Cultural powerhouse 'Coco' wins Oscar for best animation

"Coco," the tear-jerking adventure tale of a Mexican boy who learns the importance of honoring his ancestors after getting stuck in an eye-popping netherworld of the dead, won the Oscar for best animated feature on Sunday.

Gael Garcia Bernal performs "Remember Me" from "Coco" at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

The Pixar film, one of the largest U.S. productions ever to feature an almost entirely Latino cast, struck a chord among audience members unaccustomed to seeing their culture so accurately and tenderly reflected on the big screen.

"With 'Coco,' we tried to take a step forward toward a world where all children can grow up seeing characters in movies that look and talk and live like they do," Director Lee Unkrich said during his acceptance speech. "Marginalized people deserve to feel like they belong. Representation matters."

Appropriately, the round of speeches ended with a message in Spanish from Anthony Gonzalez, who plays 12-year-old Miguel in the film.

Miguel Lafourcade, left, and Natalia Lafourcade perform "Remember Me" from "Coco" at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

"Muchisimas gracias a todos y que viva Mexico!" he said. In English, that means, "Many thanks to everyone and long live Mexico!"

Backstage, Unkrich said he and everyone else involved in the film felt their job was even more important when President Donald Trump took office.

"We started making 'Coco' six years ago and it was a very different political climate, of course, than we find ourselves in now," he said. "While we were making the film, we had a change of presidency and a lot of things started to be said about Mexico and about Mexican-Americans that was unacceptable.

Miguel Lafourcade, left, and Natalia Lafourcade perform "Remember Me" from "Coco" at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

"We began to feel a new urgency to get the movie out into the world," he said. "We knew how important it was."

Co-director Adrian Molina said the film was particularly meaningful to him. His mother is from Jalisco, Mexico and his father is half-Mexican and grew up in California.

"There is so much of my experience growing up, so much of the pride coming from a family and a place that is proud of who they are, but to have this opportunity to reflect all those experiences with a wonderful team at Pixar was something that, you know, I knew if not now, then when?" he said.

Adrian Molina, from left, Lee Unkrich, and Darla K. Anderson accept the award for best animated feature film for "Coco" at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Darla Anderson, the producer of "Coco," pointed to Molina backstage and told a room full of reporters: "This is the future."

"Coco" was widely considered the front-runner in the animation category, taking home a Golden Globe and sweeping the Annie Awards with 11 wins. For the Oscar, it beat out "Loving Vincent," ''The Breadwinner," ''Ferdinand," and "Boss Baby."

Lee Unkrich, left, and Darla K. Anderson, winners of the award for best animated feature film for "Coco", pose in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

It also was a box-office smash, experiencing the fourth best Thanksgiving weekend ever with an estimated $72.9 million.

"Coco" tells the story of 12-year-old Miguel, whose dream of becoming a musician clashes with a family prohibition going back generations. After a confrontation with his family, Miguel becomes trapped in the Land of the Dead, where his long-dead ancestors help return him to the land of the living.

Darla K. Anderson, center, and from back left, Adrian Molina, Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, and Lee Unkrich accept the award for best animated feature film for "Coco" at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

It's been described as a love letter to Mexican culture and the holiday known as Day of the Dead, which honors relatives who have died.

The film's vocal cast includes Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Edward James Olmos, Renee Victor and Cheech Marin.

"Coco" also was praised for its music. Earlier in the evening, Bernal, Miguel and Natalia Lafourcade sang the nominated "Remember Me" as traditional Mexican dancers surrounded them.

Miguel Lafourcade, left, and Natalia Lafourcade perform "Remember Me" from "Coco" at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

There was no mention in the acceptance speeches of Pixar co-founder John Lasseter, who is taking a "six-month sabbatical" after acknowledging "missteps" in his workplace behavior.

The winner of the best animated short Oscar was "Dear Basketball," a poem written by Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant after ending his 20-year career on the court in 2016.

SINGAPORE (AP) — Oscar Piastri says he's happy with the apparent flexible rear wing on his race-winning car but it's not a “magic bullet” making McLaren the team to beat in Formula 1 ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

Widely-shared footage from Piastri's win last week in Azerbaijan appears to show part of the rear wing flexing under the airflow at high speed, in a way that could potentially reduce drag and allow the car to go faster.

“It’s legal," Piastri said of the wing Thursday. "We get tested a lot and it passes. It’s certainly not the magic ticket or magic bullet for why we’re competitive, but it’s legal. It passes all the tests, so I’m pretty happy with it.”

Piastri added the wing isn't in a “grey area” in the F1 rules, which generally ban moving aerodynamic devices, with the exception of the overtake-assisting DRS rear wing flap that all cars have.

“I honestly didn’t even know that it did that until three days ago," Piastri said. "Obviously in the sport you find every bit of performance that you can without breaking the rules. I feel like that’s what we’re doing, and that’s what you need to do to become a championship-winning car and a championship-winning team.”

Piastri argued that on-form teams like McLaren — which overtook Red Bull in the constructors' standings last week — inevitably attract more attention. Various teams have faced questions in the past over elements of their front and rear wings.

“There’s going to be scrutiny of people curious to know why your car is competitive so I certainly don’t think it’s personal to us,” Piastri said.

Standings leader Max Verstappen called for the FIA to issue a “clarification” of how the rules work in practice and how much wings can bend.

“It’s quite clear that it’s moving at speed. It might be smart, might not be smart, but at the end of the day, it’s up to the FIA to decide if it’s legal or not, right?” Verstappen said.

In a statement, the governing body said: “The FIA is closely monitoring the flexibility of bodywork on all cars and reserves the right to request teams to make modifications at any point during the season.

“However, if a team successfully passes all deflection tests and adheres to the regulations and technical directives, they are deemed to be in full compliance, and no further action will be taken.”

The FIA added that it is reviewing data and other evidence “and is considering any mitigating measures for future implementation.” It noted it has the authority to make “regulatory changes” mid-season if needed.

Piastri is fourth in the standings, 91 points off Verstappen and 32 behind teammate Lando Norris of Britain, who is Verstappen's closest challenger. A race win is worth 25 points.

Piastri closed the gap with his win in Baku, where his teammate recovered to fourth after qualifying a long way back, but the Australian said he'll still be expected by McLaren to help out Norris.

“If I’m in a position to still win races, then that’s what I want to do and I think I showed in Baku that I’m capable of doing that,” he said. “But naturally if there’s times where I can help out for Lando’s championship bid then I’ll be happy to help out as well.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain in action during a Formula One Grand Prix practice in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia in action during a Formula One Grand Prix practice in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)