How Accurate is the Movie Coco?

You’ve probably heard of or seen the movie Coco, a fun animated film set on Día de los Muertos, where a boy with a forbidden passion for music embarks on an exciting adventure in the Land of the Dead, learning about his family’s history. But have you ever wondered how accurate the traditions in this movie are?

What is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)?

Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican tradition celebrated primarily in Mexico at the end of October and beginning of November, where people commemorate their deceased loved ones. It is an ancient Aztec tradition of honoring ancestors on All Souls’ Day, which is a holiday that was brought to Mexico in the early 1500s. The Day of the Dead is a joyful holiday honoring the spirits and helping people remember their dead.

Accurate Traditions Seen in Coco

The movie Coco takes place on Día de los Muertos and reflects a lot of the traditions that are celebrated today. An example is an Ofrenda, an altar where photos of deceased loved ones are put up to honor, and food and other articles are offered to the dead loved ones. On Día de los Muertos, the dead are believed to come back temporarily to visit their loved ones and accept the offerings, a concept that is also reflected in the movie. Now, we can’t know if the dead actually come back on Día de los Muertos, as they are shown in the film, but the idea of them coming back and the preparations for them to do so are real concepts demonstrated in our world. 

Throughout the movie, you will see orange/gold petals in many places. The purpose of these in the movie is to give Miguel his blessing to go home to the living, but these are also symbolic in real life. These flowers are called Mexican Marigolds or Cempasuchil (sem-puh-soo-cheel) flowers. Ms. Zern, the 8th-grade Spanish teacher at our school, comments, “This time of year in Mexico, you’ll have those flowers everywhere, and there are all kinds of things that say the smell brings the spirits to the altar or town.”

In the movie, they say that when all of your loved ones forget who you are, the spirit fades away. This is also believed in Mexican culture that as long as you keep celebrating and remembering your loved ones, their spirit will live on in the afterlife.

And Some That Are Less Accurate…

Another concept shown in Coco is alebrijes, the spirit animals in the Land of the Dead that include the spirit guide dog Dante, whom we all know and love. However, the idea of alebrijes has been slightly altered from its original definition. Alebrejis are brightly colored, handcrafted sculptures representing mythical creatures, originally made from papier-mâché but now crafted from wood. They are associated with the Day of the Dead, and it is common to see them on that holiday. 

Now, obviously, this is a fictional movie, where Miguel didn’t actually travel to the Land of the Dead, but in Mexico, it is believed that when you die, your spirit travels to the afterlife to return once a year on Día de los Muertos.