Imelda
[to a case worker angrily]
I demand to speak to the person in charge!
CW Case Worker
I'm sorry, señora, but it says here no one put up your photo!
Imelda
My family always, ALWAYS put my photo on the ofrenda. [takes off her boot and smashes the computer with it] That devil box tells you nothing but lies!
J Julio
[as he and the dead Riveras approach nervously]
Mamá Imelda? [Imelda aims her boot at him; he shrieks]
Imelda
[snapping out]
Oh, mi familia! They wouldn't let me cross the bridge! Tell this woman and her devil box that my photo is on the ofrenda!
J Julio
Well, w-we never made it to the ofrenda.
Imelda
What?
J Julio
We ran into uh... um...
Imelda
[gasps]
Miguel?
M Miguel
[sheepishly]
Mama Imelda.
Imelda
What is going on?
HC Head Clerk
[comes out of the office door]
You the Rivera family? [later… in his office; to Miguel] Well, you're cursed.
M Miguel
[as the deceased Riveras gasp]
What?!
HC Head Clerk
Dia de los Muertos is the night to give to the dead. You stole from the dead!
M Migue
But I wasn't stealing the guitar.
Imelda
Guitar?
M Miguel
It was my great-great-grandfather's! He would've wanted me to have it.
Imelda
Ah, ah, ah! We do not speak of that "musician." He is dead to this family.
M Miguel
Uh, you're all dead.
HC Head Clerk
[sneezes as Dante gets close]
I am sorry, whose alebrije is that?
M Miguel
That's just Dante.
Rosita
He sure doesn't look like an alebrije.
Oscar
He just looks like a plain old dog...
F Felipe
Or a sausage someone dropped in a barbershop.
HC Head Clerk
Whatever he is, I am [sneezes] terribly allergic.
M Miguel
But Dante doesn't have any hair.
HC Head Clerk
And I don’t have a nose, and yet here we are. [sneezes again]
Imelda
But none of this explains why I couldn't cross over!
M Miguel
Oh. (I think I know why.) [chuckles nervously as he takes out the photo of Imelda, young Coco and the faceless man from his jacket pocket and holds it up]
Imelda
[All the deceased Riveras gasp in shock.] [shocked]
You took my photo off the ofrenda?!
M Miguel
It was an accident!
HC Head Clerk
[The Head Clerk gives Imelda a marigold petal to start her blessing to send Miguel home]
Now, you look at the living and say his name.
Imelda
[bitterly]
Miguel.
HC Head Clerk
Nailed it! Now say, "I give you my blessing.".
Imelda
I give you my blessing. [The marigold petal glows; Miguel is amazed] I give you my blessing to go home... [the petal glows brighter] to put my photo back on the ofrenda... [even brighter, Miguel nods] and to never play music again!
M Miguel
What?! She can't do that!
HC Head Clerk
Well, technically, she can add any condition she wants.
HC Head Clerk
Then you hand the petal to Miguel.
M Miguel
[Miguel takes the petal; in a flash, he's back in the mausoleum. He looks out the window.]
No skeletons! [stares smugly at Ernesto's guitar and takes it] Mariachi Plaza, here I come! [Not even 2 steps later, he's back in the Land of the Dead; he is caught by Imelda.]
Imelda
Two seconds, and you already break your promise!
M Miguel
This isn't fair, it's my life! You already had yours! [takes Imelda's petal] Papá Julio, I ask for your blessing! [Julio cringes nervously; one by one, each dead Rivera resists] Tía Rosita? Oscar? Felipe? Tía Victoria? [Victoria just shakes her head, meaning no]
Imelda
Don't make this hard, mijo. You go home my way, or no way.
M Miguel
You really hate music that much?!
Imelda
I will not let you go down the same path he did!
M Miguel
[looks at the photo]
The same path he did... he did.
Victoria
Listen to your Mamá Imelda.
Oscar
She's just looking out for you.
Rosita
Be reasonable.
M Miguel
[stagey]
Con permiso, I need to visit the restroom. [exits] Be right back!
HC Head Clerk
Uh... should we tell him there are no restrooms in the Land of the Dead?
M Miguel
[Miguel was running towards Ernesto's party at his tower in the distance, when Pepita, with Imelda on board, lands in front of him and roars]
AAH!
Imelda
This nonsense ends now, Miguel! I am giving you my blessing and you are going home.
M Miguel
I don't want your blessing! [runs through an alley and up the stairs]
Imelda
[runs upstairs after Miguel]
Miguel! Stop! Come back! Miguel! I'm trying to save your life!
M Miguel
[slips through the metal gate trying to escape]
You're ruining my life!
Imelda
What?!
M Miguel
[angrily]
Music's the only thing that makes me happy. And YOU, you WANNA take that away! YOU'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND! [continues marching upstairs]
Imelda
[singing "La Llorona" to prove Miguel wrong]
Y aunque la vida me cueste, Llorona / No dejar de quiererte.
M Miguel
I-I thought you hated music.
Imelda
Oh, I love it. I remember that feeling - when my husband would play and I would sing, and nothing else mattered, but when we had Coco suddenly, there was something in my life that mattered more than music. I wanted to put down roots. He wanted to play for the world. We each made a sacrifice to get what we wanted. Now, you must make a choice.
M Miguel
But I don't wanna pick sides. Why can't you be on my side? That's what families are supposed to do - support you, but you never will. [wipes a tear from his eye and runs off]
M Miguel
[realizing about Ernesto]
He stole your guitar. He stole your songs. You should be the one the world remembers, not de la Cruz!
Héctor
I didn't write "Remember Me" for the world. I wrote it for Coco. [looks at Miguel sadly] I'm a pretty sorry excuse for a great-great grandpa.
M Miguel
Are you kidding? A minute ago, I thought I was related to a murderer. You're a total upgrade. [excitedly] My whole life, there is something that made me different. I never knew where it came from. But now I know... it... it comes from you. I'm proud we're family! [runs up happily] I’M PROUD TO BE HIS FAMILY!! [lets out a loud grito]
Héctor
[happily jumps up with a loud grito]
I'M PROUD TO BE HIS FAMILY!
M Miguel
[loud grito, then suddenly heard a howling sound coming from the hole of a cenote pit]
Dante? [Dante appears and barks happily] Dante! [laughs] It's Dante! [Pepita appears with a loud mighty roar which shakes the stalactites, Miguel laughs with joy until Imelda appeared above Pepita.]
Héctor [smiles nervously] Imelda!
Imelda
[sternly, recognizing her husband]
Héctor.
Héctor
You look good!
Ernesto
[Backstage at the Sunrise Spectacular, Ernesto bumps into Imelda and the Riveras.] [to Imelda]
Don't I know you?
Imelda
[removes her boot, and hits Ernesto across the skull]
That's for murdering the love of my life!
Ernesto
Who?! Who the--
Héctor
[appears around the corner]
She's talking about ME! [to Imelda, lovestruck] I'm the love of your life?
Imelda
I don't know! I'm still angry at you.
Ernesto
Héctor?! How did you--?
Imelda
[hits Ernesto with her boot again]
And that's for trying to murder my grandson!
Ernesto
Grandson?!
M Miguel
[also appears around the corner]
She's talking about me!
Ernesto
YOU! [realized] Wait… you're related to Héctor?
M Miguel
The photo! [points to Héctor's photo in Ernesto's shirt pocket]
Ernesto
[backs away as the Rivera family glares at him]
Uh… [runs off]
Imelda
After him!
Ernesto
[After Ernesto's crimes are exposed to the Land of the Dead, Ernesto straighten his hair up, unaware that Miguel's family had broadcasted his crimes and turned the audience against him]
Ha, ha! [The audience starts booing at him as he laughs nervously] Please, please, mi familia!
AM Audience Member #1
Murderer!
AM Audience Member #2
Get off the stage!
Ernesto
Orchestra! A-1, A-2, A-1... [The conductor breaks his baton in half in contempt, without any words to say; singing] Remember me, though I have to s– [A tomato is thrown at his jacket] Hey! [The audience continues booing as they start throwing food at Ernesto.]
FA Female Audience Member
[looks up, and points]
Look!
Ernesto
[On one of the jumbotrons, Pepita and Dante fly up onto the building's edge with Miguel on Pepita's back. As Miguel slides down Pepita's wing, the other Riveras hug him. The crowd cheers. Ernesto looks shocked because of his crimes being exposed. With a determined scowl, Pepita walks onto the stage, and growls at Ernesto] [chuckles nervously as he walks backwards while Pepita closes in on him]
Here kitty, Nice kitty, Big kitty. [Pepita roars in Ernesto's face, then headbutts him, sending him flying. She then catches him by his waist as she flies off] Put me down! Please! I'm begging you! Stop it, stop that! [A cameraman follows Pepita] Ow, ow! [Pepita flips him into the air, then smacks him away with her tail. The villainous musician goes flying, then notices something up ahead] No! [screams, then smacks face-first into a large church bell, then lands beneath it. Appearing to be unharmed, he looks up and gasps in horror as the bell falls on top of him… again. As the crowd cheers in jubilant, a skeleton sits beside his wife while holding two ears of corn]
MA Male Audience Member
[to his wife]
What did I miss?
M Miguel
[Back with the Riveras]
Good boy, Dante.
Imelda
Miguel! [they hug each other]
M Miguel
[Héctor surges and falls to the ground, his life force nearly gone.]
Héctor! [runs up to him] The photo… I-I-I lost it!
Héctor
[sitting up]
It's okay, mijo. It's... [the surging worsens, spasms more and faints]
M Miguel
HÉCTOR! Héctor?!
Héctor
[moans, whispers]
Coco...
M Miguel
No, we can still find the photo!
Imelda
Miguel, it's almost sunrise!
M Miguel
[The sun begins to rise; Miguel's skeleton transformation has now reached up to his face, Héctor weakly places his hand on his face.]
No, no, no. I can't leave you! I promised I put your photo up! I promised you'd see Coco!
Héctor
We're both out of time, mijo. [surges yet again]
M Miguel
No! No! She can't forget you!
Héctor
I just wanted her to know... that I loved her. [takes out a marigold petal, surging once more]
Héctor
You have our blessing... Miguel.
Imelda
[holds the petal with Héctor]
No conditions.
M Miguel
[The petal glows and they contour it toward Miguel]
No, Papá Héctor! Please!! [The dead Riveras and Dante mourn sadly] No...! [panting sadly]
Héctor
Go home. [smiles and surges one final time]
M Miguel
I promise I won't let Coco forget you! [the petal touches him] AHH!!
[A flash of petals, and the view fades to white; Miguel wakes up in the mausoleum and flees for home with the skull guitar in hand.]
