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.

NEW YORK (AP) — A year after turning to comedian Jimmy Kimmel for the second time to host their big show, the Academy Awards will pivot to another familiar TV funnyman — Conan O’Brien.

“America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars,” O’Brien said in a statement Friday.

It will be his first time as Oscar host, but he's emceed other high-profile awards shows, like the Emmy Awards in 2002 and 2006 and the White House Correspondents’ dinner in 1995 and 2013.

The Oscars will air live on ABC on March 2.

O’Brien is best known for hosting the late-night talk shows “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” and “Conan.” Before his TV hosting career, O'Brien was a writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons.”

O'Brien joins the list of Oscar hosts that includes Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Hugh Jackman and Neil Patrick Harris.

“He joins an iconic roster of comedy greats who have served in this role, and we are so lucky to have him center stage for the Oscars,” said Craig Erwich, president, Disney Television Group.

O’Brien left late-night television in 2021 and has since led the podcast “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” and a spinoff travel show for the Max streaming service called “Conan O’Brien Must Go.”

FILE - Conan O'Brien appears at the WarnerMedia Upfront in New York on May 15, 2019. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Conan O'Brien arrives at a photo call for "Conan O'Brien Must Go" in Los Angeles on April 16, 2024. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)