Coco was much more than a Pixar hit. The story of Miguel, Mamá Coco and Dante captivated audiences around the world and turned the film into one of the most beloved animated movies of recent years. Now, Pixar has officially announced Coco 2.

1. Coco 2 will arrive after a long wait

The first movie hit theaters in 2017, and since then, Pixar had kept Miguel’s story without a sequel.

That will change with Coco 2, which is currently scheduled to hit theaters in November 2029. The release date also keeps a connection to the time of year when the franchise was born, around the celebrations of Día de los Muertos.

The wait will be considerable, but it will also give the new movie the chance to find its protagonist at a completely different stage of his life.

2. Miguel will no longer be the boy we knew

One of the biggest changes will be right in front of audiences from the very beginning: Miguel will be a teenager.

The character will remain connected to music and his guitar, but the time jump opens the door to exploring a very different stage of his life. He is no longer the boy trying to uncover the secret behind his family, but someone who has grown up after everything that happened in the first movie.

3. Ernesto de la Cruz will return to complicate everything

The sequel also won’t completely leave behind one of the biggest conflicts from the original movie.

Benjamin Bratt will return as the voice of Ernesto de la Cruz, who will now have a new motivation: seeking revenge against Miguel.

4. The family and the Land of the Dead will return

Although Pixar is still keeping much of the plot under wraps, the first images have already offered a few clues about what’s coming.

Miguel will reunite with important characters from his story, including Mamá Coco, while Dante will also return to accompany him.

Their presence will help preserve one of the elements that made Coco so special: the way the movie uses the relationship between the living and the dead to explore memory, family and legacy.

5. Coco 2 will have to prove there was still more to tell

This could be Pixar’s biggest challenge.

The first Coco did not end as a story that left audiences waiting for a continuation. Instead, many viewers considered its ending emotional and complete enough on its own. That’s why the announcement of a second movie also raised an inevitable question: was a sequel really necessary?

The pressure is even greater because of the original’s success. Coco grossed more than $822 million worldwide and won two Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for Remember Me.