Unkrich

It’s no secret that with director Lee Unkrich, the helmer is responsible for perhaps the biggest (and most admitted) tear-worthy moment of the past decade with the ending of Toy Story 3. Though his next project Dia de los Muertos is still some time away, there has been mild speculation about just what the upcoming original project will consist of. While it certainly sounds like a Halloween affair, Unkrich has decided to open up just a little bit about his next film. And this time it seems like he’s going to aim directly for the heart once more.

Talking with CinemaBlend, Unkrich was incredibly tight-lipped about specific details regarding Dia de los Muertos. But he did offer one major theme, “All I can say – based on the films that we’ve made – is that death is a part of life. Yes, it’s easy to kind of look away from it and pretend it doesn’t exist. But it is kind of the same reality that we all have to face. And it’s a powerful thing. I’m proud that we haven’t kind of hidden away from it”.

While it certainly sounds like dark subject matter, especially for a Pixar film, it’s an aspect that has the possibility to really evoke some emotion by exploring what comes after death in grief, loss, etc. However seeing how Day of the Dead is more of a celebration of the ones we’ve lost, it could be an uplifting spin that certainly tugs at the heartstrings in the same way.

But due to the fact the titular event is a Mexican holiday, does this mean we will be diving more into culture? Unkrich says, ”It’s never kind of a choice to say ‘Well, this would be an interesting culture to explore.’ It honestly comes down to character first. That’s usually where all this comes from, is that we have an idea for a certain character and sometimes it ends up feeling naturally like it should be set in a certain world.”

Dia de los Muertos is scheduled to be released sometime in 2015. Unkrich’s co-directorial effort Finding Nemo is in theaters today for a limited 3D re-release.