This tiny detail at the beginning of 'Coco' nearly spoils a major plot point — but you probably missed it

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Pixar's new movie "Coco."

"Coco" follows the young aspiring musician Miguel as he accidentally enters the Land of the Dead and discovers his secret family history along the way. Towards the beginning of the movie, Miguel finds a photograph that leads him to believe a deceased famous musician named Ernesto de la Cruz is his great-great-grandfather. 

While in the Land of the Dead, Miguel enlists the help of a woebegone man named Hector to help him find Ernesto. About two-thirds of the way through the movie, the plot takes a surprising turn when Miguel finds out that Hector is really his great-great-grandfather — not Ernesto.

But if you were paying close attention to a detail included on the famous Ernesto's guitar, you might have figured out this twist for yourself: Both Ernesto's famous guitar and Hector have a single gold tooth.

Throughout the first act of "Coco," we see Ernesto's guitar multiple times. The headstock of the guitar is decorated to look like a skull, and features a single gold tooth. This is true for Ernesto's real guitar and the replica Miguel makes. At one point we even see Miguel coloring in one tooth to make it gold.

When we first see Hector, his smile betrays this small connection. He has a single gold tooth, just like the famous guitar Ernesto plays.

We eventually learn that Ernesto murdered Hector, his friend and musical collaborator. Ernesto then took Hector's guitar and songbook, and launched his own successful career. 

The photo Miguel found at the start of the movie showing his great-great-grandfather holding Ernesto's famous guitar was really a picture of Hector.

This wasn't the only clever foreshadowing hiding at the beginning of "Coco." The stray dog Miguel feeds, Dante, is eventually revealed to be an alebrije, or spirit guide. But for most of the movie he's presented as just a silly and rather unintelligent dog.

But upon re-watching the movie, you'll realize that Dante first appeared right next to a table full of alebrije figurines — foreshadowing his eventual reveal as a special spirit guide animal.

Also worth noting in this scene is the winged alebrije just to the left of Miguel — that's the same creature his great-great-grandmother Mama Imelda has in the Land of the Dead.

For more on "Coco," read our roundup of the Pixar Easter eggs hidden throughout the movie, and see what the cast looks like in real life.

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