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Sonoma Bootmaker Plays Role In Pixar's 'Coco' Oscar Win

SEBASTOPOL (CBS SF) -- When asked about Pixar's Oscar-winning animated film "Coco", a smile come across local bootmaker Michael Carnacchi's face.

It's a smile of ownership.

Pixar animators came to Carnacchi's small Sebastopol shop while they were making the film to gather information so their characters could authentically replicate the art of shoe making.

From his flatbed machine to his actual stool, his boot shop came to life in the film.

"I received a random email," Carnacchi told KPIX 5 of his first contact with Pixar. "It didn't have any identifier as to where came from. It just said we are documentary film crew."

The Pixar crew came by and spent two hours in the shop, but were very secretive about what they were looking for. It wasn't until he saw the film that Carnacchi realized what they were up to.

"Well I had to go back twice! It was fun!" he said of seeing the film. "It was like - 'Oh my gosh, there are all these different parts in my shop animated!' Like Wow, that's what my shop looks like."

There were a lot of Carnacchi's signature pieces in the animated film.

"You will definitely see this nail set up that will actually be on a spindle," he said. "You'll see a pair of boot uppers that are sitting on the bench similar to this."

But the real thrill came when the film's credits began to roll by.

"The real moment came when we stayed for the credits and I saw my name," he said. "And I let out a 'Woo Hoo!' in the theater."

On Monday, there was a new addition to his shop. A brightly colored sign that simply said: "Coco Won"

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