'Coco' Director Lee Unkrich Speaks to BYU Animation and Media Arts Students

Department of Theatre and Media Arts

Lee Unkrich, director of Pixar’s “Coco,” visited BYU through the BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts series, where he spoke to students in the Animation and Media Arts programs. Unkrich presented a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s development and production process and answered student questions.

“I was excited to hear that he was coming. He’s a big name,” said media arts student Lauren Brunken. “I know the impact this movie has had on people. It’s a movie that connected with people and made them feel good, and I think it did good. I like when that can be done, especially with big budget films.”

When Unkrich first started working at Pixar right out of film school, he did not expect to be there much more than a month. Pixar was a small, relatively unknown company, and Unkrich intended to make his career in live-action film. Twenty-five years later, Unkrich has had a hand in all 20 feature films to come out of the animation studio, which quickly became a household name. READ MORE