Ernesto de la Cruz

Ernesto de la Cruz is the main antagonist of the Disney/Pixar film Coco. He was a famous singer and musician who dazzled audiences with his good looks and his charm, and was a source of Mexican pride due to his strong morals and his standing up for his fellow Mexicans. After his death, he resides as a soul in the Land of the Dead. Miguel's quest in the movie is to find Ernesto, whom he believes is his great-great-grandfather, in the Land of the Dead.

Official Description

 * Ernesto de la Cruz is Miguel's idol and the most famous musician in the history of Mexico. Revered by fans worldwide until his untimely death, the charming and charismatic musician is even more beloved in the Land of the Dead.

Personality
At first glance, Ernesto presents himself as a charming, wise, and sensible individual who encouraged others to follow their dreams no matter what, making him seem like a good role model.

However, it is later revealed that Ernesto was selfish and desperate in life, where his ambition drove him to murder his best friend Héctor, and stole his song book and guitar to achieve fame and glory. His afterlife as a spirit has not only maintained but strengthened his reputation that he will go to malicious lengths to keep it that way. Even Miguel, the boy who looked up to him as his idol, was a liability in his eyes to the extent that Ernesto would resort to murdering the child to hide his secret.

Trivia

 * Ernesto is designed after famous Mexican actors and singers from the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, in particular Jorge Negrete.
 * At his party, Ernesto is seen interacting with Negrete and Pedro Infante (two of his inspirations).
 * The crossout of Ernesto's tomb at the end of the film was replaced by the "X" letter in the international versions.
 * With the exception of "Remember Me" (which was sung by his original voice actor), Ernesto's singing voice is provided by a different actor, Antonio Sol.
 * There are hints that Ernesto isn't who Miguel believes him to be.
 * Ernesto is genuinely shocked upon realize he has a great great-grandson. While this, at first, can be seen as Ernesto not caring to see his family, it can also mean Ernesto is never married or had an illegitimate child, which if the latter is true, it would shatter his reputation due to Mexicans have very strict thoughts about child born out of wedlock.
 * While rescuing Miguel from drowning, Ernesto pushes Miguel's guitar out of the way before returning him to the surface. This foreshadows how he cares little for music and more for his reputation.
 * Despite getting crushed a second time, Ernesto is not permanently dead due to already being dead, as Unkrich confirmed.
 * Taking into account of the years in which they were born, Ernesto is four years older than Héctor.
 * The name "de la Cruz" translates to "of the Cross."