Mamá Coco

Socorro Rivera, better known as Mamá Coco, is the titular character in the Disney/Pixar film, Coco. She is a warm-hearted, supportive, and kind woman who is Miguel's great-grandmother. She suffers from a degenerating memory, but doesn't let that interfere with her happiness.

Official Description

 * Mamá Coco is Miguel's cherished great-grandmother. She is very old and fragile, but that doesn't stop Miguel from sharing his daily adventures with her.

Role in the film
Mamá Coco is introduced as the daughter of Imelda and an unnamed musician who left Imelda with Coco after the latter decided to pursue a career in music. Because of this, Imelda enforced a ban on music in her family and raised Coco herself. In the present, Coco is the beloved great-grandmother of Miguel and is the only member who listens to his hopes and dreams. Despite the outcast status of her father among the Riveras, Coco still remembers her father and thinks of him fondly. Like Miguel, she doesn't approve of her mother's ban on music, but is not vocal as him to challenge it. However, her declining health and memory is a growing concern for her daughter Elena, who becomes more worried and protective of her mother even when the old woman fails to recognize her.

On Día de Los Muertos, Coco is overseeing her family's ofrenda, on top of which is the portrait of Coco with her parents, including Coco's disgraced father. After Dante accidentally shakes the ofrenda and causes the portrait to shatter, Miguel spots the man in the portrait holding a guitar identical to the guitar of Ernesto de la Cruz. Seeing the portrait causes Mamá Coco to react and confirm the figure is her father. Miguel, believing Coco meant that de la Cruz is her father, takes this as a sign to fulfill his dream of becoming a musician. Unfortunately, this leads to an argument between Miguel and the rest of the family, and Abuelita smashes his guitar, which in turn leads Miguel to try to steal Ernesto's guitar so he can play in the plaza like Ernesto. Because of his hasty act, Miguel becomes cursed and transformed into a spirit.

While in the Land of the Dead, Miguel learns that Héctor, a down-on-his-luck skeleton, is actually Coco's missing father, not Ernesto. Meanwhile, back in the Land of the Living, Coco's mind, including the memories of Héctor, is fading, and Héctor will too if Coco completely forgets as she's the last person who remembers him. Miguel, together with Héctor, Imelda, and the deceased Riveras, try to send Héctor's photo back with Miguel so that Coco can remember him. In the process, however, the photo is lost, and Miguel is sent home empty-handed. Miguel returns to the Rivera residence and, despite Abuelita's objections, bursts into Coco's room to see that Coco has become catatonic. Miguel tries to get Coco to remember by showing her the old photo and her father's guitar, but to no avail. When the rest of the family enters, Abuelita demands Miguel to apologize to Coco, but as he does so his foot nudges Héctor's guitar.

Remembering how Héctor told him of the song he wrote especially for his daughter, Miguel tearfully picks up Héctor's guitar and plays "Remember Me" to Coco, telling her it is from her father. The song brings Coco back to her senses, and she recognizes her great-grandson and daughter, who tears up. Revitalized by her father's music, Coco is finally motivated to reveal her father's identity, the letters he sent to her as a child, and the torn section with Héctor's face from the family portrait. All this evidence grants Héctor the recognition he was robbed of from Ernesto and the Riveras accept him back into the family.

Sometime before the next Dia de Los Muertos, Coco has passed away (much to Abuelita's sadness) and her picture is also placed on the ofrenda. Reunited with her parents, uncles, husband, sister-in-law, and other daughter in the Land of the Dead, Coco accompanies them on their visit to the Land of the Living. Coco stands next to Abuelita as they proudly watch Miguel, Abel, and Rosa perform a song to the family.

Trivia

 * Mamá Coco was born in 1918.
 * As the film takes place in present day, Coco was 99 years old at the time of Coco. This is confirmed by Lee Unkrich, who revealed Coco passed away at 100 years of age.
 * Miguel's younger sister Socorro is named after Mamá Coco.
 * During the "Remember Me Lullaby" flashback; Mamá Coco's singing voice is performed by Libertad García Fonzi, who is Héctor's voice actor Gael García Bernal's daughter in real life.
 * In Spanish, her real name (Socorro) means "help" or "aid".
 * She outlived her older daughter Victoria.
 * In the Brazilian Portuguese version of the movie, her name is Ines.
 * In the novelization (which depicts her backstory in four chapters), the music ban by her mother did not stop Coco from dancing secretly. Music is also how she and Julio met and fell in love at the Mariachi Plaza (the same one their great-grandson would often sneak off to). Julio loved her so much to willingly give up music. Coco also hid her musical passion in the same hidden attic as Miguel. When she suffered a dancing-related injury which scared her daughters, she fully lived through the music ban from then on. She is also responsible for Miguel's love of music by humming a song to him when he was an infant.