Meet Your New Favorite Sidekick In The Pixar Short ‘Dante’s Lunch’

Disney-Pixar’s upcoming film, Coco, celebrates the culture of Mexico and Dìa de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.  And while the story follows the young Miguel and his adventure in the Land of the Dead, I get the feeling Dante, Miguel’s dog, will be the one stealing the show. Yesterday, Pixar released an animated short, “Dante’s Lunch – A Short Tail,” and I am smitten. The pup is so darn cute! The entire short runs just shy of two minutes and is embedded below. You have no excuse not to watch. Trust me, you will thank me later.

The team behind the movie did their research, too. According to director Lee Unkrich, Dante is modeled after Mexico’s national dog, the Xolo. This breed of dog dates back to the Aztecs, who believed they were needed for spirits to make the transition to the afterlife. Even Dante’s lolling tongue is characteristic of the Xolo.

Coco is scheduled to hit theaters November 22 of this year. Are you excited for the movie? I know I am!

[source: Yahoo!]