Lee Unkrich, the director of Disney and Pixar’sCoco, has paid tribute to Abuelita actress Renée Victor following the news of her death. It was reported over the weekend that Victor, the TV and film actress best known for playing Miguel’s grandmother in the 2017 animated feature film and starring as Lupita in Showtime’s dark comedy-dramaWeeds, among many other roles throughout her decades-long career, had died at her home in Sherman Oaks, California, on May 30 surrounded by her family after a battle with lymphoma. She was 86.
Unkrich honored Victor with a post on Instagram, sharing a side-by-side image of the actress and her fan-favorite character inCoco, who went by the name Elena Rivera, but was often addressed as Abuelita (an affectionate Spanish word for “grandma”). The caption read: “I’ve just learned the heartbreaking news that Renée Victor, the actress who voiced Abuelita in Coco, has passed away. Renée was an incredible talent, both as an actor and dancer, and she was enormously proud of her role inCoco. This is so sad. I’m absolutely gutted.”
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Victor made her feature film acting debut in 1988’sSalsa, which utilized her skills as a dance instructor. After that, she went on to star in the likes ofThe Doctor, The Apostle,andA Night in Old Mexicowith Robert Duvall. She also appeared in several popular TV shows, including a recurring role onERand a main role in the first two seasons ofWeeds(along with guest appearances in later seasons).Her more recent roles on the small screen include memorable turns inSnowpiercer, Mayans M.C., Dead to Me, A Million Little Things, andWith Love.
Her voice acting spans the 1992 animated seriesThe Addams Family, Prime Video’s adult animated comedyFairfax, and the long-running sci-fi sitcomFuturama. Victor is also credited with roles in Bethesda’s 2011 video gameThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimand 2025’sThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. However, it was her role inCocothat arguably captured hearts. She starred in the film as the loving and overprotective matriarch of the Rivera family and played a key role in the central storyline thatrevolves around an ancestral ban on music.
Renée Victor Is “An Incredible Part of the Pixar Family”
In addition to Unkrich’s touching tribute, Pixar shared a post on Instagram in memory of Victor. “We are heartbroken to hear of the passing of Renée Victor, the voice Abuelita inCocoand an incredible part of the Pixar family. We will always remember you,” the animation studio wrote on Saturday. The message seemingly referencesthe deeply emotional song “Remember Me,“written by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez forCoco, which, at its core, is all about honoring and remembering loved ones after they have passed away.
Victor’s death comes just over two months afterCoco 2was announced to be in developmentat Pixar during Disney’s annual shareholder meeting. Unkrich is returning to co-direct the animated sequel alongside Adrian Molina, for a projected 2029 release window. Plot details are being kept under wraps for now, so it’s unclear which characters and voice actors might be back to reprise their roles, but we are certain that Victor and her beloved Abuelita will be fondly remembered by all those involved with the production.
Sources:Instagram,Deadline
