The woman behind Disney Pixar’s Coco, Maria Salud Ramirez dies at 109 in her hometown, Santa Fe de la Laguna.
The alleged woman, who inspired the titular character of Disney Pixar’s 2017 animated movie, Coco, left for the heavenly residence on October 16.
María Salud Ramírez Caballero Dies At 109
The Secretary of Tourism for the Mexican state of Michoacan, Roberto Monroy announced Caballero’s demise on Twitter later that day. However, the cause of death has not been revealed by far.
“I strongly regret the death of Maria Salud Ramirez Caballero, [a.k.a] Mama Coco, an exemplar of life and a tireless woman,” Monroy penned. She was literally “an inspiration for the respectful character who went around the globe,” she added.
Not only Mornoy, but several enthusiasts have been mourning her death.
One user tweeted, “I have been crying my heart out this morning. BTS won’t come back until 2025 and I just found that MAMA COCO JUST DIED THIS MORNING. I am definitely going to watch Coco tonight,” while another chimed in and said, “I woke up only to find out the real mama coco is no more.”
Reportedly, she was known as Mama Coco by the locals as she is thought to have inspired the movie’s matriarch in the animated film. However, Disney has not officially credited the woman as the real inspiration behind their show’s favorite character, despite the undeniable likeness between the two.
Back in 2017, the Oscar-winning film’s p[roduction team reported that they completely relied upon “real-world families” with whom they familiarised while visiting the Mexican states of Guanajuato and Oaxaca, years before the production. Meanwhile, Caballero reportedly alleged she had been photographed back then by the production crew.
“It is not a true story. The character, Mama Coco, was not based on any real-life person we met during our journey,” Coco director Lee Unkrich professed in a Tweet back in 2018. “She was born solely from our imagination.”
Although initially, Disney didn’t approve, they later admitted to having had a conversation with Caballero, during their Mexican visit.
Viewers went sporadic as they couldn’t believe what the director earlier claimed about Mama Coco, and began to bombard Twitter with as many Tweets as they could to question the truth.
One said, “ So, this guy claims he has seen Mama Coco and that she received no money from Disney even though the character was entirely based on her. It’s already on the news and everything.”
Last year on her birthday, a fellow Twitter user wrote, “Her being Mama Coco was something she was proud of so it’s okay to acknowledge both Coco Disney not paying her.”
The caption was coupled with Caballero cutting a birthday cake with Mama Coco’s picture on it.
The same user again wrote, “I feel like I worded that really bad and confusing, so I am rewording. She loved being involved in Coco so it’s okay to acknowledge her as Mama Coco and to also acknowledge Disney gave her and her community no money and zero profit.”
The user continued, “My boyfriend’s family visited the town from the movie Coco. The Grandma explained to them how their town is poor with few resources. Disney interviewed her and her family to use their lives as a plot for their movie that made millions, but Disney is yet to give them a single cent.”
Coco, the 2017 animated film, focuses on a 12-year-old Miguel, who unknowingly strums a medieval guitar and lands herself in the mystical and dreamy world of the dead. There she reunites with her great-great-grandfather and great-grandmother. The latter is Mama Coco, who was voiced by the actress Ana Ofelia Murguia. The movie features an all-star voice cast, including Alanna Ubach, Edward James Olmos, Benjamin Bratt, Gael Garcia Bernal, and Anthony Gonzalez.
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Regarding the supposed Disney character, the audience had only a single opinion, that Mama Coco was truly and heavily inspired by Caballero. Coco was centered around the Dead traditions of Mexico, which was one of the main reasons why viewers asserted Mama Coco was based on the old lady. (Well, please don’t get us started on their similarities in appearance).
However, Caballero was a ceramic potter and had three children, and was survived by her grandkids and great-grandkids.
The movie was highly successful and grossed a whopping $806 million worldwide. It also broke records in Mexico, owning the tag of the No. 1 film ever in local currency. Eventually ‘Coco’ won big in the 2018 Academy Awards and took home the best original song for Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez’s “Remember Me.”