Death becomes him

Talking to China Daily, the 50-year-old filmmaker admits that he was surprised at the level of success Coco has achieved in the world's second-largest movie market.

"Initially, we were worried that we wouldn't even be allowed to release (the film) in China, due to the regulations," he says. "But, it did get released and it did well, and we are happy about that."

Touching on the reason for the film's unexpected popularity, Unkrich believes the similarity between the Mexican and Chinese traditions about the deceased makes the movie relatable to local audiences.

"Part of my goal in making the film was to share the Mexican culture with people around the world, but I also wanted to tell a story which would be universal," the veteran filmmaker notes. "The fact that the movie did so well in China shows that we were right."

Since graduating from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts in 1990, Unkrich has been fascinated with Latino culture, especially the unlikely juxtapositions surrounding death, such as that of morbid, skeletal imagery set against bright colors and the festival feeling of celebration.

However, the original inspiration for the film came one year after the release of Toy Story 3, during a family vacation to Disney World in Florida. While visiting the Mexico pavilion at the Epcot theme park in 2011, Unkrich spotted four papier-mache skeletons dressed like a mariachi band.

Two things immediately crossed his mind.

"I first thought, it would be really fun to see them being animated," he says, adding that this is a world he hadn't seen explored in film before.

"It can be a dangerous thing: telling a story about culture that is different from your own," he says. "For Coco, I knew I had to really deeply understand the culture of Mexico."