NEW YORK (AP) — The Mexico-set "Coco" is Pixar's first feature film with a minority lead character, and one of the largest American productions ever to feature an almost entirely Latino cast.

That makes it something of a landmark event, one that has already set box-office records in Mexico where it opened several weeks early.

But it also took a lot of homework and a lot of outreach for Pixar to convince Latinos that the production wasn't just big-budget cultural appropriation. Such fears spiked when Disney tried to trademark "Dia de los Muertos" in 2013, only to abandon the effort after a backlash.

Charting a different path, Pixar brought in cultural consultants to create an authentic celebration of Mexican folklore, traditions and music.