It was also played by a walkaround version of Ernesto that debuted at the 2022 Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween event at Disney California Adventure. The guitar can be seen at Disneyland Paris, Epcot, and Disney California Adventure played by a bunraku style puppet of Miguel.

Héctor's Guitar appears in Cars 3 as a decoration in Thomasville's Cotton Pin Bar & Grill and in Toy Story 4 as a carnival toy (specifically as a ukulele multiplied and shown in different colors). Héctor plays a spiritual version of his guitar in a guitar duet with Miguel. On the following Día de Los Muertos, it is used by Miguel to celebrate the holiday. Since then, the guitar was placed on display with Héctor's framed letters to Coco at the Rivera residence as Santa Cecilia's new attraction, following the reveal of Ernesto's crimes. He uses it to play 'Remember Me' which rejuvenates Mamá Coco's memories of Héctor, thus saving her father’s spirit from his 'final death'. After Mama Imelda gives him the blessing, he is transported back to the Land of the Living but tries to take the guitar which broke the condition of the blessing - never to play music again - thus transporting him back into the Land of the Dead.įollowing the film's climax, Miguel runs back home with Héctor's guitar the next morning after being transported back to the Land of the Living after being given a blessing (no conditions) by both Imelda and an almost forgotten Héctor.

However, stealing the guitar curses Miguel and he is turned into a spirit, forcing him to seek the blessing of his late family in the Land of the Dead. Miguel takes the guitar from its wall mountings and gives it a strum after apologizing to Ernesto's painting. Much later in the present day, after accidentally breaking the photo frame of Imelda's old family photo, Miguel discovers a hidden part of the photo which showed the guitar in his faceless great-great grandfather's hand and assumed him to be Ernesto De La Cruz, later, Miguel Rivera breaks into Ernesto's mausoleum on the night of Día de los Muertos, in need of an instrument so he can participate in a talent competition taking place that night since his replica was destroyed by Abuelita. The guitar, which survived as it had been placed aside seconds prior to the incident, was then stored in Ernesto's mausoleum in Santa Cecilia's cemetery.

This guitar would be continuously used by the vile murderer in his rise to the top, becoming his iconic instrument, until his performance of ' Remember Me' in 1942 where he was crushed to death by a giant heavy bell. However, his former partner, Ernesto de la Cruz, stole it along with Héctor's songbook after poisoning and killing him. This guitar was a gift given to Héctor by Imelda and went on to become Héctor's instrument during his tour across Mexico. This was altered as getting a family blessing made more sense, so the guitar remained intact in the final cut. It was destroyed by Ernesto de la Cruz in the original climax but was repaired by the Riveras after Ernesto was reviled by the dead in his Sunrise Spectacular. It had to be protected by Miguel as it was his ticket to go back to the Land of the Living.

In earlier drafts of the film, Héctor's guitar was originally carried over in the Land of the Dead with Miguel (who was named Marco) when he was cursed.

Historia de ernesto de la cruz