El Pasoans make their mark in new animated film “Coco”

Two Riverside High School graduates are making their mark in Pixar’s newest animated film “Coco.”

The movie, hailed by critics as one of Pixar’s best films in years, centers around 12-year-old Miguel, who dreams of becoming an accomplished musician, despite his family’s ban on music.

Lombardo Boyar voices a mariachi singer in one of the film’s first scenes. He also voices Gustavo, who gives one of the film’s main characters, Hector, a hard time. Octavio Solis voices an arrival agent and served as a cultural consultant for the film.

“Most definitely living my dream,” Boyar told ABC-7. “I don’t want to say it’s easy kids, I’ve been doing it 22 years, so you definitely pay your dues and you have your ups and downs. But you just got to believe in yourself and you know, keep going.”

He was born in El Paso and went to Ascarate Elementary, then Riverside High School. After high school, Boyar joined the army. “When I got out, I decided I wanted to be an actor,” Boyar said.

Boyar has since gone on to play characters in a variety of movies and TV shows. He voiced one of the penguins from the “five amigos” in Happy Feet 1 and 2. He had a reoccurring role on the Bernie Mac show, voiced the character Lars on the Nickelodeon cartoon Rocket Power and was a main character in the TBS show, Murder in the First.

Boyar said it’s amazing for his children to see, or rather hear, him on the big screen. He’s also says he’s thankful for all the support he’s gotten back home.

“Love to everyone in El Paso and everyone who helped me out when I was there,” Boyar said.

Solis is a playwright and director. As a consultant for “Coco,” Solis said he was able to use his up-bringing in El Paso to bring authenticity to the film.

“The culture is me. I am Chicano culture,” he said. “It’s part of my identity. So they’re really asking me for my personal opinion on these things, not just as a playwright, not just as an artist, but as a Latino.”

Solis said there’s been a great response from the community. “Stupendous,” he said. “This has been overwhelmingly just exuberant.”