Bolstered by the «do whatever is necessary to follow your dream» motto of his
idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), Miguel seeks to prove himself in a
talent contest but his unorthodox means of obtaining an instrument catapult him and his dog Dante into the Land of the Dead, where he meets not only Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal), a good - natured con - artist, but many of his forebears, including Mama Imelda.