Coco spoilers explained

What is the main twist in Coco?

The real villain is not Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), but rather Héctor (Gael García Bernal), who reveals himself to be Miguel's (Anthony Gonzalez) great-great-grandfather. Héctor was murdered by Ernesto de la Cruz, who stole his songs and his guitar, and Héctor is now fading from the Land of the Dead because his living daughter Coco is forgetting him.

What happens in Coco?

The film opens in the Mexican town of Santa Cecilia, where a young boy named Miguel Rivera lives with his large, extended family. The Riveras are shoemakers, and they have a strict ban on music, stemming from a family trauma generations ago. Miguel's great-great-grandmother, Mamá Imelda, was abandoned by her husband, a musician who left to pursue his career and never returned. In response, she banned music from the family and started the shoemaking business. Miguel, however, is secretly a talented musician who idolizes the famous singer and movie star Ernesto de la Cruz, a legendary figure from the same era as his great-great-grandfather.

On Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, the family sets up an ofrenda with photos of their deceased relatives. Miguel notices that the photo of his great-great-grandfather is torn, with the face missing. The only visible part is a guitar that looks identical to the one owned by Ernesto de la Cruz. Miguel becomes convinced that Ernesto de la Cruz is his long-lost great-great-grandfather. He wants to enter a talent show to prove his musical ability, but his grandmother, Abuelita, discovers his guitar and smashes it in anger. Heartbroken, Miguel runs away to the mausoleum of Ernesto de la Cruz, where he steals the famous guitar from the tomb. As he strums it, he is transported to the Land of the Dead, a vibrant, colorful world where the spirits of the deceased reside.

In the Land of the Dead, Miguel meets his deceased relatives, including Mamá Imelda and her children. They are horrified that he has entered their world and want to send him back to the Land of the Living with a blessing, but only under the condition that he gives up music. Miguel refuses and instead sets out to find Ernesto de la Cruz, believing he will give him a different blessing. Along the way, he meets a lonely, down-on-his-luck spirit named Héctor, who claims to know Ernesto and offers to help Miguel in exchange for Miguel placing his photo on an ofrenda when he returns to the Land of the Living. Héctor is desperate because no one has placed his photo on an ofrenda, and he is being forgotten, which means he will fade away completely.

Héctor and Miguel travel together, and Héctor teaches Miguel about the Land of the Dead. They eventually find their way to a massive concert where Ernesto de la Cruz is performing. Miguel manages to get backstage and meets his idol, who is thrilled to see him. Ernesto agrees to give Miguel his blessing to return home, but when Miguel mentions Héctor, Ernesto's demeanor changes. It is revealed that Héctor and Ernesto were once a musical duo, but Héctor wanted to return to his family, and Ernesto, wanting all the fame for himself, poisoned Héctor and stole his songs and his guitar. Ernesto de la Cruz is a murderer and a fraud. He takes the photo of Héctor that Miguel has been carrying and throws it into a cenote, trapping Miguel and Héctor in a pit.

In the pit, Héctor reveals the truth: he is Miguel's real great-great-grandfather, the man who abandoned his family to pursue music but then tried to return. He wrote the song "Remember Me" for his daughter Coco, not for the world. Miguel realizes that Héctor is the one who should be remembered, not Ernesto. They are rescued by Miguel's deceased family, who have been searching for him. Together, they hatch a plan to expose Ernesto de la Cruz during his big concert. At the concert, Miguel performs "Remember Me" in front of the entire Land of the Dead, revealing the truth. The crowd turns on Ernesto, who is crushed by a giant bell and dies a second death, this time permanently.

However, Héctor is still fading because Coco is forgetting him. Miguel is sent back to the Land of the Living with a blessing from Mamá Imelda, with no conditions. He rushes to his great-grandmother Coco, who is frail and barely conscious. He picks up the guitar and begins to play and sing "Remember Me," the song her father used to sing to her. Coco's eyes light up, and she joins in, remembering her father. She reaches into a drawer and produces the torn photo of her father, revealing his full face. The family now has the missing piece, and they place the photo on the ofrenda. A year later, the family has fully embraced music. Miguel performs with his new baby sister, and the ofrenda now features photos of both Héctor and Coco, who has since passed away and is reunited with her father in the Land of the Dead. The family sings and dances together, their bond stronger than ever.

Quick, non-spoiler context

Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.