Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE/ARTS
Friday 1 december 2017
'Coco' draws Latino audiences, others with theme of family

By RUSSELL CONTRERAS sat outside then took selfies
Associated Press with the movie's posters.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) "Coco," one of the larg-
— The day before Thanks- est U.S. productions ever
giving, a predominantly to feature an almost en-
Latino audience packed tirely Latino cast, is drawing
an Albuquerque theater large audiences among
on Route 66 to catch the Latinos for its depiction of
U.S. premiere of "Coco." In Mexican culture at a time
San Jose, California, multi- when many feel uneasy
generational Latino fami- about their place in the na-
lies came together to see tion's policies, including im-
the movie. At the Vineland migration.
Drive-In outside of Los An- In the Pixar animated film's
geles, Mexican-Americans opening week, Latino fami-
in trucks and vintage cars lies crowded theaters from

In this Nov. 8, 2017 file photo, the cast and filmmakers, from left, Benjamin Bratt, John Ratzen-
berger, Darla K. Anderson, Renee Victor, Herbert Siguenza, Lee Unkrich, Edward James Olmos,
Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Anthony Gonzalez, Alanna Ubach, Jaime Camil, Gael Garcia Bernal,
Selene Luna, Blanca Araceli, Adrian Molina and Lombardo Boyar arrive at the Los Angeles pre-
miere of "Coco" in Los Angeles.
Associated Press
Houston to Phoenix and The animated film opened 2016 and used consultants
posted photos and com- to the fourth best Thanksgiv- to make sure the film was
ments about the movie's ing weekend ever with an culturally sensitive.
references to Pedro Infante estimated $72.9 million over Lina Maria Murillo, 36, of
and painter Frida Kahlo. the five-day weekend. That San Jose, said "Coco's"
They took note of the men- total easily toppled Warner early success showed that
tion of chancla (flip-flops Bros.' "Justice League." a film that used predomi-
used by Mexican mothers Centered on the Mexican nantly Latino characters
to also discipline children) holiday Dia de Los Muertos who are bilingual could
and urged others to see (Day of the Dead), "Coco" do well in the U.S. Because
the film, too. has already set box office those references are so
"It was a great way to records in Mexico, where rare in mainstream movies
spend the holiday in light of it has made $53.4 million in it was special to see them
everything that has been three weeks. in a movie with a strong sto-
going on," said Jennie The movie follows Miguel, ryline, she said.
Luna, a Chicana/o Studies a 12-year-old Mexican boy Murillo took her husband
professor at California State with the heart of a musician and two daughters to see
University, Channel Island. born in a family that has the film Sunday.
She saw the film with her prohibited music for gen- Her daughters, Samaralu-
mother, grandmother and erations. After fighting with cia, 8, and Isamaria, 6, had
3-year-old niece. his family, Miguel slips into wanted to see it since view-
"It was representative and a wondrous netherworld ing the previews, Murillo
well done. We were excit- where he depends on his said.
ed to see people like us in long-dead ancestors to re- After exiting the Spanish-
a movie." store him to the land of the language version of the
"Just watched Disney's and living. movie around 11 p.m., the
Pixar's movie #Coco with Characters in the English girls began asking about
the family!" Retired Mexi- version of the movie are bi- deceased family members
can American NASA As- lingual and drop referenc- on the way home, Murillo
tronaut Jose Hernandez es to pan dulce (Mexican said.
tweeted on Friday. "What pastries) and various foods. "My parents emigrated
a well done movie that re- Spirits had to "crossover" from Colombia and my
spects our culture!" from the land of the dead husband's family goes with
"Coco," which opened last to the land of the living — many generations in El
Wednesday in the United an allusion to the U.S.-Mexi- Paso....so this movie hit all
States, is Pixar's first feature co border. the connections," Murillo
film with a minority lead "Coco" comes after Dis- said. "It moved me to tears."
character. ney's sucessful "Moana" Alexandro José Gradilla,
The English-language ver- — a computer-animated a Chicana and Chicano
sion is sprinkled with bilin- movie featuring a girl from Studies professor at Cali-
gual dialogue and set in a Polynesian village. fornia State University, Ful-
a pueblo that resembles a That movie garnered most- lerton, saw the film on its
town in Mexico or a village ly positive reaction from opening night with his wife
in northern New Mexico. Polynesian audiences in and daughter. q