Miguel Rivera

Hero Overview

Gallery

Do-gooder

Full Name

Miguel Rivera

Alias

Miguel

Julio (by Mamá Coco)
Chamaco (by Héctor)
De la Cruzcito

Origin

Coco (2017)

Occupation

Student

Shoe cleaner (formerly)
Musician

Powers / Skills

Agility
Ability to forge musical instruments
Intermediate shoemaking skills
Intelligence
Musicianship
Singing skills
Persistence
Poise
Professionalism
Potential at songwriting

Hobby

Playing music.

Spending time with his family.

Goals

Become a musician.

Find out who his great-great-grandfather is.
Get back home to the Land of the Living.
Have his family's music ban lifted.
Expose Ernesto as a fraud.
Prevent Hector from being forgotten
(all succeeded).

Family

Héctor Rivera † (paternal great-great-grandfather)
Imelda Rivera † (paternal great-great-grandmother)
Coco Rivera † (paternal great-grandmother)
Papa Julio † (paternal great-grandfather)
Elena "Abuelita" Rivera (paternal grandmother)
Franco Rivera (paternal grandfather)
Enrique Rivera (father)
Luisa Rivera (mother)
Socorro Rivera (younger sister)
Gloria Rivera (paternal aunt)
Berto Rivera (paternal uncle)
Carmen Rivera (paternal aunt-in-law)
Abel Rivera (oldest cousin)
Rosa Rivera (older cousin)
Benny and Manny Rivera (younger twin cousins)
Tia Victoria † (paternal grandaunt)
Tia Rosita † (paternal great-grandaunt)
Felipe and Óscar † (twin paternal great-granduncles)

Friends / Allies

Dante (best friend and pet)

Pepita
Ernesto de la Cruz (former idol)

Enemies

Ernesto de la Cruz † (arch-nemesis)

Security Guards †
Pepita (formerly)
The Riveras (briefly)

Type of Hero

Optimistic Musician

“	I'm going to be a musician!	„
	~ Miguel's most famous quote.

“	No more hiding, Dante. I gotta seize my moment!	„
	~ Miguel to Dante.

Miguel Rivera is the main protagonist of Disney/Pixar's 19th full-length animated feature film Coco.

He is only 12 years old, but aspires to be a great musician. The Rivera family has a generations-old ban on music, yet despite this, his dreams remain firm, which often gets him into trouble with his family. When he accidentally invokes a curse that sends him to the Land of the Dead, he seeks out his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz, to help him return to the Land of the Living before he is stuck there forever. Despite his family's objection to him becoming a musician, Miguel is an innate musician to the marrow of his bones.

He was voiced by Anthony Gonzales in English and Luis Angel Gomez Jaramillo in Spanish.

Physical Appearance[]

Miguel is a slender 12-year-old (later 13) young boy with brown skin, black hair, brown eyes, and a mole below his nose, and a dimple on only one side of his mouth. He wears a red hooded jacket with white stripes over a white tank top, blue jeans with cuffs, and black shoes. At the end of the movie, he loses his hoodie and replaced his tank top with a white short-sleeved dress shirt, and the rest of his outfit remains unchanged, and later gets a red and yellow Mariachi outfit.

Personality[]

Miguel is a dreamy young boy who loved music from an early age and wishes to follow his heart by singing and playing the guitar. Unfortunately, he was forced to grow up unable to play or sing in public, originally having to settle for playing the guitar alone in the attic of The Riveras' family home. At the start of the film, only Coco and Dante knew of his passion, while the rest of his family forbade him to even talk about music. Miguel is also stubborn and determined because, despite the constant quarrels with the other Riveras, he wants to fulfill his dream of becoming a musician, even if it means using any means necessary to achieve it. Because of this, he is often isolated from his family and does not really like to shine shoes like the others. It seems that the young boy inherited his passion for music from Héctor and Coco and his stubbornness from Imelda, the latter having even noted that he is the most stubborn boy she has ever met. Also, Miguel was insecure and afraid to perform in front of others. However, he learned to overcome this fear by following Héctor's advice.

Nevertheless, despite his rebellious temper, Miguel loved his family very much and did not enjoy arguing with those close to him or suffering their wrath. Throughout the film, Miguel was conflicted about maintaining his love for both his family and music as he wanted his family to support his dreams, not wanting to become a musician without his family's blessing or walk out on them. At the end of his journey, he realized that family is the most important thing in the world, even more than music. Miguel eventually managed to retain both his love for his family and his passion for music by restoring Héctor's memories while getting his family to lift the ban on music and earning their blessing to pursue his dreams. Miguel also has a big heart because he shows a lot of kindness towards those around him whom he is always ready to help. In particular, he was shown to be sympathetic and compassionate towards Dante, a wandering leech, and also towards Héctor, whom he was ready to help to ensure that he was not forgotten by his family before this determination grew even more after discovering Héctor is his true great-great-grandfather. Miguel thus played a key role in restoring the relationship between Imelda and Héctor, having even encouraged Imelda to sing and Héctor to play the guitar, which reignited a romantic spark between the two of them. Miguel's kindness and selflessness also helped bring music back in a positive light to his family where they allowed him to follow his dreams and be closer to his loved ones.

Powers and Abilities[]

Miguel has an ear for music and is a fast learner, as he had taught himself how to play a guitar by watching one of Ernesto's old films with the guitar that he had built. This indicates a skill for craftsmanship, as he had made it himself to make it look like his great-great-grandfather's guitar. Miguel's ear for music also has led him to possess a good singing voice, which he might have learned from listening to Ernesto and other musicians singing in the plaza. It is very likely that he had inherited music skills from Héctor. Miguel is also fast on his feet, as he was able to outrun and escape from Pepita's "hunt" for him.

Biography[]

Coco[]

Miguel has dreamed of being a musician for years. However, due to a family taboo against music, Miguel keeps his dreams mostly to himself. The only ones who know of Miguel's dreams are his great-grandmother, Mamá Coco, and his dog, Dante. A traveling mariachi mentions a music contest being held on Día de los Muertos to Miguel, but the mariachi is quickly chased off by Miguel’s Abuelita. Miguel decides to enter the contest.

While preparing his family's ofrenda for the festival, Miguel contemplates why his family has banned music, with it going back to his great-great-grandmother. After Miguel's dog, Dante, stirs their ofrenda, resulting in a photo of his great-great-grandparents falling out, Miguel shortly recognizes that his great-great-grandfather's guitar is that of the famed Ernesto de la Cruz, his idol. Miguel concludes that Ernesto is his great-great-grandfather.

With renewed vigor, Miguel decides to follow his passions, starting by entering the contest. Miguel's family tries to dissuade him, stating that such a vocation will only lead to tragedy like his great-great-grandfather. When Abuelita asks him if he wants to be forgotten and left off the family's ofrenda, Miguel angrily yells that he doesn't care. Shocked and enraged by her grandson's words, Abuelita angrily smashes his guitar, despite his and even the rest of the family's objections. Fed up with his family's hatred of music and lack of support, Miguel steals Imelda's photo and runs away from home in tears.

Miguel defiantly enters the contest. But with his guitar gone, he starts to seek a replacement. After much reluctance, he enters de la Cruz's mausoleum and asks him to borrow his guitar. After briefly playing the guitar, Miguel finds that he can no longer interact with the living and has traveled to the spirit world. Though none of the people can see him, Dante still can. While in the spirit world, Miguel meets his deceased family members who soon guide him to the Land of the Dead to help turn Miguel back to normal. Miguel speaks with his great-great-grandmother Imelda, who states that she is unable to cross over for Día de los Muertos due to her photo being knocked out of the family ofrenda.

They soon learn that a curse was placed on Miguel due to his theft of the guitar, which had trapped him in the Land of the Dead. If Miguel remains in the land after sunrise, he will become a spirit and remain trapped in the land forever. When they learn that the curse can be broken via a family member's blessing, Imelda says that she will give him her blessing and never play music again. Miguel refuses, running off to seek his great-great-grandfather to get his blessing instead.

Miguel meets Héctor who offers to help after he hears that he knows de la Cruz. Héctor agrees to help Miguel find de la Cruz if he puts his picture on an ofrenda when he gets home, which Miguel gladly agrees to. Both hear of a contest to meet de la Cruz. Upon getting Miguel a guitar, he performs in the contest. During the contest, the deceased Riveras show up. Héctor confronts Miguel about the family as he lied and said Ernesto was his only family. Shortly after Miguel leaves Héctor and Dante to go find Ernesto by himself, he escapes his family by running into an alleyway.

Imelda says that she didn't ban music because she hated it, but because her family meant more. But Miguel isn't moved and continues toward Ernesto's mansion, feeling that Imelda won't accept his love for music. After he gets inside, Miguel gets Ernesto's attention by singing a song. He tells Ernesto he is his great-great-grandson and how he needs his blessing in order to go home. Ernesto agrees, but is interrupted by Héctor, who shows up to remind Miguel of their deal.

Héctor reveals that all of Ernesto's famous songs were actually written by him. When Héctor says that Ernesto once said that he would move Heaven and Earth for him, Miguel points out how that quote was actually used in one of de la Cruz's films. As Héctor retraces the events of his last night alive out loud, he suddenly accuses Ernesto of poisoning him. Ernesto has his guards take Héctor away. With Héctor dragged off, Ernesto asks Miguel if he believes Héctor. Miguel tries to assure Ernesto that he doesn't, but Ernesto recognizes the doubt in Miguel's voice and calls for his guards to take Miguel away as well. Miguel protests, saying that the two of them are a family, but Ernesto ignores the pleas.

Miguel is thrown in the cenote, where he starts to cry in sadness and he finds Héctor. Eventually, while recounting their regrets, they piece together that Héctor is Miguel's real great-great-grandfather. Shortly after the discovery, Dante leads the other Riveras to them to save them. Though Imelda is still hostile toward Héctor, Miguel helps mends the relationship by telling her that he meant to come home to her and their daughter, but was murdered by Ernesto before he could. Imelda soon agrees to help as Coco is losing her memory of them and she can see that he is starting to fade away. The Riveras arrive at Ernesto's concert to get Héctor's photo back. Héctor and Imelda get ready to give their blessing to send Miguel back with the photo, however, Ernesto drops Miguel from the building, interrupting the blessing. Dante tries to save him, but Miguel is too heavy and he loses the photo mid-fall. Miguel is saved by Pepita at the last second, but Hector's photo disappears in the lake. While Ernesto's crimes are exposed to the audience filmed by the deceased Riveras, everyone boos him for his crimes. With dawn on its way, Miguel is almost completely a spirit. Héctor is starting to fade away, and though Miguel does not want to leave him, he is forced to accept Imelda's blessing to save him and Coco.

Upon awakening in Ernesto's mausoleum, Miguel immediately runs back home. Once home, Miguel finds Mamá Coco catatonic, having lost most of her memory. Miguel, heartbroken over his great-great-grandfather's impending fate and seeing his great-grandmother in her deteriorated state, breaks down before his parents. Suddenly, Miguel recalls Héctor's guitar and sings "Remember Me" to Coco to remind her of Héctor. Coco suddenly recalls her father and she reveals this to the other Riveras. The film's finale skips ahead one year, on the next Day of the Dead, where Héctor and music are a celebrated part of the Rivera family. Miguel has a new baby sister, Socorro, named in honor of his now-deceased great-grandmother, who reunited with her deceased family in the Land of the Dead. As the Riveras celebrate the holiday, Miguel and his older cousins play a song as his family, both living and deceased, proudly watch him as he uses Héctor's guitar.

Dante's Lunch[]

At the beginning, Miguel was calling Dante, who chased a bone of a skeleton. Later, Miguel screams when Dante comes and dashes into the table.

Other Media[]

Disney Heroes: Battle Mode[]

Miguel appears in the game as a support hero. He can use his guitar to play notes that help other heroes heal.

Disney Parks[]

In Coco-inspired shows featured at Disneyland Paris, Epcot, and Disney California Adventure, Miguel had not yet appeared as a typical walkaround mascot character, but as a bunraku-style puppet that "plays guitar" alongside live musical entertainers. Later on, he appeared in his life form in Disney on Ice shows.

Starting with the Magic Happens parade at Disneyland in 2020, he made his first walkaround appearance.

In the California, Paris, and Florida versions of Mickey's PhilharMagic, Miguel is seen singing "Un Poco Loco" with Héctor while Donald Duck is attempting to get the Sorcerer Hat.

Trivia[]

Miguel is Pixar's first non-Caucasian human protagonist for a full-length feature film.
- He is also the fourth Pixar human protagonist, after Mr. Incredible in The Incredibles, Carl Fredricksen in Up, and Merida in Brave. He is followed by Elastigirl in Incredibles 2, Joe Gardner in Soul, Buzz Lightyear in Lightyear and Mei Lee in Turning Red.
According to the deceased Riveras, Miguel's shoe size is size 7½ in Mexico, and that his right foot is pronated.
His last name is a reference to a Pixar producer, Jonas Rivera.
The novelization reveals that Miguel gets his love of music from his great-grandmother, Mamá Coco, and his great-great-grandparents, Imelda and Héctor. He also looks like his great-grandfather, Papá Julio, when he was a boy and Miguel gets his stubborn nature from Imelda.