Ernesto de la Cruz

"I have to sing! I have to play! The music, it's not just in me, it is me!"

- Ernesto in the trailer Ernesto de la Cruz is the main antagonist of Disney/Pixar's 19th animated feature film Coco. He is Hector's former music partner and friend, Miguel's former idol, and a famous singer and musician who dazzled audience with his good looks and his charm, and was a source of Mexican pride due to his handsome looks, strong morals, and his standing up for his fellow Mexicans. After dying of being crushed by a giant bell, he resides as a soul in the Land of the Dead. At the end, it is revealed that he stole all his most famous songs from the real Miguel's great great grandfather, Hector.

He is voiced by Benjamin Bratt, who also voiced El Macho.

Personality
At first glance, Ernesto presents himself as a charming, wise, and sensible individual who encouraged others to follow their dreams no matter what, making him seem like a good role model.

However, it is later revealed that Ernesto is nothing more than a two-bit, selfish, overly ambitious ne'er-do-well who murdered his best friend, Hector and stole his song book to achieve fame and glory and will resort to even hurting a child to preserve his evil nature.

Backstory
Ernesto was Hector's music partner and the duo made songs together. Ernesto made a contract with a music producer, who promise to make him famous and rich. However, Hector decides to quit the music business and retire to live with his daughter Coco and his wife. He also decided to take all the music with him. Furious at Hector not accepting the offering and desperate to gain fame, Ernesto poisoned a drink and gives it to Hector, killing him and stealing his music and achieving fortune and fame. Unbeknownst to Ernesto, this causes Hector's family to think he left them and make them ban music from their family. While Ernesto performing on Stage, one of the works accidentally leans against a lever, causing the church bell hanging over Ernesto to fall on him and crushing him.

Role
In film, Miguel dreams of becoming a musician like Ernesto. However, his family has banned music for generations in which to their view of thinking that music is cursed. The only relative Miguel likes is his great-grandmother Coco. On Día de Muertos, Miguel finds a bent section of the photo revealing that his great-great grandfather used a guitar similar to De la Cruz. This causes Miguel to believe that he and his family are direct descendants of De la Cruz.

Hector sneaks into the palace, dressed as Frida Kahlo to interrupt them. When Hector meets with Ernesto again, it is revealed that Hector used to be De la Cruz's partner in the music business, with Hector being a well-known songwriter and composer. Hector remembers when he had decided to abandon the music industry and stay with his family, De la Cruz poisoned him and stole his songs and ideas, thereby achieving fame. Enraged at Ernesto for killing, Hector lashes out at him before he's taken away by the agents. Ernesto also reluctantly orders the agents to take Miguel with Hector so that he won't expose him.

Miguel realizes his family's intentions and wishes to reconcile with them, with Hector revealing that his main motivation for wanting to cross the bridge was to see his daughter Coco again, making him Miguel's true great-great grandfather. Ernesto is exposed to his fans as a fraud by the deceased Rivera family. He is later destroyed by having a bell fall on top of him, echoing his first death.

After Miguel returns to his world and help Coco remember Hector, he also help expose Ernesto as the Fraud he truly is and on the next Day of the Dead festival, a sign saying olvidado, which means forgotten in Spanish, is hung over Ernesto's statue and he is forgotten by the world of the living.

Trivia

 * Ernesto is the seventh Pixar villain hidden and later reveals his true colors.
 * Ernesto is the fifth main Pixar movie villain to actually die at the end of his film, after Hopper, the main antagonist of A Bug's Life, Syndrome, the main antagonist of The Incredibles, Charles Muntz, the main antagonist of Up, and Mor'du, the main antagonist of Brave. Though in Ernesto's case he actually dies twice, in both the human world and in the día de los muertos world.
 * Ernesto bears similar qualities with Gaston from Beauty and the Beast as both of them had charismatic, egotistical, arrogant, and deceptive qualities to achieve their goals.
 * He's also similar to Judge Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame as they both describe themselves as being righteous but later are revealed to be cruel and willing kill innocent people to achieve their goals.