Man Dies Like the Villain in Pixar Movie Coco
In the Pixar film Coco, the villain Ernesto De La Cruz, voiced by Benjamin Bratt, is killed by a large church bell. Well, sometimes life imitates art. Not that this person was a villain in any way, but a tourist in Spain was killed when a large church bell struck him in the head.
For those unaware of the movie Coco. It’s a good one. Pixar rarely, if ever, misses when they put out a new film. The music is great, the story is sweet and of course you’re probably going to ugly cry at the ending. Unless you’re a heartless beast. Give it a viewing if you get a chance. It takes place in Mexico during the Day of the Dead holiday celebration. De La Cruz’s character has a bell land on him, not once but twice.
A local tradition of climbing the to the top of the bell tower takes place in the town of El Pinell de Brai, Tarragona, Spain. To signal the start of the ceremony the bells was rung, but struck the 30-year old in the head, killing him instantly. People on the scene tried to help the man as did medical personnel when they arrived.
There haven’t been too many details on what goes on during the climb to the top or why this time someone was close enough to the bell to be hit. When asked for comment the mayor of the town seemed to think that the event will have to be done a bit differently due to the tragedy. The city council and church community will try to figure out what can be done to keep everyone safe during the event. If you plan to climb any bell towers in the near future, make sure you are the required distance away from the bell so you don’t suffer the same fate as this poor guy. Also don’t stand under it so you don’t suffer the same fate as Ernesto De La Cruz.
24 Philly Sports References in TV Shows and Movies
Invincible
Vince Papale was a great underdog story. The Delco native made it onto the Eagles with a minimal professional football background. Disney might’ve stretched the truth a little bit for plot convenience, but at least the Eagles made it onto the big screen.
Make sure you credit Tony Luke for a line in his Invincible cameo that was ripped off by a fan at a tailgate years later.
The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon
Tony Danza playing an Eagles kicker wasn’t the greatest idea for a movie plot. Jeffrey Lurie got to make a cameo in the type of movie that can attract young fans to professional spots despite some noticeable flaws.
The Eagles have made it onto the big screen much more often than most NFL franchises. Give Lurie some credit for the added exposure.
42- Acknowledging History
Most of these references are about celebrating Philadelphia sports. However, 42 acknowledged an inconvenient truth in Phillies history.
Former Philadelphia manager Ben Chapman was guilty of severe racism as Phillies manager in 1947. Philadelphia city council formally apologized in 2016 for the events recreated in 42.
30 Rock- Upper Darby's Own Tina Fey
Tina Fey wasn’t shy about her Philly roots in 30 Rock. The Upper Darby native said it pretty well.
“Philly rules: Cheesesteaks, Bobby Clarke, Will Smith. Your town sucks.”
She impressively proved her brash Delco trash talk again when criticizing Jonathan Papelbon for his “Philadelphia handshake” that landed him a suspension.
The Office
A setting in Scranton lent itself to Philadelphia sports references. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons were still a Phillies affiliate when the show started. Kevin also got excited that time he read about the Eagles winning the NFC East.
The best Philadelphia sports references in The Office came from Jim though. His character got to meet legends like Julius Erving and Ryan Howard (and not the character named Ryan Howard).
The World Series Defense
“The World Series Defense” became famous because it introduced the running bit of Mac’s obsession with Chase Utley. It included other great references to the 2008 World Series and the rowdy passion of Philadelphia sports fans.
The most creative part was the story of how the gang missed out on the first part of Game 5, the infamous rain delay, and the World Series clincher and parade.
Getting trapped in a closet at the old Holiday Inn didn’t sound too realistic on the surface, but it was the perfect bit for an outrageous series of events. The humor appropriately captured the ridiculousness of the real events.
