Coco Page #14

HÉCTOR

No, I don't.

Miguel keeps walking funny.

HÉCTOR (CONT'D)

Stop it!

Miguel notices a billboard advertising "ERNESTO DE LA CRUZ'S

SUNRISE SPECTACULAR!;" "Remember Me" blares from attached

speakers.

MIGUEL:

Whoa..."Ernesto de la Cruz's

Sunrise Spectacular...!" Qué

padre!

HÉCTOR

Blech. Every year, your great-

great grandpa puts on that dumb

show to mark the end of Día de

Muertos.

MIGUEL:

And you can get us in!

HÉCTOR

Ahhhh--

55.

MIGUEL:

Hey, you said you had front row

tickets!

HÉCTOR

That... that was a lie. I

apologize for that.

Miguel gives Héctor a withering look.

HÉCTOR

Cool off, chamaco, come on... I'll

get you to him.

MIGUEL:

How?

HÉCTOR

'Cause I happen to know where he's

rehearsing!

CUT TO:

EXT. WAREHOUSE, BENEATH WINDOWS

Héctor uses his suspenders to slingshot his arm to a third

floor window. The hand taps on it.

INT. COSTUME ROOM

CECILIA, a costumer, turns from a costume to look at the

window. Héctor's hand waves. She rolls her eyes and goes to

open the window.

CECILIA:

You better have my dress, Héctor!

HÉCTOR

Hola, Ceci!

EXT. BENEATH WINDOW

She lowers a ladder so Héctor, Miguel and Dante can climb up.

Héctor grabs his arm and reattaches it.

INT. COSTUME ROOM

They all crawl in through the window.

56.

MIGUEL:

Hola.

HÉCTOR

Ceci, I lost the dress--

CECILIA:

Ya lo sabía! I gotta dress forty

dancers by sunrise and thanks to

you, I'm one Frida short of an

opening number!

HÉCTOR

Ceci -- I know, Ceci. I know, I

know. Ceci -- Ceci... Ceci.

Ceci...

As Héctor tries to talk her down, Dante wanders away from

the costume area.

MIGUEL:

Dante... Dante!

Miguel chases after him.

INT. REHEARSAL AREA

MIGUEL:

We shouldn't be in here...

Miguel follows Dante through a giant warehouse, divided into

different artists workspaces. He passes papier-mâché

sculptures, giant paper cut out banners, a skeleton posing

nude for a painter...

Dante sniffs around. Suddenly an ALEBRIJE MONKEY jumps out

at Dante. The monkey starts riding Dante, tormenting him.

Miguel hustles after him.

MIGUEL:

No, no, Dante! Ven acá!

The monkey jumps up onto the shoulder of FRIDA KAHLO, the

REAL Frida Kahlo, who stands in front of a rehearsal stage.

Miguel reins Dante in just as Frida turns to find them.

FRIDA:

You! How did you get in here?

MIGUEL:

I just followed my--

57.

Frida's eyes go wide when she sees Dante. She kneels and

takes his head in her hands.

FRIDA:

Oh, the mighty Xolo dog...! Guider

of wandering spirits...!

(beat)

And whose spirit have you guided to

me?

Frida takes a closer look at Miguel.

MIGUEL:

I don't think he's a spirit guide.

FRIDA:

Ah-ah-ah. The alebrijes of this

world can take many forms... They

are as mysterious as they are

powerful...

The patterns on Frida's monkey swirl and he opens his mouth

to breath a blue fire. He fumbles at the end with a chesty

cough.

Then they look to Dante, who is chewing his own leg.

Suddenly, Frida turns back to Miguel.

FRIDA (CONT'D)

Or maybe he's just a dog. Come! I

need your eyes!

Frida guides him to view the rehearsal space.

FRIDA:

You are the audience.

(beat)

Darkness. And from the darkness...

A giant PAPAYA!

Lights come up on a giant papaya prop.

FRIDA:

Dancers emerge from the papaya and

the dancers are all me!

Leotarded, unibrowed dancers crawl around the sides of the

mesh papaya. Behind the papaya is an even larger half-

finished mesh structure.

58.

FRIDA (CONT'D)

And they go to drink from the milk

of their mother who is a cactus,

but who is also me. And her milk

is not milk but tears.

(to Miguel)

Is it too obvious?

MIGUEL:

I think it's just the right amount

of obvious?

(beat)

It could use some music... Oh!

What if you did, like, doonk-doonk-

doonk-doonk...

Frida, inspired, cues some musicians who start playing the

tune.

MIGUEL (CONT'D)

Oh! And then it could go dittle-

ittle-dittle-ittle-dittle-ittle-

dittle-ittle -- WHAAA!

The violins follow; a trombone punctuates.

FRIDA:

And... what if everything was on

fire? Yes! Fire everywhere!

The dancers gasp and look at each other, now concerned.

FRIDA:

Inspired!

(leaning in)

You... you have the spirit of an

artist!

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