#GIVE US THE ELENA COMMENTARY DISNEY | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kaen-ace-of-diamonds · 5 years ago

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Director's Commentary on Emerald and Jadite's story? I can't remember the name, but I do recall the all consuming feels.

come into my ask box and ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular fic, section of a fic, or set of lines

Ah, Phantom Thief! I’m still very proud of one of my very few completed longfics.

- I leaned very heavily on the Disney version of Aladdin in creating Jadeite. He is the Kassim to Emerald’s Aladdin: the father made desperate enough by his family’s poverty and his own shame to leave in an attempt to fix their situation, with his child too young to realize what he was doing. Jadeite becomes a much more accepted leader to a much nicer Forty Thieves than Kassim, but should they ever reunite, Emerald will be considerably slower to forgive and reconcile with her father than Aladdin was.

- Similarly, the opening of Chapter 2 with preteen Emerald was conceived as, “What if One Jump Ahead went horribly, horribly wrong, and Aladdin did not get away unscathed after stealing the bread?”

- Akashi’s purpose is to be the straight man and cynic to Jadeite’s comedian and optimist. He has no problem poking holes in the hopeful fantasies Jadeite latches onto to cope with his shitty quality of life, in order to try and make him tackle things in a more realistic way. (I also wanted to write a scene where he uses anti-Faunus hostility to his and Jade’s advantage.)

- Beryl’s character concept was essentially, “What would Emerald grow up to be if no one – Cinder or otherwise – came to take her out of poverty?” The answer: bitter, jaded, and uncaring to the point of legitimate cruelty.

- Jadeite and Emerald have the same response to ending up stuck in abusive relationships: fierce denial that their abuser mistreats them and doesn’t care about them, and insistence that what’s been done to them is their own fault. With Cinder, Emerald hasn’t yet reached the point that Jadeite does in Chapter 3 with Beryl: where he’s faced with something too awful to explain away and something he can’t blame on himself, because he wasn’t there and he would never even think of blaming Emerald.

-Beryl’s abuse also sets Emerald up to be manipulated and abused by Cinder; Emerald’s constantly berating herself and putting herself down even before being subjected to her, and she’s so unused to good treatment, considers herself so undeserving of it, that she idolizes Cinder and thinks she owes her her life for giving it to her. Beryl, for her part, figures that something like that is coming for Emerald later in life (“Oh, baby doll…What’s going to happen to you?”), she just doesn’t care enough to change and try to prevent it instead.

- (The flashback scene with Beryl trying to make Emerald understand that her father is gone for good was my favorite one to write. My second favorite was the scene where Jadeite finds out that in his absence, his wife’s been killed and his daughter’s disappeared.)

- Jadeite’s Semblance is a pun on the Disappeared Dad trope: he can very literally vanish at will.

- The trend in fanart I see of Emerald getting a Badass Longcoat as part of a new outfit definitely inspired Jadeite’s King of Thieves outfit. Similarly, I had a much shabbier version of Elena’s outfit from Final Fantasy VII in mind for Sarale’s outfit: she’s trying to look cooler/tougher than she really is.

- The way I interpret it, the class divide/hostile architecture/police brutality problems in Mistral aren’t much better than they are in Atlas and Mantle, there just isn’t as much physical distance in the equation. Basically, if you’re Upper Mistrali, you’re good to go; if you’re Lower Mistrali like the Sustrai family, you’re fucked.

- Emerald is under the impression that the final scene with her and Cinder is the start of her happily ever after with her hero. It’s decidedly not: it’s just the honeymoon phase of Cinder’s abuse, where Emerald is showered with love and affection and comfort, to keep her attached to Cinder even when she becomes distant and violent to her later on.

- Post-ending, Jadeite and his Forty Thieves don’t end up tracking down Emerald on their own: they see her on TV at the Vytal Festival, using her real name and looking exactly like her father. Jade makes a beeline for Vale, but only arrives after the Fall of Beacon has happened and Emerald is nowhere to be found. They’ve got some real American Tail bullshit going on.

- He doesn’t find her on the list of dead and eventually sees her wanted posters back in Mistral, but not only is he no closer to finding out where she is and reuniting with her, but he’s giving himself a stress headache trying to piece together what the fuck happened to her since she left their home city with Cinder.

#natsu-tigre #kaen answers #emerald sustrai

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turtle-burgler · 7 years ago

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If you’re interested in animation, you’ve probably seen Disney-Pixar’s latest hit, Coco. The beautifully-portrayed story of a young musician named Miguel and his journey to the Land of the Dead took the world by storm since its original debut in Mexico on Día de los Muertos, eventually making over 700 million dollars worldwide. If you’re watching this, you’ve probably heard some of the hidden-Pixar-characters trivia, but there’s so much more to the movie than that! The movie’s emotional connection, memorable music, and rich depiction of the land of the dead are full of details you missed the first time you watched, and there’s tons of behind-the-scenes info you ought to know!

As I’ve been preparing this video, I’ve been involved with the Coco fandom on Tumblr. Lots of other smart people on there have noticed things I didn’t or given insight I couldn’t! I’ll share these with you too and credit the fan who noticed it.

Without further ado, here’s 122 things you missed in Coco. This is a given, but SPOILERS AHEAD!

The directors had the mariachi Disney intro made just for fun, but loved it so much that they kept it in the film.

You can hear bells like the one that killed Ernesto throughout Coco: The opening and closing

The first line in the movie (“sometimes I think I’m cursed”) is already foreshadowing the plot.

The beginning sequence where we learn Imelda’s backstory through cut-paper, or papel picado, was originally a musical number set in the middle of the film.

Some of the papel picado is stylized and couldn’t exist if you tried to recreate them without the paper falling out!

“And never returned” Notice these skulls? A hint that Héctor didn’t just abandon his family, but was murdered.

Why did Imelda choose shoe-making out of all her possible professions? According to the papel picado, Coco’s shoes were falling apart. Imelda had to fix them herself. And it turns out she had a knack for it!

Miguel went through a few different redesigns, originally being named “Sam,” then “Marco.”

That big fat guitar isn’t off-model; it’s a guitarrón mexicano, a staple of mariachi music.

We see various Pixar characters as piñatas, which was inspired by real handmade merchandise that the animators saw on research trips to Mexico.

In this collection of alebrijes, you can see a few more Pixar characters, true--but it’s also the audience’s first look at Imelda’s alebrije, Pepita!

(Via prismasandtoonpies) Dante popping up next to the alebrijes foreshadows his future role as a spirit guide.

Coco’s background characters have their own stories and amusing reactions. As Miguel messes around, see the weird look this character gives him!

Pixar fans usually know that the movies often hide references to an animation classroom from Calarts, “A113”--even though the department was rearranged by the time some Coco artists attended. Other fans have spotted A113 on the door of the department of family grievances. But did you see A113 on De la Cruz’s album covers as well?

The set that De la Cruz performs on looks similar to the graveyard entrance to Santa Cecilia.

Speaking of Santa Cecilia, Miguel’s hometown: Santa Cecilia is the name of a real town near Mexico City, but the name was chosen because Santa Cecilia is the Catholic patron saint of musicians.

De la cruz hands off the guitar to make a fancy gesture while performing. It’s lucky he did, saving the guitar, or we wouldn’t have had a movie!

Those drunk guys were singing “La Llorona!”

The mariachi in the plaza also plays a couple chords of “la llorona”

The mariachi and Gustavo were both played by the same voice actor, Lombardo Boyar. The co-director has joked that Gustavo is the mariachi’s great-great-grandfather and it’s “all in the family”

Although Coco’s director, Lee Unkrich, has confirmed multiple times that the movie takes place in present day, here’s some in-movie proof: The 2016 calendar in the background of the Riveras’ zapateria, though it’s outdated--as seen in the up-to-date 2017 calendar in this (anything to declare) scene. https://twitter.com/leeunkrich/status/941382162355453952

You see multiple posters for “bolero expres” in the background of the land of the living throughout the movie--although “bolero” is a kind of dance, a “bolero” in Mexico is a shoeshine boy!

Lee Unkrich slipped in several references to his favourite movie, the Shining. (truck leather scene) You can see an ax in a stump here beside a red barrel, or a “red drum.” A third shining reference is hidden later in the film, where you can see the creepy twins from the movie in De la Cruz’s rehearsal hall.

Miguel’s guitar isn’t just beat up, it’s homemade with supplies Miguel took from the zapateria. It’s held together by shoe leather, and it has nails for frets.

Here’s a partial list of De la Cruz merch on Miguel’s ofrenda:

Album covers

News article clippings

Papel picado

Signs, both professional and homemade

An academic book

Photos

A handdrawn picture

Posters

Figurines (wooden, ceramic, bobblehead)

Coffee mug

Buttons

Collectible cards

Soda bottles

The video tape

According to the directors’ commentary, the De la Cruz poster was placed in this shot to make it feel like “De la Cruz was looking over him like a guardian angel,” at least from Miguel’s point of view.

“If it kills me” More foreshadowing about Miguel’s future curse!

Dante eating mole off the ofrenda was inspired by a real basset hound the directors met in Oaxaca.

The ofrenda already has a frame on the floor before dante starts inhaling mole. Sucks to be that person!

When Miguel says he’s gonna be a musician, he throws off his leather apron to symbolize his rejection of being a shoemaker.

Elena didn’t just destroy miguel’s guitar. She made the sign of the cross. She sent its spirit to the afterlife!

Even more foreshadowing as to where Miguel’s going when he runs away: he’s following the cempasuchil path that’s supposed to guide his ancestors from the land of the dead.

Similarly, the land of the living is (excepting this scene) portrayed in the daytime while it’s always night in the land of the dead for the duration of the film. It’s fitting that as Miguel runs to the cemetery and enters the land of the dead, it’s dusk.

Whenever Miguel tries to ignore Dante, his spirit guide, it’s automatically a bad decision, even if he doesn’t realize until later.

Conversely, any time Miguel follows De la Cruz’s advice to “seize his moment,” he winds up making a mistake.

The man saying “The guitar! It’s gone!” is co-director Adrian Molina.

When in the land of the living, the skeletons are glowing through their clothes. You can see faint outlines of their bones.

See the other cempasuchil bridges? They lead to the land of the dead from other cemeteries.

The architecture of the land of the dead was meticulously laid out so that old, mesoamerican buildings can be seen at the bottom with newer, modern architecture being built on top. There’s not much concern for safety regulations either, since the inhabitants are all already dead.

The reception areas for the returning dead are all shaped like Aztec style pyramids like those in Teotihuacan.

Via ashleyketchumall on tumblr: The land of the dead is partially based on the colorful architecture in the Mexican city of Guanajuato.

A costuming detail: The dead Rivera family members wear leather aprons to remind us if their role as shoemakers.

“Caquitas” If you don’t speak spanish, you might have missed the film’s one poop joke.

This guy’s grumpy because all he got for an offering was a single lousy muffin.

Meanwhile, look at these two guys who seem to be making a trade for something illicit in a bottle.

The original plot had Miguel bringing the guitar with him to the land of the dead, needing to return it to its rightful owner, and have that person strum it in order to break the curse.

The guitar isn’t where miguel left it--why? Because the cemetery worker put it back!

Because some people prefer to call the holiday “Dia de los muertos” while others know it as “dia de muertos,” the movie included both versions depending on the speaker. Miguel, his abuela, and the clerk use “Dia de los muertos.” A couple background characters and Hector use “Dia de muertos.”

There are no living plants in the land of the dead. Just metal ones.

Alebrijes are partially a reflection of the characters who own them, which is why Imelda’s spirit guide, Pepita, is strong and intimidating, while De la Cruz’s alebrijes are more for display than anything practical.

In the original script, the Riveras weren’t able to talk regularly. They had to sing. And they hated it.

Unibrow faking may be illegal because it’s so rare for skeletons to have eyebrows at all in this world, making it a privilege for certain cultural heroes like Frida Kahlo.

The inspiration for the department of family reunions was the post office building in Mexico City, the Palacio de Correos de Mexico.

There’s a physical comedy moment in the background when the twins accidentally switch heads and don’t realize right away.

Another background character moment: Dante sniffing at this background skeleton, who gets a little surprised to feel it!

Ceci was listening to “Remember Me.”

This scene was evidently inspired by a real monkey riding a dog at a rodeo that the creators attended.

“Bunch of self important jerks!” This line is probably hinting at Ernesto's villainy, but it's also evidence of hector’s self hatred.

“Pronated” means “slightly bow legged.”

You can tell that they’re going down the towers because the architecture is looking more and more ancient

Chicharron was a musician, though it may only have been a hobby. He has multiple instruments in his shack: the guitar, but also a drum and trumpet.

It makes sense that Chicharron, who collects odds and ends, wouldn’t have a matching set of shot glasses. But interestingly, the one Hector drinks from is the same design as the shot glass he was originally poisoned with.

Chicharron’s guitar has writing inside it, probably the brand name: “El Leon.”

Hector’s reaction makes more sense when we find out the true history of “Remember Me.”

Dante’s job is to bring miguel and hector together. Any time they’re together, Dante’s happy and content. If they split up, Dante gets anxious.

People have noticed this character’s shirt resembles Sid's from Toy Story. Is Sid in the land of the dead? No, director Lee Unkrich says this guy resembles Sid but isn't really him. https://twitter.com/leeunkrich/status/941386078585589760

Chicharron’s line “You gotta earn it” might be influencing Miguel to try so hard to earn De la Cruz’s blessing.

Dante has a hilariously concerned reaction to Miguel's grito.

The “Chachalacos” are named after a bird called the “chachalaca,” which is also a word for a chatty person.

Hector looks not just happy but surprised when it turns out Miguel can actually perform.

Hector’s percussive dancing is inspired by the tarima “stomp box,” a wooden platform with holes cut out of the sides so that a dancer can stomp on it to create a rhythm.

Real bones were used to record parts of Poco Loco!

Via prismasandtoonpies: Un Poco Loco mentions counting your blessings, the same phrase earlier in the movie when describing Hector and Imelda’s marriage!

Hector calls Miguel Gordito, or “chubby,” since unlike skeletons, Miguel has flesh on his bones.

Is this choreographed? No, Hector guides Miguel in his little spin onstage.

The statue in De la Cruz plaza is similar to the one in the land of the living, including the “Seize Your Moment” quote, but it’s the skeletal version of De la Cruz.

It's implied that Miguel and Hector would have won the battle of the bands if Miguel hadn't run off before the encore.

The ad here is for “cerveza de raiz,” or root beer.

You can see the famous La Catrina, the day of the dead political cartoon earlier referenced in the cemetery, after Miguel meets Pepita for the first time.

The directors confirmed that the stripe on Miguel’s hoodie was added to give viewers a sense of Miguel’s arm bones, even when his gradual skeletonization was covered by clothing.

Miguel’s calavera face paint has four streaks at the top, though it’s hard to see in most shots.

At De la Cruz’s party, you can see some characters in what might be Aztec regalia--Montezuma specifically is mentioned in a deleted scene as someone who will “live on forever” in the land of the dead due to his fame.

Ernesto’s tower has a marigold-orange carpet instead of a red carpet to mimic the color of the cempasuchiles.

Though Dante's name is of course a reference to Dante's divine comedy, a literary classic in which the main character journeys through the afterlife, Dante is in-universe named after the horse in a De la Cruz movie.

The dj is wearing a “give cumbia a chance” t-shirt, advertising the mexican electronica project “mexican institute of sound.”

There are many celebrity cameos in the land of the dead, including: musicians Pedro Infante and Jorge Negrete, wrestler El Santo, actors Cantinflas and Maria Felix, and revolutionary Emiliano Zapata beside a soldadera. http://radiobuap.com/2017/11/10-curiosidades-sobre-coco/

Cantinflas is only wearing chaps on his lower half!

Ernesto’s skull is designed with f-holes, emphasizing his legacy as a musician.

Ernesto never gets to finish his blessing, which is why the petal didn’t start glowing. It’s possible he may have been considered “family” enough to bless Miguel after all. https://twitter.com/leeunkrich/status/941362375596429312

The murder being committed wasn’t shown on screen, just implied--we never see a bottle of poison. It’s ambiguous because Miguel is put in a position of choosing who to trust more: his idol or Hector.

Lee Unkrich has said that the guitar was a gift to Hector from Imelda. https://twitter.com/leeunkrich/status/935724236668272641

Hector’s songbook has both “Remember Me” and “The World is Mi Familia” in it.

Hector and ernesto’s charro suits aren’t the same--Ernesto has a Greek-fret style design, which he also has on his belt and in his pool in the land of the dead. His suit is a darker colour while Hector’s is lighter, and has some of the same flourishes his mandible markings do

As Hector falls, he grabs his stomach! Like he did when he died!

Via karlofflugosi: In the flashback, Ernesto slyly moves Hector’s guitar away under the guise of helping him as he chokes. He steals the guitar AS HECTOR’S DYING!

Real cenotes are natural sinkholes with spiritual significance. This one is manmade, though still used to make a metaphorical sacrifice to send someone to the land of the dead: Miguel. You can see sculptures in the background that is meant to portray the king and queen of the land of the dead, Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl.

The voice actor for Hector, Gael García Bernal, had his young daughter Libertad sing this part of Remember Me.

Emilio Fuentes, the original voice actor for Miguel, had to be replaced after his voice dropped, but he has a single line in the movie: “Places senor, you’re on in 30 seconds!”

“La Lllorona” is a recurring theme when Imelda is part of a scene.

Many viewers may not be aware that La Llorona is a traditional song and wasn’t composed for this movie. In fact, the movie has a shortened version of the original lyrics. “La Llorona” also famously featured in the 2002 film Frida, about--you guessed it!--Frida Kahlo.

Miguel’s gesture encouraging Imelda to “sing” is the same one that Hector gave him at the battle of the bands.

The guitar player and the conductor look at each other here, wondering who’s playing, before joining in.

The conductor is a cameo of the movie’s score composer Michael Giacchino (said ja-keen-oh).

Via miquelrivera: Another funny background character reaction as Ernesto’s revealed as the villain.

A quote from co-director Adrian Molina about this scene: “People give me grief about why all of these people would have fruit at a concert. And it’s because they’re coming back from Dia de Muertos, and their families leave them all these offerings!”

This character (what did i miss) was voiced by Lee Unkrich.

At this point (“it’s ok mijo/ we’re both out of time mijo”), Hector switches from calling Miguel “chamaco,” meaning “kid,” to “mijo,” meaning “my son.”

...Just like Miguel has switched to calling him “Papa Hector,” emphasizing their newfound bond as family.

Miguel did get a musician’s blessing after all!

The family members sleeping outside on the bench were probably out all night looking for Miguel.

This is an accurate portrayal of how music affects memory in patients with dementia.

Coco describes Hector’s songs as ‘poems he wrote for me.’ She may not have known that some of the lyrics were for songs!

The frames on the wall contain lyrics for three songs: Remember Me, Un Poco Loco, and The World is Mi Familia.

Besides lyrics, there are letters from Hector to Coco saying things like “Sorry I can’t be there” and “Dear Coco, I love you with all my heart.” They’re always signed “Papa Hector.”

Most of the letters have drawings on them--hearts, a picture of Coco, a star, a dog, and a little church with some cacti. Hector was a doodler!

As many have noticed, in the ending scene, Hector is more put-together and well-remembered. His bones are whiter and less loose, his clothes are nicer, and he even has a new pair of shoes!

He gives coco the B I G G E S T H U G

Pepita’s shadow at the end is similar to when she was seen in this previous scene.

Twins realistically run in the family

Miguel gets lifted up at the end like in poco loco :)

According to the songwriters, there were at least 17 different genres of music that Remember Me was performed in throughout the movie..

The original message of the film when it was pitched was about letting go of dead loved ones, getting closure, and moving on. But after doing research on the meaning of Dia de los Muertos, the message was reworked into a more culturally aware idea that dead people will always be a part of their loved ones’ lives.

And that’s 122 things you missed in Coco! Did I forget any good ones? Tell me in the comments below! Hasta luego!

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