In Coco, Héctor is the skeleton who helps Miguel in the Land of the Dead. He is a struggling, quick-witted spirit who offers to guide Miguel to Ernesto de la Cruz in exchange for having his photograph placed on an ofrenda.
Héctor wants to return briefly to the Land of the Living so his daughter, Coco, will remember him. In Coco’s mythology, a dead person can fade away permanently when no living family member remembers them. This gives Héctor’s mission emotional urgency and connects Miguel’s adventure to the Rivera family’s history.
Héctor initially appears to be a minor musician and trickster, but Miguel eventually learns that he is his great-great-grandfather. Héctor once wrote and performed songs with Ernesto, who poisoned him and stole his music. The famous song “Remember Me” was written by Héctor for Coco, not by Ernesto. Chicharrón is another skeleton who has been forgotten, while Ernesto is the fraudulent musician Miguel initially admires. Héctor is voiced by Gael García Bernal.