Pixar Short “Dante’s Lunch” Will Whet Your Appetite For “Coco” (Things We Love)

Pixar’s next animated feature COCO doesn’t open in theaters until November 22, but the animation giant has decided to provide an amuse bouche in the form of a “short tail” titled DANTE’S LUNCH starring the canine to Coco‘s hero Miguel.

Directed by Toy Story 3 helmer Lee Unkrich (who also co-directed Coco with Adrian Molina), the short has the hairless and happy dog scavaging for food until he comes upon a delicious bone — which isn’t going down with a fight. The bone comes alive and Dante has a hell of a time chasing it through the streets. Where it ends up is a surprise to the curious canine, but that won’t stop it from trying to get it in its belly.

The short keeps in the spirit of other Disney/Pixar shorts and is the first time (as far as I know) Pixar has released a short spotlighting a character from a feature. In this case, it’s Dante who is sure to become a fan favorite and will most likely be seen in Disney merchandising come fall.

With Disney’s upcoming slate of movies like the live-action Mulan and Marvel’s Black Panther, Coco seems to be in the Mouse House’s attempt to dive into diverse storytelling, framing the story around Dia de los Muertos. Newcomer Anthony Gonzalez voices the aforementioned Miguel who dreams of becoming a huge music star just like his hero Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). While trying to desperately prove his talent, he mysteriously ends up in the colorful Land of the Dead where he meets the charming trickster Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal). Together they go on a journey to discovery Miguel’s family history.

But while waiting for November 22 to come around, you can just watch Dante chase a bone. It’s just so gosh darn adorable.

Dino-Ray Ramos | Staff Writer