Gael Garcia Bernal on the Importance of ‘Coco’

Pixar’s newest film, Coco, is set to his theaters this week, and families will likely be flocking to the theater over the holidays for a good time. However, with difficult subject matter like the bonds of family and the concept of life after death, the film’s cast has made it a point to tell fans that Coco is much more than a fun time at the movies.

At the press junket for Coco, we had a chance to sit down with Gael Garcia Bernal, who voices Hector in the film. He told us that, while Coco is definitely fun, it raises a lot of healthy questions for kids who might be watching.

“There’s no finite answer on what happens to us when we die,” Bernal said of the film, which focuses on the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead. “This tradition kind of sparks that curiosity and sparks that interaction. Really, I recommend it for the kids. It’s the best way to engage with these questions, so that the kids also develop their own point of view about it and develop their own questions. It’s essential to maturity, to experience these questions in a very open way.”

Bernal also opened up about his own experience with the holiday, as he celebrated it growing up in Mexico.

“When you grow up in Mexico, you experience this school for the first time,” the actor explained. “Then, later with your family, you start to develop the celebration. It’s something you adopt as well. I’ve been doing it a lot with my kids. It’s an incredible tradition, very profound.”

You can watch the full interview with Gael Garcia Bernal in the video above, and be sure to check out Coco when it hits theaters on November 22, 2017.