I have a theory about the movie Coco. It's probably not a theory most would like, but here it is.
Hector isn't Miguel's great-great-grandfather biologically. Ernesto is.
Before I'm lambasted, ("what a stupid theory!") Hear me out. Pixar has always done things extremely deliberately. Their stories are extremely deliberate. So while Hector was married to Imelda, the evidence in the movie itself suggests that Ernesto fathered Coco.
Evidence:
1) Ernesto is not exactly a family man. He describes leaving his family in Santa Cecilia as hard, but he clearly hasn't made any attempt to see his family in the afterlife, secluding himself in his mansion with his famous friends. Even knowing Miguel was his great-great-grandson, he was still willing to have him tossed in a hole. That's not a typical family man action, but if my theory is correct, it has other implications.
2) Ernesto is surprised by the idea that he has a great-great-grandson, but not for the reason you would think. There is no "But that would mean" moment. Again, Pixar does things deliberately. Ernesto never questions the idea that he has a child (and would have to have a child to have a great great grandson.) And if this were a case of him not being surprised that he has a child because he sleeps around, it still would have been mentioned that he had a child he never knew about. Not brought up. So he had a child he did know about, not one he was raising on the road. He didn't mention any other village kids...so in all likelihood, he seduced Imelda and Coco is his child, and he is aware of this. He was surprised that Miguel KNEW he was his great great grandson.
3) There are exactly two people who offer their blessing to Miguel. Both blessings look the same and would in all likelihood have the same effect. These two people were Imelda and Ernesto. Hector never gives Miguel his blessing. Again, Pixar is deliberate; they deliberately had Ernesto (almost) give Miguel his WORKING BLESSINGS while never having Hector give one to Miguel because Miguel is not Hector's biological great great grandson.
4) Hector knew that Coco wasn't his biologically, that she was Ernesto's. He loved Imelda so he wanted to raise Coco as his own. I think Imelda chose Hector, her husband, after having Coco, and that made Ernesto angry. He didn't lure Hector along with him to become famous only because he wanted to become famous (because he could have stolen Hector's songs at any point and went solo), he lured Hector along because he wanted Hector away from the family he should have had. Because if he couldn't have them, no one could. Similarly, if he didn't care about that family, he still could have stolen, borrowed, or bought the songs off of Hector. If he stole them off a living Hector, who would Hector tell? It was 1920s-1930s Mexico. Hector had no reach. So he didn't have to poison him to steal his songs. On the contrary, he poisoned Hector to keep him away from *his* family. Perhaps before that Ernesto had planned to return to Imelda, but without Hector, suspicions would fly. So Ernesto, with no way to return to his family or even to Santa Cecilia, developed his aloof "The World Is My Family" point of view.
5) When Miguel shows up claiming to be Ernesto's great-great-grandson, Ernesto is quite obviously thrilled with Miguel's presence and shows him off. If this were only to bolster Ernesto's reputation, he could have been less kind in private, but he was every bit as pleased- until Hector showed up. A) When Miguel took Hector's side in the poisoning debate, Ernesto felt the loss of his only regained family. He wasn't worried about his reputation, like he said, because there would be no way to prove poison AND no one would believe a twelve year old nobody about another nobody he met in the Land of the Dead. He threw Miguel down a well because he felt he lost his family to Hector again and he was pissed. B) Ernesto's other evil actions- shoving Miguel off a building and stealing Hector's photo- don't stem from a worry about his reputation. How would a twelve year old tell this story to ruin his reputation? How would Coco, the last person to remember Hector? The shoving of Miguel was revenge for abandoning him. He stole and destroyed Hector's photo because he wanted Coco to forget Hector. It is one of his driving goals, and he almost succeeds.
Hector isn't Miguel's great-great-grandfather biologically. Ernesto is.
Before I'm lambasted, ("what a stupid theory!") Hear me out. Pixar has always done things extremely deliberately. Their stories are extremely deliberate. So while Hector was married to Imelda, the evidence in the movie itself suggests that Ernesto fathered Coco.
Evidence:
1) Ernesto is not exactly a family man. He describes leaving his family in Santa Cecilia as hard, but he clearly hasn't made any attempt to see his family in the afterlife, secluding himself in his mansion with his famous friends. Even knowing Miguel was his great-great-grandson, he was still willing to have him tossed in a hole. That's not a typical family man action, but if my theory is correct, it has other implications.
2) Ernesto is surprised by the idea that he has a great-great-grandson, but not for the reason you would think. There is no "But that would mean" moment. Again, Pixar does things deliberately. Ernesto never questions the idea that he has a child (and would have to have a child to have a great great grandson.) And if this were a case of him not being surprised that he has a child because he sleeps around, it still would have been mentioned that he had a child he never knew about. Not brought up. So he had a child he did know about, not one he was raising on the road. He didn't mention any other village kids...so in all likelihood, he seduced Imelda and Coco is his child, and he is aware of this. He was surprised that Miguel KNEW he was his great great grandson.
3) There are exactly two people who offer their blessing to Miguel. Both blessings look the same and would in all likelihood have the same effect. These two people were Imelda and Ernesto. Hector never gives Miguel his blessing. Again, Pixar is deliberate; they deliberately had Ernesto (almost) give Miguel his WORKING BLESSINGS while never having Hector give one to Miguel because Miguel is not Hector's biological great great grandson.
4) Hector knew that Coco wasn't his biologically, that she was Ernesto's. He loved Imelda so he wanted to raise Coco as his own. I think Imelda chose Hector, her husband, after having Coco, and that made Ernesto angry. He didn't lure Hector along with him to become famous only because he wanted to become famous (because he could have stolen Hector's songs at any point and went solo), he lured Hector along because he wanted Hector away from the family he should have had. Because if he couldn't have them, no one could. Similarly, if he didn't care about that family, he still could have stolen, borrowed, or bought the songs off of Hector. If he stole them off a living Hector, who would Hector tell? It was 1920s-1930s Mexico. Hector had no reach. So he didn't have to poison him to steal his songs. On the contrary, he poisoned Hector to keep him away from *his* family. Perhaps before that Ernesto had planned to return to Imelda, but without Hector, suspicions would fly. So Ernesto, with no way to return to his family or even to Santa Cecilia, developed his aloof "The World Is My Family" point of view.
5) When Miguel shows up claiming to be Ernesto's great-great-grandson, Ernesto is quite obviously thrilled with Miguel's presence and shows him off. If this were only to bolster Ernesto's reputation, he could have been less kind in private, but he was every bit as pleased- until Hector showed up. A) When Miguel took Hector's side in the poisoning debate, Ernesto felt the loss of his only regained family. He wasn't worried about his reputation, like he said, because there would be no way to prove poison AND no one would believe a twelve year old nobody about another nobody he met in the Land of the Dead. He threw Miguel down a well because he felt he lost his family to Hector again and he was pissed. B) Ernesto's other evil actions- shoving Miguel off a building and stealing Hector's photo- don't stem from a worry about his reputation. How would a twelve year old tell this story to ruin his reputation? How would Coco, the last person to remember Hector? The shoving of Miguel was revenge for abandoning him. He stole and destroyed Hector's photo because he wanted Coco to forget Hector. It is one of his driving goals, and he almost succeeds.
