GUANAJUATO, Mexico – For many, Pixar’s “Coco" is considered to be one of the most culturally significant children’s movies in history.
The film tells the story of a young Mexican boy named Miguel who journeys through the world of his ancestors on the Day of the Dead. It connected with audiences across Central and North America, bringing Dia de Muertos to life and showcasing the traditions associated with the celebration.
In February, a KSAT crew traveled to Guanajuato, Mexico to visit some of the sites that inspired the film.
The statue of Mexican singer and actor Jorge Negrete is located in the middle of the city. It inspired the shrine to the fictional “Coco” character Ernesto de la Cruz.
Guanajuato’s famous Callejon del Beso can be seen in the “Coco” scene when Miguel speaks to his grandmother in the Land of the Dead.
Guanajuato’s brightly colored buildings and historic center were the inspiration behind the Land of the Dead that is seen throughout most of the film.
The Zona Centro inspired the streets Miguel and his grandfather Hector walked through to meet his family.
But it was not just locations that inspired the film. Mexico’s culture and deep traditions played an even bigger role, impacting American audiences and many young people in various ways.
“I think movies like ‘Coco’ and ‘Tree of Life,’ and the opening to the James Bond film ‘Skyfall,’ they are actually indications of something much deeper that’s happening,” said John Phillip Santos with UTSA’s Mestizo Cultural Studies Honors College. “I see much more interesting horizons in terms of the way that this tradition has been reawakened in communities that didn’t celebrate it 50 years ago.”
Santos and UTSA Associate Professor, Dr. Sonya Aleman, agree that Dia de Muertos was not widely celebrated in San Antonio the way it is today.
Factors like the popularity of “Coco” and the commercialization of the holiday have played a part in raising the profile of Dia de Muertos in South Texas and across North America.
“There was a huge learning opportunity, both for people of Mexican ethnicity and heritage here in the United States when this film came out about that tradition,” said Aleman. “And that’s kind of the way, you know, culture kind of operates and circulates now.”
Many “Coco” fans found a deep connection to the film for various reasons and many felt it was an authentic depiction of Mexican culture, art and music.
It explained how Dia de Muertos and Halloween are very different holidays, and how to honor loved ones after death without feeling scared.
But at its heart, “Coco” was about family and traditions built through generations of ancestors.
“Anyone who is interested in these kinds of stories should make a trip to Mexico City to Teotihuacan to Chichen Itza,” said Santos. “To see these extraordinary living monuments to the world that Dia de Muertos is an expression of.”