plot
Imelda's Backstory
In the Mexican town of Santa Cecilia, a young
woman named Imelda marries a man who eventually leaves her and
their daughter Coco to pursue a music career. When he never returns, Imelda bans music from her
family
and
opens
a shoemaking business.
Miguel's Family and Music Ban
Decades later, Imelda's great-great-grandson
Miguel lives in the family home with his parents and relatives,
including an elderly and ailing Coco. Despite the family's continued ban on music, Miguel secretly
loves it
and
teaches himself to play guitar by watching videos of his idol, the late musician Ernesto de la Cruz.
On the
Day
of the Dead, Miguel inadvertently bumps the family ofrenda and breaks a frame containing a photo of
Imelda
and
an infant Coco. He discovers a hidden section of the photograph that shows his
great-great-grandfather
(whose
head has been torn from the photo) holding Ernesto's famous guitar. Believing this proves Ernesto is
his
relative, Miguel excitedly tells his family about his musical aspirations. In response, Miguel's
grandmother
destroys his guitar.
Discovery and Conflict
Distraught, Miguel breaks into Ernesto's
mausoleum and takes his guitar to use in a local talent
competition.
Once Miguel strums it, he becomes invisible to all living people. However, he can interact with
his skeletal
dead relatives, who are visiting from the Land of the Dead for the holiday. Taking him back with
them, they
realize Imelda cannot visit since Miguel removed her photo from the ofrenda. Miguel also
discovers that he
has
been cursed for stealing from the dead: he must receive a family blessing to return to the
living world
before
sunrise or he will remain in the Land of the Dead forever. Imelda offers him a blessing on the
condition
that he
abandons music, but Miguel refuses and seeks Ernesto's blessing instead.
Seeking Ernesto's Blessing
Miguel encounters Héctor, a
down-on-his-luck skeleton who once performed with Ernesto. Héctor offers to
bring
Miguel to Ernesto in exchange for Miguel placing his photo on an ofrenda so he can visit his
daughter before
she
forgets him, which would cause him to fade from existence. Héctor helps Miguel perform in a
talent
competition
to win entry to Ernesto's mansion, but Miguel flees after being discovered by his family.
Talent Competition and Mansion Infiltration
Miguel sneaks into Ernesto's
mansion and is welcomed by a surprised Ernesto, but Héctor appears and accuses
Ernesto of stealing his songs. As the two argue, Miguel slowly pieces together the
truth: Ernesto and Héctor
were once a musical act on the brink of fame until Héctor grew homesick and tried to
leave. Unable to write
songs himself, Ernesto poisoned Héctor and stole his guitar and songs to pass off as his
own. To protect his
legacy, Ernesto seizes Héctor's photo and has Miguel and Héctor thrown into a cenote
pit. There, Miguel
realizes
Héctor is his actual great-great-grandfather and that Coco is Héctor's daughter.
Family Reconciliation and Exposing Ernesto
After being rescued by his
family, Miguel reveals the truth about Héctor's death, and Imelda and Héctor
reconcile. The family infiltrates Ernesto's concert to retrieve Héctor's photo.
Ernesto's crimes are exposed
to
the audience, who quickly turn on him, and he is crushed by a falling bell
(mirroring his fate in real
life),
although Héctor's photograph is lost in the chaos. As the sun rises, Imelda and a
fading Héctor bless Miguel
and
return him to the living world.
Returning to the Living World
Back home, Miguel
apologizes to his family for running away and plays "Remember Me" on Héctor's
guitar,
brightening Coco to sing along with him. She shares that she kept the torn piece
of the photo with Héctor's
face, then tells her family stories about her father, preserving his memory as
well as his existence in the
Land
of the Dead. Miguel reconciles with his family, ending the ban on music.
One Year Later
One year later, Miguel
shows his new baby sister, Socorro, the family ofrenda, now displaying
photos of
Héctor
and the recently deceased Coco. Coco's collected letters from Héctor prove
Ernesto's theft of his songs,
leading
to Ernesto's disgrace and Héctor's rightful recognition. In the Land of the
Dead, Héctor joins Imelda, Coco,
and
their family for a visit to the living world. Miguel performs a heartfelt
song for his relatives, living and
dead.
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