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.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers matched the second-most wins in franchise history, defeating the New York Knicks 124-105 on Wednesday night.

Jarrett Allen added 21 points for the Cavaliers, who have 61 wins, equaling the 2009-10 squad. That was the final season in LeBron James’ first stint with the team. The franchise record is 66 wins during the 2008-09 season.

With Cleveland’s win and Boston’s loss to Miami, the Cavaliers have a five-game lead for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with six games remaining.

PACERS 119, HORNETS 105

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points and 10 assists, Aaron Nesmith scored 16 points and Pascal Siakam added 15 on his 31st birthday, leading Indiana to a victory over the Charlotte.

The playoff-bound Pacers have won three of four and eight of 10. They clinched their second straight playoff spot Tuesday when Atlanta lost to Portland. Myles Turner also had 15 points and nine rebounds.

Miles Bridges scored 18 points to lead Charlotte, which has lost six of seven. Seth Curry and Mark Williams each scored 16 points and Williams had 12 rebounds.

WIZARDS 116, KINGS 111

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jordan Poole scored 23 points and Washington beat Sacramento to split the season series between the teams.

Bub Carrington and AJ Johnson each added 19 points for the Wizards, who entered Wednesday tied with Utah for the fewest wins in the NBA with 16. Tristan Vukcevic had 17 and Anthony Gill added 10.

DeMar DeRozan scored 20 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter trying to rally the Kings from a 14-point deficit after three quarters. The Kings outscored the Wizards 34-25 in the fourth, but never got closer than 111-109 inside the final minute.

Domantas Sabonis had 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Kings. Keegan Murray and Zach LaVine had 18 apiece.

HEAT 124, CELTICS 103

BOSTON (AP) — Tyler Herro had 25 points and nine assists and Miami extended their season-best winning streak to six games with a victory over Boston.

Bam Adebayo had 21 points for Miami, which had seven players finish in double figures to cap a 3-0 road trip.

The Heat’s run of wins come after a stretch last month during which they lost 10 consecutive games. They played without Andrew Wiggins (hamstring), Duncan Robinson (back) and Kevin Love (personal reasons).

Jaylen Brown had 24 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, who had their season-best nine-game win streak snapped. Jayson Tatum and Derrick White both added 16 points apiece.

ROCKETS 143, JAZZ 105

HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green scored 22 points, Dillon Brooks added 21 and Houston beat Utah for their 50th win of the season.

Jabari Smith Jr. finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds off the bench, Tari Eason had 15 points and nine rebounds and Alperen Sengun had 15 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists for Houston, which shot 54% and was 19 of 45 on 3-pointers.

Isaiah Collier had 22 points and 10 assists, Collin Sexton finished with 18 points and Keyonte George had 14 points, for the Jazz, who lost their seventh straight game. Walker Kessler added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Utah shot 43% and were 10 of 40 on 3-pointers.

MAVERICKS 120, HAWKS 118

DALLAS (AP) — Anthony Davis’ driving floater with 3.4 seconds left capped his 34-point night, his highest scoring game with Dallas, in the Mavericks’ victory over Atlanta.

Davis also had 15 rebounds and five blocks despite missing most of the second period with an eye injury as Dallas overcame an 11-point third-quarter deficit.

Klay Thompson had 17 points for the Mavericks. They are ninth in the Western Conference, 1 1/2 games ahead of 10th-place Sacramento.

SPURS 113, NUGGETS 106

DENVER (AP) — Harrison Barnes scored 20 points to lead six San Antonio players in double figures and the Spurs beat short-handed Denver.

In his second career start, Jaylen Pickett recorded his first triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Russell Westbrook scored 30 points, but didn’t have any in the fourth quarter, when he missed a running reverse layup that would have tied the game with 4 1/2 minutes remaining.

After Westbrook’s miss, Blake Wesley’s fastbreak basket at the other end was followed by Sandro Mamukelashvili’s dunk as the Spurs pulled ahead 105-99.

THUNDER 119, PISTONS 103

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points, and Oklahoma City beat short-handed Detroit for their 11th straight win.

Jalen Williams scored 23 points and Chet Holmgren added 22 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the Thunder.

Oklahoma City has a three-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers with six games remaining in the race for the league’s best record and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

CLIPPERS 114, PELICANS 98

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard scored 28 points and James Harden had 21 points and 10 assists to lead Los Angeles to a victory over New Orleans.

Ivica Zubac added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers, who won for the fourth time in five games and 12th in 15 games. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 16 points.

Jose Alvarado had 17 points and 10 assists for the Pelicans, who are 3-7 in their last 10. Bruce Bowen added 16 points and Yves Missi grabbed 12 rebounds.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45), forward Evan Mobley (4), New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa (5) and forward De'Andre Hunter (12) watch as the ball heads out of bounds in the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)