a lot of things, but regardless of what drew people to see it the first time, I think I know the main thing that will keep people watching it over and over and over- the heart behind it. The movie teaches the lesson that family is important and the love that one can have for their family can be all you need. There are many family relationships in the film that represent different relationships within a family, but I think one of the best examples of what being family means deep down to your bones {no pun intended} is the relationship between Miguel and Mama Imelda. They’ve never met- Mama Imelda was dead long before Miguel was born- but she has this fierce need to protect him. A lot of the movie is about them growing to understand each other and meeting somewhere in the middle- and without the evolution of their relationship, the movie would have had a totally different ending.
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to interview the incredibly talented actors who play both of those roles! Anthony Gonzalez, voice of Miguel, and Alanna Ubach, voice of Mama Imelda, sat down to talk to us about the inspiration for their characters, what they hope shines through from the movie, and more!
So you’ve been working on this movie for years. What was it like to see it in a theater with family and see it?
Anthony Gonzalez: Oh, it was just amazing. And it shows all of the work that all these people have been putting in. I just love it, and I can’t wait for everyone else to see it.
Besides Miguel, is there any other character you would have liked to have done?
Anthony Gonzalez: Dante. He’s very funny. I love it. I love his tongue.
What was it like to see your character once it was drawn? Were you like, “They definitely got that from me”?
Anthony Gonzalez: Yeah. The first time I saw Miguel, I was actually very surprised, like, “Oh, we look alike.” And just to be a part of a Disney-Pixar movie is just a dream of mine. Because I have been watching these movies since very little. And to be in one right now is just amazing.
Would you say that you would like to seize your moments?
Anthony Gonzalez: Oh, I love to seize my moments.
And what is your biggest moment so far?
Anthony Gonzalez: I loved singing a lot for a lot of commercials and movies and press. Like, I got to sing for Coco, and it’s just so much singing as Miguel. I had so much fun singing the wonderful lyrics, and it was just so much fun being Miguel. And singing. I had so much fun with the grito. Especially that scene where Hector is teaching me about the grito, I’m like, “Oh, no, I don’t know about this.” I just really loved doing gritos.
Speaking of singing, both of your voices pierced my soul. Would you feel comfortable singing anything for us?
Alanna Ubach: Sure. Oh, my goodness, well, why not. This is really fun- I like to sing it to my son before he goes to sleep, and I have a 12-week old at home.
Very simple, but it puts him to sleep all the time. Without fail. So, very important song.
Where did you learn that song?
Alanna Ubach: My mother used to sing it to me. Mi mama es de Sinaloa Mi papa de Puerto Rico {my mom is from Sinaloa, Mexico my dad is from Puerto Rico}. Both of them, actually, knew that song. It’s about trying to coax a burrito- a little donkey- to get up the hill. It’s like, “Come on little donkey, get up the hill, so you can have your corn.” That’s what it’s about. It’s ridiculous.
And you?
Anthony Gonzalez: Sure. Okay.
Alanna Ubach: No pressure or anything, with all of us-
Anthony Gonzalez: I’ll just sing Remember Me.
What would you tell other children that might be inspired to become an actor?
Anthony Gonzalez: Yeah, thankfully, I had the support of all of my parents and my siblings, so it was very easy to me, to do what I love. So what I tell all the people- what I really did is just never give up, and really do my best, and do what I love, and no one can stop me.
How were you discovered?
Anthony Gonzalez: I actually never thought I would be an actor. But I would start going to this television show called Univision where I would read books in Spanish with all my siblings and other kids. And one day a director was present, and she thought that me and my brothers would be great actors, so she gave us an agent, and I’ve been with him since I was four years old, and look, here I am.
And Alanna, as a mom, why do you feel this movie is important for parents?
Alanna Ubach: Well, I think it just paints such an exquisite picture of the afterlife, and when my son is old enough to see this film, he’ll be able to say, “Mama, if this is what the afterlife is like, I’m not afraid of death.” It’s just as beautiful as birth.
And how would you like him to remember you?
Alanna Ubach: How would I like him to remember me? That I sang him funny, silly little songs, and that I loved him with my very soul. He breaks my heart every single day. He gets a hammer to my heart and pounds on it, and then hands it back to me, and then it takes me 23 hours to put it back together all over again, and then the following day he does the same thing. He’s my life. He really is my life. And I hope he remembers that he was my life.
He’s just everything to me. I never thought in a million years that I would have such a love for this little potted plant, who is my life right now. But he’s just starting to engage and laugh. And in the middle of the night- he has a bit of a cold- so I was telling my publicist, it’s like sleeping next to a broken Volkswagen right now. And who else do you get up at five o’clock in the morning and say, “I’m going to take a hot, steaming shower with this little, potted plant?” And my husband rolls over, and he’s like, “What are you doing, you’re taking a shower right now? Isn’t your call time 10:30?” And I say, “No, I have to get him better.” So, sure enough, we took a hot, steamy shower together, my little boy and I. And in the morning, everything was cleared out, so I highly recommend a hot, steamy shower for a little three-month old with a cold.
I was in the theater last night, and I saw your husband gushing in disbelief. What was it like to sit next to him, to have him see you on film?
Alanna Ubach: It was so surreal. I was sitting in between my mother, who is 78 years old, and my husband- and we just had a little boy. So, between the two of them- it’s too bad that I didn’t bring Kleenex. But he was just floored, and he didn’t really know that I could sing like that. I mean, you know, he’ll hear me in the shower, and here we go back to the shower, but this was really important. And my mother used to tell me about this story of llorona. So, it was a big surprise for her to hear this song that I sang, because it’s about that woman, and it is about that character that she used to talk about when I was a little girl.
Where did you draw inspiration for your portrayal?
Alanna Ubach: This is based on my tia Flora. When I was a little girl, I remember her inflections. She was very grand. She was a very ornate character, and such an important figure growing up when I was a little girl. I remember it being eight o’clock in the morning, she had a full face of makeup on constantly, and she always wore her high heels. And at Christmas time, when she entered the room, she was like, “Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad!!” I was so put off by her as a little girl, because she was just too much, but now as a woman in my early forties, I can look at this woman with such respect. And she had such passion. She was the DNA of my family, and she was very passionate and had this stoicism that was so admirable when I was a kid, growing up. I never forgot her inflections. To me, she was very sing-song-y, and she spoke the way she spoke Spanish when she spoke English, and so I thought, ah, I’m going to make this character. I’m going to base her on my Tia Flora.
Do you celebrate Day of the Dead?
Anthony Gonzalez: Yes. I do celebrate the Day of the Dead. I actually started celebrating really when my grandfather passed away. He was very special to me, because he was always there for me, and he would just be so funny, and he was always there to support me in what I loved to do, which was sing. So starting when I was six years old, I would love to celebrate the Day of the Dead, because it was a day where I could be with him, and connect with him once again, and that’s why I loved this joyful celebration. And I can’t believe I’m part of a movie that celebrates and shows this wonderful celebration.
What do you hope audiences get from watching?
Anthony Gonzalez: What I hope that the audience gets from watching this wonderful movie is if there’s a secret passion that they have, to share it with the world, and do what they want to do in life, and do what they love, and to really know about the wonderful Mexican culture, and the wonderful celebration of the Day of the Dead. And maybe, who knows, maybe they will start celebrating, because it’s a universal celebration.
Alanna Ubach: It was so important for Pixar to make this movie, because, to me, it really does respect the one important quality that Latin and Latin Americans have, and that is the importance of family. That it can never be broken. No borders or presidents or politics can ever break the bond of familia, and I think that’s something that people will walk away very well knowing.
Disney Pixar’s Coco is playing in theaters right now! Don’t miss these printable Coco coloring pages and activity sheets, and be sure to catch my interviews with other stars from the film!