Fall, when temperatures dip and trees shed their leaves, is my favorite time of the year, not only because of the windy weather, but also because it marks the season of holidays and my family’s traditions. In my home, these include the viewing of holiday-themed television programs and theater visits to see blockbuster films. Disney Pixar’s Coco, the animated film celebrating the Mexican tradition of DĂa de Muertos, has become a family favorite.
DĂa de Muertos has its roots in a pre-Hispanic commemoration of deceased loved ones that is practiced by some Latin American indigenous populations. The film draws its cultural inspiration from several Mexican variations of this tradition.
Coco is the story of Miguel, a young boy eager to follow his passion for music in a family that—puzzlingly—has banned music for several generations. The title refers to Miguel’s great-grandmother, Mamá Coco, whose father is key to the anti-music mystery. This tale unfolds in an unspecified Mexican town on the eve of El DĂa de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) as the entire community is preparing to honor their departed loved ones. Miguel finds himself transported to the place of the dead just as the dead are making their way to the land of the living to be with their family and friends. Adventures ensue as this living boy tries to navigate the land of the dead, a visually vibrant, reimagined illustration of this traditional realm.
Viewers have found Coco to be a powerfully communicated story about the importance of family and community, along with a sense of belonging, tradition, and remembrance.
Within Mexico, there are many regional and community-specific interpretations of the tradition. The representation in Coco is a composite, but the individual elements would be recognizable to those familiar with the tradition. The film is rich in Day of the Dead imagery, such as decorated cemeteries and ofrendas (offerings)—temporary memorial spaces devoted to deceased family and friends. These spaces are filled with favorite foods and beverages, images of loved ones, candles, and several cempasúchil (marigolds). Even the bridge between the place of the living and the place of the dead is made of cempasúchil petals.
Some of the movie’s characters, in both human and skeletal form, come straight out of central casting. You find celebrities like Frida Kahlo, Lucha Libre wrestlers, and mariachi musicians in traditional regalia, as well as an assortment of relatives whom we can all identify. Some of the characters are neither living humans nor skeleton beings, but they are certainly well-known to most Mexicans. A Xoloitzcuintli dog named Dante accompanies Miguel on his adventures. This hairless, ancient breed is considered to be the national dog of Mexico. Through the course of the film, Dante transforms into a living alebrije—a folk art form of fanciful, elaborately painted creature sculptures. In the movie, alebrijes are companions to the deceased.
Interestingly, travel in the film from the land of the dead to the land of the living requires going through a type of afterlife immigration process. The dead must present themselves to an officer who conducts a computer search for their image. Your photo must be found on an ofrenda; if it isn’t there, it means you are no longer remembered by your family or friends, and you will not be allowed to walk across the cempasĂşchil bridge to the land of the living. Looks like immigration is tough even in the afterlife.Â
Day of the Dead is relatively new in the U.S., but it has been incorporated into our holiday cycle with gusto. We travel to Mexican destinations promoted by government tourism entities to observe or even participate in celebrations. Hotels and other tourism venues create Day of the Dead activities for national and international guests.
The internet has made the Day of the Dead available to us on an unprecedented scale. Spend some time on Pinterest and you can learn how to throw a Day of the Dead party, do your skeleton make-up, plan your Day of the Dead–themed wedding, construct ofrendas, and design your own sugar skull. Throughout the U.S. you can find Day of the Dead crawls, parades, museum programs, masquerade galas, and marathons.
By many accounts, the film is enjoying tremendous acceptance in Mexico, and it is generating an abundance of positive ways. It depicts a gathering in Oaxaca of abuelitos (grandparents) viewing the film with smiling approval. Oaxaca is a place in Mexico where the Day of the Dead tradition is particularly rich.